The Google Play Services app will now explain to you what it does
Google services are an essential part of the experience of our Android phones. Not only do you have thePlay Store, where you get all your apps and update them, but Google also powers many of your phone’s essentials, such as your ads, your contacts, and even your notifications. In case you’re thinking about turning offGoogle Play Serviceson your smartphone, Google has whipped up a handy page in an attempt to prevent you from doing that.
If you go to your phone’s settings, navigate to your apps, and select Google Play Services, you’ll get a handy item right below the “Disable” and “Force stop” buttons that says “All Services” (via9to5Google). This serves as a list of all the services Google provides to your smartphone through that app, given it’s one of the central pieces of the Google app suite that’s pre-installed on all Android phones.
Among them, you have Autofill, Contacts, data backup, data transfer, and even system management. It also makes explicit mention of what can happen if you disable it, adding that “it’s an important part of many of the features in your device” and that “turning off services can impact the way your device works.”
Of course, what we said above is something many of our readers probably know, but for less tech-savvy people, it can seem confusing, or it may seem like clutter. Either way, there’s a reason why Google is adding that warning there. If you want your phone to function properly, you shouldn’t disable Google Play Services unless you’re planning to do so temporarily, like if you’re trying to fix an issue with another Google service. This page seems to be largely becoming available onAndroid 13devices — it’s present on myGalaxy S22 Ultrarunning One UI 5, as well as on Pixel phones.
If you don’t see it now, it might be a few days or weeks more until it reaches your device.
The note-taking app I should have used all along
Broader branding hints at wider paid-tier ambitions
It’s time to sniff out the culprit
Change your network settings the easy way
Pixel downsides never change
We just learned a little bit more about Light No Fire in a video about the Voyagers update for No Man’s Sky
