Apple says it blocked more than $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent App Store transactions in 2025, taking its total prevention figure to over $11.2 billion in the last six years. The company also rejected more than 2 million risky app submissions last year as part of its ongoing efforts to keep the App Store secure for users and fair for developers.
With over 850 million weekly visitors across 175 storefronts, Apple said it continues to strengthen its defenses using a mix of human review teams and advanced machine learning systems to detect scams, malicious apps, fake reviews, and payment fraud.
Fighting account and developer fraud
Apple revealed that cybercriminals increasingly rely on bot networks and fake accounts to manipulate rankings, spam users, and post misleading reviews. In response, the company rejected 1.1 billion fraudulent account creation attempts in 2025 and deactivated another 40.4 million accounts linked to abuse and fraud.
The company also cracked down on suspicious developers, terminating around 193,000 developer accounts and rejecting more than 138,000 developer enrollment attempts over fraud concerns.
To curb malicious software distribution, Apple blocked 28,000 illegitimate apps hosted on pirate storefronts, including malware, gambling apps, pornographic content, and pirated versions of genuine App Store apps. In just the last month, Apple said it stopped 2.9 million attempts to install or launch apps distributed outside the App Store or approved marketplaces.
App Review scaled with AI
Apple's App Review team processed more than 9.1 million app submissions in 2025, while onboarding over 306,000 new developers. More than 2 million app submissions were rejected for violating App Store guidelines, including 1.2 million new apps and nearly 800,000 app updates.
The company said its review process increasingly combines human expertise with AI-powered systems that can rapidly identify malicious behavior, detect app similarities, and flag suspicious changes in app updates.
Apple also removed nearly 59,000 apps involved in "bait-and-switch" tactics, where apps initially approved as harmless games or utilities later transformed into fraudulent platforms after review approval.
Additionally, Apple rejected:
- Over 22,000 apps for hidden or undocumented features
- More than 371,000 apps for copying others, spamming, or misleading users
- Over 443,000 apps for privacy violations
The company also blocked more than 2.5 million TestFlight app submissions over fraud or security concerns.
Tackling fake reviews and search manipulation
To maintain trust in app discovery, Apple processed over 1.3 billion ratings and reviews in 2025 and blocked nearly 195 million fraudulent reviews and ratings before they appeared publicly.
The company also prevented nearly 7,800 deceptive apps from appearing in App Store search results and stopped another 11,500 apps from appearing in App Store charts.
Payment fraud prevention
Apple said more than 680,000 apps now use its secure payment technologies, including Apple Pay and StoreKit. In 2025, the company:
- Prevented over $2.2 billion in fraudulent transactions
- Blocked more than 5.4 million stolen credit cards from being used
- Banned nearly 2 million accounts from making further transactions
Safety tools for families
Apple highlighted its safety-focused features for children and families, noting that over 5,000 apps were rejected from the Kids category for failing to meet stricter child safety rules.
The company also pointed to parental control tools such as Screen Time and Ask to Buy, alongside reporting systems that allow users to flag problematic apps or purchases.
Apple said it will continue investing in App Store safety and security measures to ensure the platform remains a trusted marketplace for users and developers alike.
