813,000+ apps delisted from Google, Apple app stores in H121
A fresh report from Pixalate on the mobile apps delisted from Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store in the first half of 2021 shows that over 813,000 apps were delisted by the app stores. Over 86% of these apps targeted children aged 12 and under, while an alarming 60% of App Store apps didn't have any privacy policy. Here's more.
Delisted apps account for over 15% of all mobile apps
Pixalate's "H1 2021 Delisted Mobile Apps Report" shows that the number of apps delisted in the first half of 2021 accounts for more than 15% of all the apps on both Apple's and Google's app stores combined. The apps booted off the stores had over 9 billion downloads on Play Store alone and despite being delisted, most apps can remain installed on users' devices.
Over 5 million apps were analyzed for the report
Pixalate is a fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for connected TV and mobile advertising. The company published the report developers and advertisers can recognize potential privacy threats and compliance breaches. For this report, the company analyzed over five million mobile apps on the Google and Apple app stores. It found that apps delisted from App Store had over 21 million consumer reviews.
Apps were delisted for lacking developer address, seeking 'dangerous permissions'
A variety of causes can lead to an app being delisted. The report mentioned that 78% of the apps had no address listed while another 5% had no identifiable address. On the Google Play Store, 66% of the apps had at least one "dangerous permission." Of these, 27% had access to GPS data and 19% could access the camera.
Several apps didn't have a privacy policy at all
Worryingly, Pixalate found 25% of Google and 59% of Apple delisted apps had no privacy policy to speak of. This is a worrying statistic for Apple that claims to uphold user privacy with the highest regard. Meanwhile, on Play Store, 26% of delisted apps from Russia had no privacy policy whereas, on App Store, 60% of delisted apps from China lacked a privacy policy.
