What is Google Play Services?

What is Google Play Services?

Google Play Services is the background layer Google installs on Android phones that ship with the Play Store, and it provides shared services that Google apps and third-party apps rely on. Its package name is com.google.android.gms; GMS stands for Google Mobile Services.

Google's Play listing names its core jobs: signing in to Google services, syncing contacts, applying your current privacy settings and providing location that is more accurate and uses less power. Google's developer documentation adds what apps build on top of it: push notifications through Firebase Cloud Messaging, Google sign-in, Maps, the fused location provider, app integrity checks and Nearby. Find My Device, Google Wallet, phone backups and Play Protect all run through it too.

When a banking app shows a notification, a delivery app knows where you are, or a game signs you in with Google, Play Services is usually doing the work behind the scenes. That is why it is one of the busiest components on the phone.

Can I disable it?

You should not disable it, because large parts of the phone and many apps stop working without it. Google's own listing warns that apps may not work if Play Services is removed. On many phones Settings > Apps > Google Play services shows a Disable button; pressing it brings a warning for good reason.

Here is what breaks: the Play Store and app updates, your Google account and sync, push notifications for most apps, accurate location, Find My Device, Google Wallet and contactless payments, backups and Play Protect. Many third-party apps refuse to start or nag you to "update Google Play services". Community reports also describe some phones failing to start properly after it is removed with ADB.

If what bothers you is battery or privacy, change settings instead:

• Location: Settings > Location lets you see which apps request it.
• Account sync: Settings > Passwords & accounts (or Accounts) lets you turn off sync for data you do not need.
• Ad settings and usage reporting: Settings > Google > Ads and Settings > Google > Usage & diagnostics.

Does it drain battery or data?

It can show high battery use, but usually because it is doing work that other apps asked for. When an app requests your location, waits for a push notification or syncs through your Google account, the phone's battery screen often charges that work to Play Services instead of to the app that started it.

The common causes of a large share are:

• An app that requests precise location all the time, such as a fitness tracker or a delivery app.
• A Google account that fails to sync and keeps retrying.
• Nearby device scanning, Find My Device network activity or a fresh restore that is still downloading backups.
• A pending update being installed in the background.

Data use comes from account sync, backups, app updates delivered through Play and the push notification connection. It drops back once a new phone finishes setup.

Why did it just update?

It updated because Google ships new Play Services versions through the Play Store every few weeks, independent of your phone's system updates. Each release adds features apps can use, fixes security and privacy issues and changes how existing services work. Google publishes monthly notes for these updates in its Google System Services release notes.

Play Services updates are easy to confuse with the "Google Play system update" listed under Settings > Security or Settings > About phone. That one updates Android's own core modules (Project Mainline) and needs a restart; Play Services is an ordinary app update that installs without one.

Which packages are behind it?

Two packages make up the layer:

• com.google.android.gms is Google Play services, the main package that apps talk to.
• com.google.android.gsf is Google Services Framework, an older companion that handles device registration with Google and supports Play Services and the Play Store.

The Play Store itself (com.android.vending) is a separate package that installs and updates apps; it depends on both of these.

If something goes wrong

When you see "Google Play services keeps stopping" or apps complain that Play Services is out of date, update it first, then restart the phone. Google's help gives the update route: in Settings, tap your profile or Google, then All services, then under Privacy & security choose System services, then Google Play services, and tap Update if it is offered.

If the problem continues, try these in order:

1. Clear the cache: Settings > Apps > Google Play services > Storage > Clear cache. This removes nothing important.
2. Check that the date, time and time zone are set automatically.
3. Remove updates from its App info menu and let the Play Store reinstall the current version.
4. Clear storage only after everything else. Google warns this can remove saved passwords and cards in Google Wallet.

If Play Services was disabled with ADB, turn it back on and restart:

adb shell pm enable com.google.android.gms
adb shell cmd package install-existing com.google.android.gms
adb reboot