Apple Provides Update on App Store, Highlights Key 2025 Safety Stats

[MacRumors]

Apple today shared stats that paint the App Store as a safe and trusted place for both customers and developers, even though the reality is that fraudulent or deceptive apps continue to make it past Apple's review process from time to time.

In 2025, Apple said its App Review team evaluated more than 9.1 million App Store submissions, with a mix of human review and AI. The company rejected over two million of these submissions, including over 1.2 million new apps and nearly 800,000 pending app updates, for failing to adhere to the App Store's Review Guidelines.

As bad actors continue to evolve their methods, Apple said it continuously improves its multilayered defenses, leveraging a combination of human review and advanced machine learning in an attempt to detect and prevent malicious activity.

"By utilizing AI to rapidly identify complex malicious patterns, analyze app similarity, and flag potentially problematic changes in app updates, Apple's systems help human reviewers focus their expertise where it matters most," said Apple. "This not only improves the customer experience by ensuring a high-quality, curated storefront, it also helps legitimate developers get their great apps and updates to users faster."

Apple added that it terminated 193,000 developer accounts over fraud concerns and prevented over $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2025.

In 2025, Apple processed over 1.3 billion App Store reviews and ratings. Using a mix of human review and AI, the company said it identified and blocked close to 195 million fraudulent reviews and ratings from ever appearing.

"Apple's Trust and Safety teams integrate AI throughout the entire moderation process to detect spam, offensive content, and inauthentic reviews at scale," the company explained. "Additionally, AI-powered dashboards and rapid data analysis tools accelerate the discovery of new fraud vectors, enabling Apple's teams to react quickly to deceptive activity and protect the integrity of the platform."

Apple's press release contains many more stats that highlight the company's efforts to ensure the App Store is secure, even if they are not perfect.

Article Link: Apple Provides Update on App Store, Highlights Key 2025 Safety Stats

 

[t0rqx]

Maybe stop allowing annoyingly malicious ads in apps and bring back the quality of the App Store when you released 4S.

I haven’t opened the App Store for ten years now, cause its almost at the same malware level as Android.

 

[Anonymous123]

There’s nothing like getting it straight from the horse’s mouth. It must be true, right? Not like they have a vested interest in it or anything.

 

[Shalev Lazarof]

Native apps built using swift, on apple's API's and frameworks like swiftUI and swift data with this type of quality control is the All-in-one evolution of software development, seamless, integrated throughout the user ecosystem and SAFE.

Not those crappy, cross platform development frameworks like react native that eventually produce pedestrian, poorly designed (UI/UX) cheap web apps that flushed the world.

 

[awshucks]

Highlighting the 2025 stats because they're too ashamed to show the 2026 stats which have had many scam apps.



(I know they usually do this in the middle of the year; just using some humor)

 

[Davidalan]

How can you tell before you download the app if you can pay for the subscription from the app or will be taken to a location on the web to set up your accounts?
When you have purchase and or subscribe to an app there are two ways to pay for it. First is in the app via Apple, second takes you out of the app and to the app makers web site to pay for it. In some cases a thirds party is even involved for processing the payment. I feel when I have to use the app makers site or a third party’s site there is a certain amount of control over my information that is lost. In addition if you want to cancel the app you will no longer have the one click option to cancel in the app, but have to navigate to the apps site or the third parties site

 

[kotaKat]

Meanwhile they continue to reward some of the most malicious apps in the App Store with continual Today placement like Monopoly Go.

How the rewards app Freecash scammed its way to the top of the app stores | TechCrunch

Freecash was removed from Apple's App Store after TechCrunch reached out for comment.

techcrunch.com

Sorry, if you gotta prop your app up with scams and deception through ******** like Freecash, you shouldn't be getting a pass from Apple.

 

[Ctrlos]

How can you tell before you download the app if you can pay for the subscription from the app or will be taken to a location on the web to set up your accounts?
When you have purchase and or subscribe to an app there are two ways to pay for it. First is in the app via Apple, second takes you out of the app and to the app makers web site to pay for it. In some cases a thirds party is even involved for processing the payment. I feel when I have to use the app makers site or a third party’s site there is a certain amount of control over my information that is lost. In addition if you want to cancel the app you will no longer have the one click option to cancel in the app, but have to navigate to the apps site or the third parties site

You will encounter zero scam apps asking for an upfront payment. They need you to test the sample first. If you never pay for a sub, they never get you.

 

[socialwill]

What? No mention of Fortnite?