Fix Google Play Services Battery Drain on Android

Google Play Services’ battery drain is, to some extent, a misnomer, as it’s often caused by external apps and functions that use features like location, metrics, Wi-Fi, and so on, which are handled by Services. Usage of these features ends up being reflected in the battery usage of Services. We’ve put together a list of solutions that should help you fix the battery drain you’re seeing on your Android device.

Tip: you can switch to GoogleDNS on your Android phone for a faster connection.

What Is Google Play Services?

Google Play Services is one of the most important apps on your Android phone and is preinstalled on your device. Consider it a software layer between your Android system and applications.

Tip: if you don’t have the app installed, learn how to get Google Play Services on your phone.

Google Play Services helps developers create optimized, battery-efficient apps and can add new features to Android without relying on Android updates. This last part is essential for older Android phones that may no longer get active updates.

Google Play Services also powers many other indispensable features on Android devices, though it operates in the background, and the typical user may not realize its there. These features include single sign-in, so you don’t have to keep logging into your apps every time you open them or security scans for third-party apps. As a result, it’s not recommended to turn the service off, as it can impact the way your device functions.

How to Detect Google Play Services’ Battery Drain on Android

You don’t need to install another app to detect whether Google Play Services is draining your Android device’s battery.

1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
2. Go to “Apps.” Depending on your phone model, this might be “Apps & notifications.”

3. Tap “See all [number of apps] apps.”

4. Scroll down to “Google Play services” on the app list and tap it.

5. Scroll down to the “App battery usage” option and see what it says on the line underneath.

6. What percentage of battery has been used since the last full charge? If it’s using more than a few percent of your battery (i.e., if it’s going into double figures), that’s too high, and you need to address the problem. Ideally, it should say “No battery use since last full charge.”
7. Alternatively, go to “Settings -> Battery -> Battery usage” and check out the apps consuming your battery. Make sure Google Play Services is not among them.

Tip: Want to preserve your battery’s lifespan? Don’t fully charge it. Use an app to alert you of your Android battery’s charge levels.

Find the Real Source of the Battery Drain

There’s a little more here than meets the eye, as on its own, Google Play Services doesn’t actually drain your battery. As we touched on earlier, it’s really other apps communicating with Google Play Services and their features – such as location access, Wi-Fi, data, and running in the background – that causes the drain.

Once you see that Google Play Services is draining your battery, the first port of call should be to see which apps are actually causing it to drain your battery. As mentioned above, you can visit “Settings -> Battery -> Battery usage” to see which apps have been consuming the most power.

If you don’t trust these stats, there’s also the option to consult a third-party app like AccuBattery that is designed to display accurate battery usage information. Take note of the apps that appear in the list, as they are the most power-hungry on your device.

Tip: seeing a “Something went wrong try again” error on Google Play? Learn how to fix it.

1. Clear Google Play Services Cache and Data

A simple thing to try first is to clear the Google Play Services cache, which may have become bloated with excess unnecessary information, causing the strain.

1. Go to “Settings -> Apps -> See all apps -> Google Play Services.”
2. Find the “Storage & cache” option and press on it.

3. Tap on the “Clear cache” button at the top.

4. If you’re still suffering from battery drain, the more radical step is to clear Google Play Services’ storage, which will require you to sign back in to your Google account afterward by tapping on “Clear storage” or “Manage data.”
5. If you tapped the latter version, you’ll need to tap another “Clear all data” button to finish the process.

2. Turn Off Auto-Sync

If you have more than one account connected to Google Play Services, that could explain the battery drain issue. Since Google Play Services has to look at your location for new events in your area, emails, notifications, and more, it’s continuously running in the background. Therefore, that’s even more memory.

You can fix this by turning off auto-sync for various accounts, such as your email, Calendar, and Drive, as well as third-party apps like WhatsApp. Your Google account in particular manages syncing for a many apps. Follow the steps below to fix it.

1. Go to “Settings -> Passwords & accounts,” then tap each account to see whether syncing is switched on or off. Depending on your phone model, the section you need to be looking for might be just “Accounts.”

2. Tap on a certain account. If syncing is activated for that particular account, you’ll notice the “Account sync” option.

3. Tap it to control the various syncing options for that app. Tap on the toggles to turn off syncing for each item. If auto-sync is very important to you for a given app, leave it on and try turning off auto-sync on the less important apps first.

3. Check for Any Sync Errors

Whenever Google Play Services tries to sync data but can’t, you obviously get sync errors. These errors can also be the reason you have to charge your phone more than before. Take a look at your contacts, calendar, and Gmail account to see if you can spot any errors. Try removing any emojis you may have on any contacts, as Google doesn’t like that.

You can also try removing and re-adding accounts to try and fix those sync errors. To do that, proceed to go to “Settings -> Passwords & accounts -> Add account.”

Turning off mobile data in your device’s settings for a little more than a minute can also help, but remember to turn it back on.

Good to know: learn how to share locations and invite people to events using Google Calendar.

4. Turn Off Location Syncing

There are plenty of apps that will ask for your location. The issue is that when they do, they ask for it through Google Play Services, which then uses your GPS to get that information. As a result, you may want to turn off location sharing for certain apps.

1. Open an app that’s asking for your location on your phone.
2. Then head to “Settings -> Apps -> [App name].”
3. Select “Permissions.”

4. Tap on “Location” from the list of app permissions.

5. Switch the option to “Don’t allow” to help you cut down on Play Services’ battery use.

5. Uninstall Google Play Services Updates

This may sound a little strange, but sometimes updates will cause a bug. For this reason, if you’re experiencing battery drain because of Google Play Services, you can try uninstalling the updates to this service.

1. Go to “Settings -> Apps.”
2. Select “Google Play Services” from the list of apps.
3. Tap the three dots at the top-right corner.

4. Select “Uninstall updates.”

5. Reboot your phone to see if that makes a difference.

Good to know: XAPKs are a variation of the standard APK format. Learn how to install one on your Android.

6. Install an Older Version of Google Play Services

On occasion, the latest version of Google Play Services may not behave as it should. If you’re witnessing increased battery drain after updating Google Play Services, you may need to roll back to a previous version of Google Play Services (at least until the latest version works as it should). Follow the steps below to roll back to a version of Google Play Services of your choice.

1. Go through the tip above to “Uninstall updates,” then go to the Google Play Services section of APK Mirror. Alternatively, use any of these sites that are safe for downloading APKs.

2. Scroll down and tap a version of Services that’s one or two versions before the latest one (ignore the beta versions). Also, make sure you select a standard Google Play Service option and not Google Play Services for Android TV, AR, etc.

3. You’ll see that there are dozens of variants. To download the right variant, you need to know three things: the architecture of your phone’s SoC, the DPI of your phone screen, and your Android version.

4. You can find your Android version by going to “Settings -> About phone.”

5. As for the DPI of your phone screen, you’ll need to download a third-party app like DPI Checker.

6. Knowing these two details should be enough for you to pick the correct version, but if you want to make sure you’re selecting the right one, open Google on your phone and type “[phone model] specs” and check whether your SoC is a 64-bit (arm64) or 32-bit (armeabi). However, most APK versions are compatible with both.

7. With that in mind, download the correct APK for your phone, grant your browser permission to download it if you have to, then install it. If you’re unsure how to do that, we have a full guide that walks you through installing an APK.

7. Update Your Android OS

You should also make sure that you’ve updated to the latest available version of Android for your device. You should receive a notification on your device when a software update is available on your phone, but you can also check manually by going to “Settings -> System -> System update.”

If an update is available, install it. It might contain a bug fix related to Google Play Services.

Bonus: Turn on Battery Saver

If your battery life still isn’t up to par, you may want to enable your phone’s built-in Battery Saver option (if it has one) and see whether that helps.

On our Pixel 4a, there’s a “Battery Saver” tile hidden in the Quick menu. We brought up the menu by swiping from the top of the phone and enabling the toggle.

Tip: heard the term “data roaming” but confused about what it means? We explain what happens when data is “roaming.”

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I update Google Play Services?

Check for updates to Google Play Services by going to “Settings -> Apps & notifications -> See all apps -> Google Play Services.” If there’s an available update for Play Services, you’ll see it on this screen.

Can I get the Google Play Services beta?

Yes. If you want to play around with the latest Play Services features and be on the frontline of what the app has to offer, you can become a tester for the app by registering on this page. However, this may not be a good idea if you want to avoid battery drainage issues, as beta builds usually contain bugs of all types and are known to be unstable.

Is Google Play Services spying on me?

Sort of, yes, though how nefarious you consider it to be depends on your feelings about Google’s data harvesting, which is very much a part of its M.O. Tons of apps – from Google Maps to WhatsApp and even your phone app – “phone home” to Play Services to let it know what you’re up to. To avoid this, you really need to “de-Google” your phone, which can get quite complicated.

Can I delete Google Play Services?

You can with a rooted phone, but at that point, you will lose access to those Google privileges, like the Play Store, Google Maps, and basically all Google apps as well as many third-party ones. Basically, it’s a big commitment – even a lifestyle choice – and not something to be taken lightly. On a non-rooted phone, the best you can do is disable the app.

What is Google Play Services for Android TV?

Just as you can use apps on your Android TV, Google Play Services is also present on these devices. Even so, it’s a slightly different version from the Google Play Services app that lives on your phone and targets Android TVs specifically. Other variations of Google Play Services include AR (which is connected to offerings with AR features) and Android Wear (now known as Wear OS.)

Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.