While AI technology is becoming a powerful tool for developers to accelerate innovation, malicious actors are also beginning to use these tools to launch more sophisticated attacks. Apple today (May 20) released its 2025 App Store Security Report, demonstrating how it uses a "multi-layered defense mechanism" that combines human review with advanced AI to combat this digital arms race.
According to official data, Apple successfully blocked over $22 billion in potential fraudulent transactions and rejected over 200 million problematic app submissions in the past year. In this global digital marketplace that welcomes 8.5 million visitors weekly, AI is not only a review tool but also a core weapon for maintaining the platform's credibility.
Blocking the source: Banning 11 billion fake accounts and underground piracy markets
Fraud often begins with a false identity.
In 2025, Apple's Trust and Safety team successfully rejected over 11 billion suspicious account applications submitted by bots or malicious individuals for fraudulent purposes, and forcibly suspended 4040 million accounts for violations. On the developer side, 19.3 accounts were terminated due to fraud concerns, ensuring that legitimate developers are not affected by unfair competition.
Apple isn't just cleaning up its own backyard; it's taking proactive steps. Last year, it detected and blocked 2.8 illegal apps (including malware, gambling apps, and pirated apps) appearing on the "piracy store." In the past month alone, the system blocked 290 million attempts to install apps from unofficial marketplaces.
AI-powered App Review: Identifying 5.9 "Swap" Apps
Faced with over 910 million app submissions, Apple's App Review team rejected over 200 million applications in 2025. The key to this success is its continuously evolving AI review system. Apple uses AI to analyze app similarities on a large scale, identify complex malicious code patterns, and flag high-risk updates. This allows human reviewers to focus their valuable time on the most challenging judgments.
In recent years, many fraudulent apps have initially disguised themselves as ordinary computers or puzzle games to pass the initial review, and then remotely update and modify their content (for example, turning into gambling or financial fraud apps). Through highly vigilant dynamic review, Apple removed nearly 5.9 apps that used this "bait-and-switch" method in 2025.
Maintaining impartiality in exposure and protecting digital wallets
Rankings and reviews are the lifeline for an app to acquire traffic, and naturally, they are also a hotbed for malicious manipulation.
Apple processed over 13 billion ratings and reviews last year, successfully blocking nearly 1.95 million inflated or fabricated ratings through AI tools integrated into the entire review process. Apple also prevented tens of thousands of misleading apps from appearing in search results and rankings, providing honest developers with a clean environment for exposure.
In terms of payment security, Apple successfully blocked a total of $22 billion in fraudulent transactions and prevented more than 540 million stolen credit cards from being used for fraudulent transactions by leveraging machine learning models that can comprehensively analyze devices, accounts, and payment patterns.
Analysis: The "Safety Premium" of Closed Ecosystems
This impressive report card on fraud prevention is of particular strategic significance in the special context of 2026.
As EU digital market regulations and other antitrust rules force Apple to open up its App Store to third-party users and enable sideloading, Apple has consistently emphasized that "bypassing the App Store poses significant security risks." This report precisely uses data (such as blocking 290 million unauthorized installations in a month) to demonstrate to consumers and regulators the necessity of maintaining this "walled garden."
While AI lowers the barrier to entry for development, it also doubles the rate at which malware mutates. By investing heavily in machine learning tools, Apple not only protects consumers' wallets but also safeguards the core value of its ecosystem—"trust."
