Global data security platform Pixalate recently released the "Google Store App Removal Research Report for January 2025." In January of this year, Google Play removed over 81,600 apps globally, a 22% increase compared to December 2024 (64,000 apps), including two apps that had over 50 million downloads.
Google Play removed 81,600 apps in January, a 22% increase from December
According to the report, in January 2025, Google Play removed 81,600 apps, a 22% increase compared to December 2024 (64,000 apps removed). The bar chart shows that since February 2024, the number of apps removed from the Google Store peaked after May and June last year, with the trend significantly slowing down in July, and the monthly removal rate stabilizing at around 100,000 apps, which is about 3,000 apps per day.
24% of the removed apps had integrated ad monetization
The report indicates that of the 81,600 apps removed by Google Play in January 2025, approximately 19,600 had integrated advertising (including the app-ads.txt file), accounting for about 24%.
41% of the removed apps were from the Asia-Pacific region
The report notes that 81% of the apps removed by Google Play in January 2025 did not list their registered country in the Google Store. Of the remaining 19% (about 15,500 apps) that had their regions recorded, more than 6,400 apps from the APAC (Asia-Pacific) region were removed, accounting for about 41%, the highest number among all regions; followed by EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) at 34%, North America at 21%, and LATAM (Latin America) at 4%. (Note: The report's standard for counting developer account regions is based on the address provided by developers, i.e., the address disclosed to users.)
Google Play app removal rankings by country for January: USA first, China fourth
The report also shows that the USA and India were heavily affected, with approximately 3,107 apps from the USA being removed by Google in January 2025, ranking first among all countries. They were followed by India, South Korea, China, Russia, the UK, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Turkey, ranked 2 to 10 in terms of the number of apps removed.
Top 10 app downloads removed by Google Play in January
According to the report, in January 2025, two of the apps removed by Google Play had over 50 million downloads. The main types of apps removed were games and utility apps.
Conclusion
That concludes our analysis of the Google Store app removal report for January 2025. Overall, looking at the trend of monthly app removals by Google Play over the past year, the first half of last year saw continuous challenges from Google, putting global developers in a difficult situation until the peak of removals after May and June. The momentum of removals noticeably slowed down in July, with the monthly removal rate stabilizing at around 100,000 apps. However, the 22% increase in January compared to December sends what kind of signal to developers? We will wait and see!
