Developers are abandoning Android apps without an update, leaving users at risk

• Recent figures show that more Android apps are abandoned without updates than iOS or iPad apps.
• Abandoned Android apps pose security risks to users.
• Developers abandoned over 1.6 million apps between April 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022.

Android apps have been abandoned without an update in more volume than iOS or iPad apps, and that lack of attention can endanger users, says a new report.

According to AppleInsider, apps that have not been updated in a while may pose a security risk to users, and a report from Pixalate shows that Android app abandonment has increased in recent years.

A lack of a privacy policy is also a common feature of these apps, with 23 per cent of abandoned apps not having one, the report said.

The analysis from Pixalate defines abandonment as an app that has not been updated in at least two years.

As per the report, there are various levels of neglect, and the firm studies apps in countries that score in the top 12 based on the total number of apps available to download from each app market.

Developers abandoned over 1.6 million apps between April 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022.

The report shows a 29 per cent decrease in abandoned apps still available on Apple's App Store, while orphan apps on Google's Play Store increased by 16 per cent.

Overall, apps registered in China and Russia faced the highest probability of abandonment at 42 per cent. Apps for children saw 37 per cent abandonment, with 75,000 on the App Store and 81,000 on the Google Play Store left behind.

The report also claims that about 14,000 of these abandoned apps had sent geolocation data to advertisers.

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