Android security program has helped fix over 1M apps in Google Play

Google's 5-year-old Android security program has helped fix more than 1 million apps in the Play Store, the company said in a Thursday blog post.

When apps are submitted to the Google Play store, members of the Application Security Improvement Program will scan them for vulnerabilities. If there aren't any problems, the app goes through the normal tests before showing up in the Play Store. If there is an issue, the team flags the app to the developer and helps them fix it. They'll offer a diagnosis and next steps.

So far, the program has helped more than 300,000 developers fix more than 1 million apps, Google said. Just last year, the program helped more than 30,000 developers fix over 75,000 apps. That means those vulnerable apps weren't made available to users with security problems.

"Keeping Android users safe is important to Google," the company wrote in the blog post. "We know that app security is often tricky and that developers can make mistakes. We hope to see this program grow in the years to come, helping developers worldwide build apps users can truly trust."

Earlier this month, the search giant said the Play Store scans more than 50 billion apps on users' devices each day to find and stop bad apps. In 2017, the company said it removed more than 700,000 bad apps from the Google Play store. In 2018, it rejected more than 55 percent more app submissions than in 2017, Google said.