20 ways Apple’s App Store prevented fraud in 2025
Apple has published its latest App Store fraud prevention data, claiming its online app retail stall system prevented over $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2025.
Apple’s system makes use of both human and AI monitoring to identify and prevent fraud, and the company revealed a little more data on the types of fraud it has been encountering.
The company warns that as the digital landscape expands, malicious actors continue to evolve their methods, often using deceptive tactics to target consumers and legitimate businesses, which is why Apple in its turn continues to improve its own defences.
The result?
Here’s a summary of Apple’s 2025 App Store security efforts:
Fraud Prevention
- Blocked over $2.2 billion in fraudulent transactions (over $11.2 billion in the past six years)
- Stopped 5.4 million stolen credit cards from being used fraudulently
- Banned nearly 2 million user accounts from transacting
App Submissions
- Reviewed 9.1 million app submissions; rejected over 2 million
- Rejected 1.2 million new apps and 800,000 updates for guideline violations
- Blocked 2.5 million TestFlight submissions due to fraud or security concerns
- Removed 59,000 apps that modified their software post-review for financial fraud
Developer Accounts
- Terminated 193,000 developer accounts over fraud concerns
- Rejected 138,000 developer enrollments
- Blocked 28,000 illegitimate apps on pirate storefronts
Account & Identity Fraud
- Blocked 1.1 billion fraudulent account creations
- Rejected 2 million problematic app submissions
Ratings & Reviews
- Processed 1.3 billion ratings and reviews
- Blocked 195 million fraudulent ratings and reviews
- Blocked 7,800 deceptive apps from search results and 11,500 from charts
Privacy & Policy Violations
- Rejected 443,000 submissions for privacy violations
- Rejected 371,000 for copying other apps, spam, or misleading users
- Rejected 22,000 for hidden or undocumented features
- Rejected 5,000 apps from the Kids category for failing strict rules
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