You may not have known what Google Play Services is, depending on how tech-savvy you are. It's easy to dismiss it as an insignificant part of Android. But it is a critical part of how the OS works. It's basically what brings the Google into Android. It influences everything, from security to Google integration with your apps every day. Google Play Services was launched in 2014 to bring new features to Android phones without the need for a firmware upgrade. Because even the most powerful Android phones had to wait months for critical fixes back in 2014. It was not ideal for users to have to wait months to get a full firmware upgrade to fix bugs or modify the way Google features work. VPN Deals: A lifetime license costs $16, with monthly plans starting at $1. There are many benefits that everyone can enjoy. Developers have access to important APIs that are available across the vast majority Android users. At the time of writing, all devices running 5.0 Lollipop support the latest version of Google Play Services. This allows users to benefit from new features and security updates, even if their OS version isn't the most current. Google's Play Services is an insurance policy against "forked" Android. This was evident in recent Huawei difficulties. More than an appSource: Alex Dobie/Android CentralGoogle Play Services is basically an app controlled by Google that updates in the background on all Google-certified Android phones. Except for the "Google Settings" section of the Settings app, there isn't much user-facing functionality. Play Services has many tendrils, particularly in the newer OS versions. Play Services is a system-level app that can be run with elevated permissions. It can also supersede everything in the OS if necessary. Google has expanded the capabilities of Play Services extensively since its introduction in 2014. The company can modify it to further expand its capabilities in the future. Simply put, if an Android application interacts with a Google Service, it is most likely doing so via Google Play Services. Play Services is a gateway to Google services for apps. Developers can access APIs through the Google Play Services client library to allow apps to work with Google services on Android devices that have the Play Services app. Cloud Messaging, Drive and Location are all available. Play Games, Wear OS, Google Pay, and Cloud Messaging are just some of the many options. Google can also roll out new features, changes, and improvements to Android's integration with these services, without needing to update the firmware. This means that the device manufacturers and carriers are not in the loop, so Google has complete control over the rollout. Although the Android firmware update situation has improved significantly since Play Services was launched in 2014, Play Services updates can still be delivered much faster than traditional over-the air updates. Play Services allows Google to move quickly when it comes to introducing new features or services for Android. Covid-19 Exposure Notification System is a great example. It was developed in collaboration with Apple. The ENS was installed as a Play Services upgrade to all Android phones with firmware version 2014 or later. Google was able to fix the problem almost instantly across the ecosystem if it happened in 2021.Source: Android Central/Alex DobieGoogle Play Services would not have been able to roll out any kind of ENS like the Covid-19 ENS without the massive effort required by manufacturers and carriers in order to create and certify the latest firmware for all Android phones around the globe.Without Play Services, Google wouldn't be able to build its Exposure Notification System.Developers and users also benefit from it. There are many other benefits, most of which are obvious once you stop to think about them. Play Services does the heavy lifting, so developers don't have to worry about how each feature is targeted across OS versions. Users are not left behind if they don't have the latest Android version. Even in 2021, many users still don't have the latest Android version. Play Services has allowed many features that were thought to be Android, such as Google Play Games or Google Location Services, to be separated from the core OS. This is another reason why comparing iOS and Android version distributions doesn't tell all the story. The Google Android experience is updated in the background automatically. This is a very important part. In the years that have followed Play Services' introduction, Google has maintained this push for more modularity in Android. The most notable example of this is in Android 10, also known as "Project Mainline". Google Play System Updates allowed certain parts of Android 10, such as Wi-Fi and tethering, to be updated without the need for a complete firmware update. Android 12 has extended Mainline to include Android runtime, which runs your apps. This makes Android more secure even if you don't have the latest platform update. Some changes, fixes, or improvements may still require a firmware upgrade. There are many things that don't require a firmware update in today's Android ecosystem. Firewall against malwareSource: Alex Dobie/Android CentralGoogle Play Services is also a key player in protecting older Android phones from malicious apps. These apps are usually found on other app stores than the Google Play Store. Google Play Protect is the main weapon in Google’s arsenal. It is Android's built-in antivirus scanner. This feature scans any app you install from a third-party source to detect malicious tendencies. Play Protect also checks your phone periodically in the background. This is why security flaws like the fake ID 2015 bug in Android never get to be a reality. Play Services ensures that most Android devices are safe and the majority of malicious apps can be removed quickly. This could be considered a temporary solution since the vulnerability that is at the root of the problem isn't fixed until Project Mainline or firmware updates are released. However, malware isn't getting through and users are protected regardless of whether they have an older Android security patch. Google's Android insurance policySource: Android CentralGoogle Play Services contains proprietary Google stuff and is not included in the Android Open-Source Project. It is closed-source, just like other Google apps. Any fork of open-source Android, a version of AOSP that is not developed by Google, will have to replicate the Play Services functionality. Manufacturers can build their own service layer to replace Play Services without the need for approval by Google Mobile Services. Huawei, for example, has done this with its Huawei Mobile Services Layer. However, such an undertaking is a technical challenge. For most manufacturers, it's much easier to license Play Services alongside the rest of GMS.
