What is Private Compute Services?

What is Private Compute Services?

Private Compute Services is a Google app that acts as the only network path for Android's Private Compute Core, the protected part of the phone where features such as Live Caption, Now Playing and Smart Reply run. Its package name is com.google.android.as.oss, and unlike most Google system apps it is open source: Google publishes its code on GitHub so outside researchers can check what it does.

Google's Play listing and its 2021 security blog post explain the design. Features inside Private Compute Core are not allowed direct network access, but machine learning features still need updated models to improve. Those features talk to Private Compute Services through a small set of open-source interfaces, and Private Compute Services removes identifying information and applies privacy techniques such as federated learning and analytics and private information retrieval before anything goes to or comes from Google's servers.

In practice it is the delivery channel for Android System Intelligence: Google's Pixel help describes Private Compute Services as the secure bridge that lets those features receive updates.

Can I disable it?

Yes, you can disable it, but the smart features it serves stop getting updates, so treat it as an advanced change. On many phones Settings > Apps > Private Compute Services offers a Disable button; where it does not, ADB works:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.as.oss

What changes: features in Private Compute Core lose their only route to the network. Live Caption, Smart Reply and similar features may keep working with what they already have, but they stop receiving improved models, and features that depend on downloaded data, such as Now Playing's song recognition, can fall out of date. Calls, texts and ordinary apps are not affected.

If privacy is your concern, consider that this app exists to limit what leaves the phone. Google publishes its source code and the policies that control its data egress, and on Pixels you can review its requests in a log. Turning off individual features you do not use, such as Now Playing, often addresses the concern more directly than disabling the bridge.

Does it drain battery or data?

No, it uses little battery or data in normal use; it wakes up to fetch model updates and send privacy-protected statistics, then goes idle. You may see it in data lists after a feature update, when new models download.

Google's Pixel help describes how to check: with developer options turned on, a Network Usage Log in Settings records the requests made on behalf of Android System Intelligence features, so you can see what was downloaded and uploaded and when.

If it shows heavy data use, look at the Network Usage Log to see which feature the downloads were for; a burst right after you turn on a new feature or install an update is usually a one-time cost.

Why did it just update?

It updated because Google ships Private Compute Services through the Google Play Store, separately from system updates. New versions add support for new features in Private Compute Core, change how updates are fetched and fix bugs. It often updates around the same time as Android System Intelligence, since the two work together.

Because its code is public, each release can also be compared against the published source by anyone who wants to check it.

Which packages are behind it?

One package:

• com.google.android.as.oss is Private Compute Services.

It serves Android System Intelligence (com.google.android.as), which runs the features themselves. Disabling Android System Intelligence turns the features off; disabling Private Compute Services only stops their updates.

If something goes wrong

If features such as Now Playing or Live Caption seem stuck on old behavior, update both Private Compute Services and Android System Intelligence in the Play Store, then restart the phone. The two work as a pair, so keep them updated together.

If an update made things worse, open Private Compute Services' App info screen, choose Uninstall updates, restart, and let the Play Store install the current version again.

If you disabled it and want updates back:

adb shell pm enable com.google.android.as.oss
adb shell cmd package install-existing com.google.android.as.oss

To confirm it is working afterwards on a Pixel, open the Network Usage Log described above and check that new entries appear over the following day.