Apple blocks USD $2.2 billion in fraudulent App Store fraud

Apple blocked more than USD $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent App Store transactions in 2025, while rejecting more than 2 million app submissions and stopping over 1.1 billion fraudulent account creations as it expanded enforcement across the App Store ecosystem.

The figures form part of a broader effort to combat fraud, malicious software and deceptive behaviour across the App Store, which now serves more than 850 million weekly visitors across 175 storefronts.

More than USD $11.2 billion in fraudulent transactions have been prevented over the past six years.

Account fraud

Fraud tactics have become increasingly sophisticated, with bad actors using bot networks, fake reviews and manipulated rankings to deceive users and distort app discovery.

In 2025, Apple rejected 1.1 billion attempts to create fraudulent customer accounts and deactivated another 40.4 million accounts linked to fraud and abuse.

The company also terminated 193,000 developer accounts over fraud concerns and rejected more than 138,000 developer enrolments before they reached the platform.

A further 28,000 illegitimate apps distributed through pirate storefronts were blocked. These included malware, pornography apps, gambling software and pirated versions of legitimate App Store apps.

During the past month alone, Apple prevented 2.9 million attempts to install or launch apps distributed outside the App Store or approved alternative marketplaces.

Review process

Apple's App Review operation processed more than 9.1 million app submissions during 2025 as app development activity increased alongside wider adoption of artificial intelligence development tools.

The review process helped onboard more than 306,000 new developers during the year.

More than 2 million app submissions were rejected for violating App Store Review Guidelines. This included over 1.2 million new apps and nearly 800,000 app updates.

The review system combines human reviewers with machine learning tools designed to identify malicious patterns, suspicious app changes and deceptive behaviour at scale.

One ongoing issue involved apps that initially appeared legitimate during review before later changing functionality to support financial fraud or other deceptive conduct.

Nearly 59,000 apps were removed for engaging in these bait-and-switch tactics during 2025.

Another 22,000 app submissions were rejected for containing hidden or undocumented features.

More than 371,000 submissions were rejected for copying other apps, spamming users or misleading customers.

A further 443,000 submissions failed review because of privacy violations.

Apple also highlighted TestFlight, its prerelease testing platform for developers, as another enforcement layer.

More than 2.5 million TestFlight submissions were blocked from distribution because of fraud or security concerns.

Discovery controls

Ratings and reviews remain central to how users discover apps on the platform, making manipulation of those systems a major focus for Trust and Safety teams.

More than 1.3 billion ratings and reviews were processed during 2025.

Using automated detection systems and human moderation, Apple blocked close to 195 million fraudulent ratings and reviews before they appeared publicly on the App Store.

Nearly 7,800 deceptive apps were also prevented from appearing in App Store search results, while another 11,500 apps were blocked from appearing on App Store charts.

The company uses artificial intelligence models, moderation systems and internal dashboards to identify suspicious behaviour and emerging fraud tactics across the platform.

Payment fraud

More than 680,000 apps now use Apple's payment infrastructure to process purchases and subscriptions.

Fraud systems prevented more than USD $2.2 billion in fraudulent transactions during 2025.

More than 5.4 million stolen credit cards were stopped from being used for fraudulent purchases, while nearly 2 million user accounts were banned from carrying out further transactions.

Detection systems analyse activity across customer accounts, devices and payment methods to identify suspicious behaviour and evolving fraud patterns.

Family controls

Apple also highlighted measures aimed at children and family protections across the App Store.

Apps listed in the Kids category are subject to stricter review requirements covering age ratings and advertising restrictions.

More than 5,000 apps were rejected from appearing in the Kids category during 2025 because they failed to comply with those rules.

The company also pointed to parental control tools including Screen Time and Ask to Buy, which allow parents to approve downloads and purchases made on children's devices.

Users can also report suspicious apps, downloads and purchases through Apple's Report a Problem feature.