How to update Google Play services on an Android phone or tablet

If you’re using a high-end Android phone, you might not know how important Google Play services are to your core experience. From managing your Google Accounts behind the scenes to making sure your Google apps work together, Play Services acts as the glue that holds all your most important apps together. It also allows must-have platforms like Gmail and the Play Store to communicate directly with the OS.

Installing eavesdropping Play Services can be responsible for everything from overheating to rapid battery drain, which is why it’s important to stay up-to-date. If automatic updates are enabled in the Play Store, you should already have the latest version of Play Services installed on your Android device. However, if you’re worried that Google Play Services is out of date on your device, here’s how to update the APK manually, directly through the Play Store and using APKMirror.

The Google Play Services framework also helps Google push modules as part of Project Mainline. This allows you to get critical security updates faster through the Google Play Store without waiting for over-the-air updates from your device manufacturer.

Update Google Play Services on Android

There are two ways to update Google Play Services on your Android device. You can use the Google Play Store, which is the easy way, or manually download and install the latest version from APKMirror, a trusted source for verified APK files. Let’s look at both ways, starting with how to update it using the Google Play Store method.

Update Google Play Services through the Google Play Store

By default, the list of Google Play services is hidden from your view and does not appear when you search for it in the Google Play Store. Instead, you’ll need to open your device’s settings menu to manually find the Play Store entry.

To find the Google Play Services app, follow these steps. These screenshots follow the process on a Google Pixel, though the steps should be similar on devices from Samsung and other Android OEMs.

1. Open it settings application, and then select applications section.
2. Touch See all applications.

   

   

3. In the upper right corner, tap is looking for icon.
4. Type game and tap Google Play Services input.

   

   

5. Scroll down and tap Application details. This guides you to the official list in the Google Play Store.
6. Touch Update button.

   

   

If you don’t see a new update pending, your phone may already have the latest version of the Google Play Services app installed. If you’re convinced you’re missing a newer version, you’ll need to rely on APKMirror to download the update directly.

Update Google Play Services via APKMirror

Before you begin, find out if the latest update is installed. To go settings > applications > Google Play Services, scroll down and note the version number. After that, search for Google Play Services on APKMirror and check if the version number of the latest release matches the one installed on your phone. If it doesn’t match, you’ll need to download and update Google Play Services manually.

To download the latest version of Google Play Services from APKMirror, follow these steps:

1. Go to the main page of Google Play Services on APKMirror.
2. Tap the latest listing below All versions section.
3. Touch See Available Downloads button.

   

   

4. You’ll probably want to download arm64-v8a variant. All modern Android smartphones run on 64-bit architecture (arm64). And you’ll want to download APK version of the application, not Package.
5. In addition, you can download a nodpi variant to ensure that the application works on any device, regardless of the default dots per inch (DPI) of your screen.

   

   

6. Select if prompted Download it anyway to save the file. Swipe down from the top of the status bar, then tap the notification when it’s finished downloading.
7. Touch Update.

   

   

You may be required to download the bundled version of Google Play Services in the future as the APK format is slowly being phased out. App bundles aren’t as easy as APK files, but they’re not impossible to install. If you want to download the bundled version of Google Play Services, learn how to install it using APKMirror Installer.

As far as third-party APK distribution websites go, APKMirror is your safest bet, developed by Android Police founder Artem Russakovskii. If you’re still looking for other options, various Google Play Store alternatives may contain the latest version of Google Play Services.

Keep Google Play Services up to date

In addition to enabling various unique app and system features, Google Play services make your Android device more secure. For example, Google Play Protect, part of Google Play Services, scans your apps before installing them to make sure they’re free of malware. It can also warn you if an app you installed from a third-party website might be harmful. Updating Google Play Services can also work wonders if you’re experiencing strange errors, crashes, or strange battery drain issues.

If you have an Amazon Fire tablet, you may want to learn how to install the Google Play Store to improve your experience. It’s not as simple as installing a single app, but we walk you through the process every step of the way.