Google Play Store Update: Delete These Spyware Apps Now and Lock Down Your Android (November 30, 2025)

Published: November 30, 2025

Millions of Android users are waking up today to a fresh warning: your “normal” apps may be quietly spying on you — even if they came from the official Google Play Store.

A new Forbes report, amplified across tech news and social media today, highlights how a wave of privacy‑intrusive and outright malicious apps have forced Google to tighten its Play Store security and push users to delete entire families of spyware‑like applications from their phones. ^[1]

At the same time, new research and Google’s own data show that Android malware is surging, and that Google is preparing a major crackdown on anonymous developers and risky sideloaded apps. ^[2]

Here’s what changed, why the Play Store is under fire again, and exactly what you should do today to protect your Android.

What’s Actually New in the Google Play Store?

Today’s headlines build on a series of reports through 2025 that have exposed just how much dangerous software slipped through Play Store checks.

239 malicious apps, 40+ million downloads

In early November, security firm Zscaler’s ThreatLabz revealed that the Play Store had hosted 239 malicious Android apps, downloaded around 42 million times, during a one‑year period from June 2024 to May 2025. ^[3]

Key details from that research:

Most of these apps posed as “Tools” and productivity utilities – things people install without thinking twice. ^[4]
Android malware detections jumped 67% year‑over‑year, driven by spyware, banking Trojans and ad‑fraud apps. ^[5]
The worst‑hit countries included India, the United States, Canada, Mexico and South Africa. ^[6]

Many of those apps are now gone from the store — but not from every device that installed them.

77 malware apps and a “spyware factory” of adware

The Zscaler findings weren’t a one‑off. Separate research highlighted:

77 malicious Android apps on Google Play, with over 19 million installs, used as droppers for a sophisticated banking Trojan known as Anatsa / TeaBot and other malware families. ^[7]
A huge “SlopAds” ad‑fraud campaign with 224 malicious apps and more than 38 million downloads, turning users’ phones into ad‑clicking, resource‑draining bots. ^[8]

These reports show a pattern: Google is constantly pulling malicious apps from the Play Store in bulk — hundreds at a time — after they’ve already racked up millions of installs.

Forbes’ warning: spyware isn’t always obvious

The Forbes piece that’s trending today leans into a more uncomfortable truth: a lot of what effectively behaves like spyware doesn’t look like traditional malware at all.

As summarized in the magazine’s own social promo, many “legit” apps quietly:

Ask for location access, and sometimes camera and microphone permissions,
Then stream that data back to third‑party handlers for profiling, tracking, or monetization. ^[9]

In other words: even if an app isn’t flagged as “malware,” it can still be part of a surveillance ecosystem you never knowingly agreed to.

Google’s New Developer Verification Crackdown

Alongside mass removals of bad apps, Google is trying something more structural: removing anonymity for app developers.

The Android Developer Verification program

In August and November, Google announced and expanded a new Developer Verification program:

Developers must provide legal name, address, email, phone number, and in some cases a government ID. ^[10]
The program aims to stop “whack‑a‑mole” malware campaigns, where attackers just spin up new fake developer accounts after bans. ^[11]
Google says its data shows “over 50 times more malware from internet‑sideloaded sources than on apps available through Google Play.” ^[12]

This now extends beyond the Play Store

The controversial part — and the reason today’s spyware story matters so much — is that verification is being extended to apps installed outside the Play Store:

Starting in 2026, apps on certified Android devices in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand will need to come from a verified developer, even if sideloaded. ^[13]
A global rollout is planned from 2027, gradually tightening the net around unsigned, anonymous apps. ^[14]

Supporters say this makes it much harder for criminals to hide behind throwaway accounts. Critics argue it could give Google near‑total control over what runs on Android and make alternative app stores and experimental software much harder to use. ^[15]

Why “Ordinary” Apps Turn Into Spyware

There are really two categories of apps in these Play Store crackdowns:

Blatantly malicious apps
- Banking Trojans like Anatsa / TeaBot that steal credentials and drain accounts. ^[16]
- Ad‑fraud apps that secretly load hidden webviews, burning battery, data and advertiser budgets. ^[17]
Data‑hungry “normal” apps
- Free VPNs, flashlight tools, photo editors, emoji keyboards and “cleaner” apps that request far more permissions than they reasonably need.
- Some of these have been exposed recently as fake VPN apps that actually steal banking details and personal data. ^[18]

From a user’s perspective, both feel similar: the app says it does one thing, but behind the scenes it’s tracking your behavior, location, device info — and sometimes even audio — for someone else’s benefit.

That’s the core of today’s Forbes warning: spyware doesn’t always advertise itself as malware, and many people have already granted the permissions that make it possible. ^[19]

How To Check if You Installed One of the Removed or Risky Apps

Even when Google removes a malicious app from the Play Store, it doesn’t always disappear from your phone automatically. Often, Google Play Protect or the vendor that found it will issue a warning and recommend removal. ^[20]

Here’s what you should do right now:

1. Audit every app on your phone

On your Android device:

Open Google Play Store.
Tap your profile icon (top‑right).
Tap Manage apps & device → Manage.
Sort by “Recently updated” or “Installed”.
Scroll the list and ask of each app:
- Do I actually use this?
- Do I trust the developer name?
- Does its category match what it claims to do (tool, VPN, cleaner, keyboard, etc.)?

If the answer is “no idea” or “I don’t remember installing this”, uninstall it.

Pro tip: Many of the malicious campaigns abused generic‑sounding tool names (e.g. “Super Cleaner”, “Ultra VPN”, “QR Code Master”). If it looks generic and you don’t rely on it, you probably don’t need it.

2. Cross‑check suspicious apps against public lists

Security vendors who discovered these campaigns have published full app lists, including:

The 77 malicious apps tied to the Anatsa banking Trojan. ^[21]
The 224 “SlopAds” apps involved in large‑scale ad fraud. ^[22]
The broader list of 239 malicious apps highlighted in recent Android malware reports. ^[23]

If you suspect an app:

Search its exact name plus “Android malware” or “Google Play” in your browser.
Check if it appears in reports from reputable security firms (Malwarebytes, Zscaler, HUMAN Security, etc.).
If it does, uninstall it immediately and consider running a dedicated mobile security scan.

Turn On and Use Google Play Protect (Properly)

Google’s own Play Protect is your first line of defense — but many users never open it.

According to Google’s documentation, Play Protect:

Scans apps on your device using a mix of on‑device and cloud‑based machine learning.
Performs “rigorous security testing” on apps before they appear in the Play Store.
Scans hundreds of billions of apps daily across the Android ecosystem. ^[24]

To make sure it’s working for you:

Open Google Play Store.
Tap your profile icon → Play Protect.
Ensure Scan apps with Play Protect is ON.
Tap Scan to run a manual check.
If Play Protect flags an app as harmful or potentially unwanted, follow the prompts to uninstall it.

Play Protect is not perfect (as the 2025 reports clearly show), but it does help catch late‑discovered malware and push removal prompts to affected devices. ^[25]

7 Steps To Lock Down Your Android Against Spyware Apps

Think of today’s Play Store warnings as a nudge to upgrade your everyday security habits. Here’s a practical checklist you can follow in under an hour.

1. Delete apps you don’t use

Every extra app is another potential security and privacy risk.

Remove old games, coupon apps, “free VPNs,” random tools and one‑time utilities.
Less clutter = less attack surface.

2. Review app permissions

On most Android phones:

Go to Settings → Privacy / Permissions Manager.
Check Location, Camera, Microphone, Files & media, Contacts.
Revoke permissions for any app that doesn’t truly need them.

If a flashlight or calculator wants your location, that’s a massive red flag.

3. Avoid sideloading — or do it very carefully

The data is brutal: Google and independent researchers agree that sideloaded apps carry far more malware than official Play Store apps. ^[26]

If you must sideload:

Only download from well‑known, trusted developers or open‑source projects.
Verify hashes or signatures when the project provides them.
Consider using a separate or older device as your “experimental” phone.

4. Be picky about “free” VPNs, cleaners and optimization apps

Security reports and Google warnings repeatedly show that:

Fake or shady VPN apps are being used to steal banking data and sensitive information. ^[27]
“Cleaner” and “booster” apps are common covers for adware and spyware. ^[28]

If a free utility is offering to “optimize” your phone in exchange for sweeping permissions and an ocean of ads: skip it.

5. Check the developer name before installing

Before you tap “Install”:

Look at the developer field under the app name.
For major apps (banking, messaging, password managers), verify the official developer name on the company’s website. ^[29]

Copycat malware often uses look‑alike icons, names and descriptions — the developer name is one of the easiest ways to spot imposters.

6. Keep Android and key apps updated

Updates don’t just bring new features — they often patch security flaws.

Turn on automatic updates for Android and critical apps (browser, messaging, banking, password manager).
Avoid running old Android versions if your device can be upgraded.

7. Consider a reputable mobile security app

Android’s built‑in tools are improving, but dedicated mobile security apps can:

Scan for known malware families (like Joker, Anatsa, banking Trojans).
Flag risky URLs and phishing pages.
Provide extra layers like anti‑theft or SMS filtering. ^[30]

Choose well‑known vendors with transparent privacy policies — and install only one good security suite, not several overlapping tools.

What Today’s Play Store Warning Really Means

The message behind today’s “delete these spyware apps now” headlines is bigger than a single blacklist:

Malware on Google Play is still a real problem, with hundreds of malicious apps discovered in large batches and tens of millions of downloads before takedown. ^[31]
Sideloaded apps are statistically far riskier, which is why Google is moving to require developer verification even outside its own store. ^[32]
“Normal” apps can behave like spyware by quietly harvesting location, behavior and sometimes audio — even while staying inside Play Store rules. ^[33]

For everyday Android users, the takeaway is simple but urgent:

Don’t assume an app is safe just because it came from the Play Store.
Take control of your permissions, prune your apps, turn on Play Protect, and stay skeptical of anything that wants deep access to your phone for “free.”

Do those things, and the next round of mass malware removals will be someone else’s problem — not yours.

Stop Your Android From SPYING On You!

Watch this video on YouTube.

References