Download Google Play Services for Android

Google Play Services is an application that runs in the background of an Android-powered device. It is used to update applications from the Google Play store, as well as Google's own apps. It also handles other core functions, like authentication between a device and Google's services, contact synchronisation and more.

Android users may notice from time to time that Google Play Services runs in the background processes of Android phones and tablets. There's no need to be alarmed by this potentially unknown application; as a piece of software created by one of the world's largest tech companies, it is secure and regularly updated.

Though the process isn't spyware per-se, some users believe that it meets many of the definitions of such software, as it reports information on usage and location, and is very difficult to remove without breaking core functionality of your phone. However, the software poses no obvious risks to your personal data like malicious software would, other than collecting your location data.

This message can appear for several reasons. If running an outdated version, then the software could be temperamental and require an update. Users may also need to go into the 'Settings' menu to clear the data and cache. Failing these options, a simple reboot may be enough to get the process running smoothly again.

This application handles a number of core processes that Android devices strongly require. It underpins functions within Google's game services, the Google Maps navigation system, updates for downloaded and native applications, and location-based service support, which is heavily used in the smartphone industry. It is also required for other core Android services, such as Google Pay.

Automatic updates can be enabled or disabled for Google Play Services. Open the Google Play application and find the 'Settings' menu, then tap on the 'Auto-update' apps. From here, there are three options: disable auto-update, enable auto-updates, or enable auto-updates only when connected to Wi-Fi.

Though the Google Play Services application does consume battery power, it should not place a massive drain on a device's battery. To see how much battery power is being used by the application, users can go into 'Settings' and then tap on 'Battery'. Here, you'll see a full breakdown of all installed applications and their respective usage.

Although it is possible to uninstall the Google Play Services application, it is strongly recommended against doing so. The Google service is heavily integrated into many modern applications and Android operating systems, meaning that core processes could suffer and not work properly if it has been uninstalled.

Data that has been stored and cached within the Google Play Services applicaton can be regularly and easily cleared out whenever required. By going into 'Settings' and then 'Apps' on the relevant device, it's simply a case of clicking or tapping on 'Clear Data' and 'Clear Cache'. However, note that data will again begin to accumulate in these locations whilst apps are in use.

There's no set figure for how much internal storage space the Google Play Services application will consume. This service stores and caches data for a wide range of Google applications, meaning that the more data is cached, the larer the storage usage will be. However, users can clear their data and cache to reduce this.