On Tuesday, Apple revealed that it has blocked over $9 billion worth of fraudulent transactions over the past five years, with more than $2 billion of that prevented in 2024 alone.
Apple said it faces many types of threats on the App Store, like apps that try to trick people into giving away personal information or scams that try to steal money. To keep users safe, Apple said it shut down over 46,000 developer accounts because of suspected fraud. It also blocked new developer accounts, stopping harmful apps before they could reach the App Store.
Apple said that in 2024, it took action against fraudulent behavior by stopping over 711 million attempts to create fake user accounts and shut down nearly 129 million accounts. These actions were taken to prevent things like spam, fake reviews, manipulation of app rankings, and other abuses that could undermine trust in the App Store.
Apple also shared surprising numbers from 2024 that show how much work it’s doing to keep the App Store safe and secure.
Over 10,000 rogue apps were identified and blocked on unauthorized or pirated platforms. These included apps carrying malware, adult content, gambling features, and private versions of legitimate App Store apps.
The company cut off approximately 4.6 million attempts trying to introduce or launch applications that were getting shared out illegally outside the App Store or endorsed third-party platforms
Apple rejected more than 1.9 million app submissions that failed to meet its standards- whether due to security flaws, reliability issues, privacy violations, or suspected fraud.
Over 37,000 apps were taken down from the App Store due to fraudulent activity, and another 43,000 app submissions were rejected because they contained hidden or undocumented features.
The App Store also rejected over 320,000 submissions for copying existing apps, spamming users, or misleading functionality, and another 400,000 were blocked due to privacy-related violations.
Apple implemented measures to safeguard the integrity of its platform by blocking approximately 4.6 million attempts to install or execute applications from unverified sources outside the App Store and authorized third-party marketplaces.
Additionally, the company removed 7,400 suspicious applications from App Store rankings and eliminated nearly 9,500 misleading apps from search results to promote fairness and ensure accurate visibility.
Finally, Apple reported that it identified nearly 4.7 million stolen credit cards and banned over 1.6 million user accounts to stop repeat fraudulent transactions.
For context, Apple reported it had prevented more than $1.8 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2023 alone. The company terminated nearly 118,000 developer accounts flagged for suspicious or malicious behavior.
The disclosure comes shortly after Google released similar figures, revealing that it had blocked more than 2.36 million Android apps from being published on the Play Store in 2024 due to policy violations. Google reported that it had banned over 158,000 developer accounts that were trying to push harmful apps onto users.
Apple’s annual fraud prevention update also arrives amid growing pressure on its Apple Store policies. A recent U.S. court ruling ordered the tech giant to allow iOS apps to include links or buttons that can direct users to make purchases outside the App Store-potentially reshaping how developers interact with Apple’s in-app payment ecosystem.
