Pixalate Finds 1.5MM+ ‘Abandoned’ Mobile Apps in Google and Apple Stores as of Q1 2022

Research conducted by Pixalate found that over 1.5MM apps listed in the Google Play and Apple App stores haven’t been updated in over two years

Pixalate, the market-leading fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for Connected TV (CTV) and Mobile Advertising, released the Abandoned Mobile Apps Report: Q1 2022, showing that over 1.5 million apps between the Google Play Store and Apple App Store appear to have been “abandoned,” meaning that they haven’t been updated in over two years.

Pixalate’s analysis also found 314,000 “Super-Abandoned” apps (5+ years with no update), which are spread almost evenly between the two stores, with 58% in the Apple App Store (184k apps) and 42% in the Google Play Store (130k apps).

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Why This is Important

• “Abandoned” apps may harbor serious safety and security concerns.
• The most innovative apps regularly release new improved versions with bug fixes and security patches.
• With the growing awareness of consumer privacy concerns, this issue becomes even more important.
• Advertisers need to take notice of how frequently apps are updated before deciding to invest.

1.5MM abandoned mobile apps (30% of the 5MM+ available for download)

Here are some of Pixalate’s key findings:

• 30% (1.5 million out of 5 million) of all mobile apps appear to have been abandoned (i.e., no update in 2+ years).
• By way of comparison, 1.3 million apps across the Google and Apple app stores have been updated in the past six months, as of the end of Q1 2022.
• More updates means more downloads: Of apps with 1MM+ downloads, 88% have been updated within the last six months.
• App categories most likely to be abandoned: Education, Reference, and Games, which are often popular with children.
• App categories most likely to be innovative (regularly updated): Finance, Health, and Shopping.

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