Google Play Services – Everything you need to know

Google Play Services is one of the most important apps on any Android phone. It helps connect everything, provides simple tools for app developers, and helps older Android phones get modern features without the need for Android OS updates. Google Play is also quite elusive. It does not advertise its existence on your phone. That can cause problems when it comes to troubleshooting. Let’s see what it is and how it works.

Read more: Google Play Store: A Definitive Guide for Beginners

Play Services is a software layer between the Android operating system and your applications. It serves as a bridge to help developers create better, more optimized, more battery-efficient apps without unnecessary work. In addition, Play Services allows Google to add new features to Android without the need for Android OS updates.

Here’s an example of how it works. An app developer has an app that should send you a push notification. Play services has two APIs for that same function here. The developer uses those APIs in their app. From there, Play Services sends push notifications when the app requests it without any extra work from the developer.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of other APIs that help developers perform simple tasks in a unified manner. Navigation apps that ask for your location probably use Play Services to do this. Think of it as your phone’s admin, sending you notifications, giving apps your location, and running processes in the background for optimal battery efficiency.

The great thing about Play Services is that Google can add new features to phones without the need for Android OS updates. All they have to do is add a new API to the Play Services library and then update the app on your phone to support it. Many desirable features are rolled out to users in this way every year. The downside, of course, is that it can be tricky to fix when Play Services starts playing up.

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It should update automatically in the background. It receives updates in the Google Play Store like any normal application, so it should update when all your other Google Play apps are updated. However, if you want to check manually, here’s how to do it.

The fast way

• While you’re on your phone, tap this link. It should take you to the Play Services page in the Google Play Store.
• Press Update button if necessary.

The official way

• Open your phone Settings menu. Navigate to the apps section, tap All appsand scroll down until you find Google Play Services. Tap it.
• Scroll down until you see App details and tap it.
• The phone should open Play Services in the Google Play Store. If it needs an update, tap the Update knob. Google Play will update the app, and that’s it.
• If you can’t find Play Services in the list, tap the three-dot menu button and choose the Show system apps choice.

The above process may differ slightly between devices. For example, Samsung doesn’t require you to touch All apps before getting a full list of apps.

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The service is pre-installed on phones running Google Play from Android 4.4. You will know if your phone is suitable for Google Play if it came with the Google Play Store. Still, some people may want to download a specific version for specific needs, so we’ll post the process of installing Play Services here.

Identify the right DPI and architecture for your phone

• There are about a dozen different versions of Play Services. You have to find the right one for your phone.
• To start, download this app. We recommend downloading it from APKMirror as it does not require Google Play services.
• Install the app after downloading it. if you have problems, use this tutorial for more information about installing third-party apps.
• After installation, open the app. Below the Device tab, you will find the DPI of your device. Write that number down. Slide to the System tab and note your CPU architecture. You need both.

Download Google Play Services

• The most reliable place to download Play Services is APKMirror. You will find the site’s repository of Play Services here. Keep in mind that: There are separate versions of Play Services for Android TV and Wear OS. Make sure not to download these unless you need them.
• Select the desired version from the list. You need to make sure to download the one that matches the architecture and DPI from the previous steps. If you can’t find your DPI, you can go with the nodpic option, and it should work fine.

How to Install Google Play Services

• Play Services comes in APK format just like any other regular Android app, and the installation process is the same.
• If you need additional help, you can: follow this tutorial for more information on installing apps without the Google Play Store.

Please note that incorrect installation, trying to install the wrong variant of Play Services and not installing correctly can lead to failed installations. If your installation fails, start at step one and perform the steps again.

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You can turn it off if you want. However, keep in mind that this can have a major and negative impact on the operation of your device. We only recommend this for troubleshooting purposes or if you plan on choosing a Google-free alternative for everything, and we mean everything.

How to Disable Google Play Services

• Navigate to Settingsthen to apps. Press All apps option to show a list of full apps (not necessary on every phone).
• Scroll down and select Google Play Services.
• Press Turn of knob. It will send you a warning about how it will affect the performance of the device before you can turn it off.
• You will almost certainly get a ton of notifications about various apps or services that may stop working until you turn Play Services back on. This is normal because Play Services handles a lot of background cases.

Re-enable Google Play Services

• Follow the same steps as above, but press the To turn on knob.

How to remove permissions from Google Play Services

• Follow the steps above again to get to the Play Services app page in your Settings.
• This time tap rights.
• Tap the permission you want to revoke. Press not allowed choice.
• Your device will tell you that it may affect the functionality of some things. Touch Don’t allow anyway Get on.

Again, we recommend using the above methods for troubleshooting purposes only. Play Services is connected to the core of Android and disabling it (or its permissions) can have radically negative effects on your device and its performance.

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Read more: Get a refund for apps purchased from the Play Store