Among the applications that work in the background on an Android smartphone we will find a really mysterious one called Google Play Services, which cannot be terminated or uninstalled from the device. This is one of the fundamental apps of the Google environment, since it is used to convey all Google processes and services but also to update and implement new phone functions regardless of the version of Android in our possession. This app is therefore essential for running Google applications and guarantees protection and security without depending on the updates provided by the phone manufacturer.
If for some reason Google Play Services stops working or no longer provides any security update, in this guide we will show you how to update Google Play Services on any device with Android on board, be it a tablet, a smartphone or a Chinese TV Box.
How to update Google Play Services
To update the Google Play Services we can follow two methods: one fully automatic and another manual method, where we will have to download the updated APK of the app and install it on the increased Android device.How to update Google Play Services automatically
The first method to update Google Play Services is really very simple to apply: we open the Google Play Store on the device and search for "Google Play Services" in the search bar at the top; once the app is found, click on it and update the app by pressing the Update button. If we don't see any app with this name, the service is "hidden" from the system, so we will have to act by opening the page dedicated to Google Play Services from the web browser of the Android device, press on it to be redirected to the hidden page of the app, where be able to press the Update button.Another way to update the app is to open a web browser from a PC, log in with the Google account on the Google Play Store page then open the link seen previously, so you can update or install the Google Play Services (on some old devices it may not be present or be so old as to require an additional installation).
If none of the methods shown is effective, we read the following chapters to find out how to install this app manually and how to solve the most serious problems related to Google Play Services.
How to update Google Play Services manually
To update the Google Play Services manually we will first need to download the APK of the app, available from the APKMirror website.
Scroll down the page, click on the latest version of the package by armeabi-v7a then click on Download APK to start the download; we avoid downloading other APKs linked to different architectures, such as for example x86 (for versions of Android x86) or arm64-v8a (dedicated to modern smartphones with 64-bit processor).
If the download took place from the Android device, we open the Downloads app or use a File manager to open the downloads folder, then we tap on the APK to start the installation of the new version of Google Play Services. If the system prevents us from installing from unknown sources or sources, we can unlock the installation by going to Settings -> Security and adding the confirmation sign from the item Unknown sources; alternatively let's bring Apps and notifications -> Advanced -> Install from unknown sources and allow installation from the browser where we downloaded the APK.
If instead we downloaded the APK from a computer, we can transfer it to the device using a simple USB cable or wireless, using one of the services indicated in our guide on how to send files between PC and Android (mobile phone or tablet) in wireless wifi .
In case of problems
Despite the recommended methods, Google Play Services doesn't want it to work or blocks access to Google apps ">After clearing the cache or uninstalling any updates present, we can try again one of the methods seen in the previous chapters.
If not even so we solve the problem with Google Play Services, we recommend you read our guide on how to reset and restore Android .
Conclusions
Google Play Services is so important that it can block the execution of other Google-related apps (such as YouTube, Gmail, the Play Store itself etc.), especially on devices with a few years on their shoulders (this explains the many negative reviews that this app has collected over the years). We can say that Google Play Services is comparable to human bones: until they break, you don't notice their existence!If our smartphone, tablet or TV Box are too old to be able to update the Google Play Services as seen in our guide, we advise you to change the operating system and switch to a Custom ROM, often optimized for use on the device in our possession ; to do this we recommend you read our two guides on the Best Android Custom ROM versions for each smartphone and How to install a Custom Android ROM .
If, on the other hand, we care about the security of our device, we can add additional protection (both software and behavioral) to the Google system apps, reading our articles on the best free antivirus for Android and How to protect Android from malware and malicious apps, viruses and spies .
