Apple says App Store rejected 2M submissions and blocked 1.1B accounts in 2025

Apple said on May 20 that it stopped more than $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent App Store transactions in 2025 and rejected more than 2 million app submissions as part of its annual fraud analysis. The company said the figures covered attempts to use the App Store for payment fraud, fake reviews, account abuse and malicious software distribution. Apple published the data days after Epic Games said Fortnite had returned to the App Store worldwide. The new figures are part of Apple’s regular effort to defend the App Store’s review and payment system at a time when regulators and developers continue to challenge the company’s control over iPhone software distribution. Apple said its teams combine automated systems with human review to screen apps, developer accounts and payment activity across 175 regions. (apple.com) ### How big was Apple’s 2025 enforcement push? Apple said it rejected more than 2 million “problematic” app submissions in 2025 before they reached users. The company said those submissions failed its standards for privacy, security or content, or were tied to fraud-prevention concerns. In the same report, Apple said it blocked more than 1.1 billion attempts to create fraudulent customer accounts and shut down large numbers of risky developer and customer accounts. (apple.com) SecurityWeek, citing Apple’s annual review, reported the 1.1 billion figure as evidence of the scale of fake-account activity directed at the store. ### Where does the $2.2 billion figure come from? Apple said the $2.2 billion total reflects potentially fraudulent transactions it prevented during 2025. The company said that brings the cumulative amount it has blocked over the past six years to more than $11.2 billion. Apple has released similar annual figures in prior years. (apple.com) In 2024, the company said it had prevented more than $2 billion in fraudulent transactions that year and more than $9 billion over the prior five years. In 2023, Apple said it had stopped more than $1.8 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions. ### What kinds of abuse is Apple counting? (apple.com) Apple said the activity it blocked included payment fraud, fake reviews, misleading app listings and attempts to hide malicious code in app submissions. The company also said it removed apps and developer accounts involved in bait-and-switch schemes, copycat software and other conduct that could mislead users or evade review. (apple.com) The App Review Guidelines give Apple broad grounds to reject software over safety, performance, business model and content issues. Apple says those rules are meant to help developers prepare apps for approval and to keep the store safe for users. ### Why is Apple emphasizing these numbers now? Epic Games said on May 19 that Fortnite was back on the App Store worldwide after years off the platform, describing the move as part of the “final battle” in its long-running dispute with Apple. (apple.com) Apple did not tie its fraud report to Epic directly, but the timing places the new enforcement figures into a broader fight over how tightly Apple should control app distribution and payments on iPhones. That connection is an inference based on timing, not a statement Apple made. (developer.apple.com) Apple has long argued that its review system and in-app commerce rules protect users from fraud and malicious software. Critics, including Epic, have argued that Apple uses those controls to defend its fees and restrictions on rival payment options and app stores. Epic’s May 19 statement said Fortnite had returned “around the world” as the dispute continued. (apple.com) ### What should developers watch next? Epic Games said on May 19 that Fortnite had returned to the App Store worldwide, while Apple’s latest fraud report was published on May 20. Developers now have Apple’s updated fraud-prevention figures alongside the current App Review Guidelines, which remain the main public benchmark for what software can be submitted and approved. (apple.com) (epicgames.com)