You’re Missing Out on Hidden Android Updates
No matter how hard Google has tried over the past couple of years, it has never been able to make Android updates as easy as iOS updates. On iPhone, all compatible iPhones around the world receive the same updates at the same time.
On Android you can only guess. Google releases the latest and greatest Android updates to developers and its Pixel devices, and then Android smartphone makers begin developing their own versions. For example, since Samsung’s version of Android 15 is different from OnePlus’s, it can sometimes mean key features don’t show up on your phone until later.
To mitigate this somewhat, Google has decided to take matters into its own hands by rolling out some security, privacy, and device tracking features to all Android devices at once using a little-known framework called Google Play System Updates.
And yes, it is confusing. It’s not just about the Google Play store or services, it’s something you may never encounter yourself. Google does not send notifications about this and is not part of the normal software update screen. So what is it, where is it and why is it so important?
Why are Google Play system updates so important?
As I mentioned above, unless you’re using a Pixel, any regular Android updates come directly from your phone’s manufacturer, not Google itself. This is usually where you get big Android updates, like how Samsung phones updated to Android 15 with the One UI 7 update .
But Google Play system updates are different.
It all started in 2019 with Project Mainline, where Google began sharing some key components of the OS. With this project, Google can improve Android’s security and privacy features without going through the usual channels. That’s why in the past, Google was able to roll out features like Android theft detection , remote locking, and offline locking to all Android phones running Android 10 and above overnight. Something like this is simply not possible with regular Android updates.
While these are small features, they’re not all that Play System updates give you. Google Play system updates are also responsible for Google Play Protect, a system that scans and reports malicious apps on the Play Store, as well as adding new features to the Google Play Store and Google Wallet.
Unlike a regular Android update that can arrive at any time, Google Play system updates are sure to arrive every month. You can visit Google’s website to see what’s new each month .
It’s important to make sure you get them. In addition to new features, they also introduce important security updates and bug fixes across the entire Google Play Services platform.
Why do you never see Google Play system updates?
These updates are critical. But sometimes it can take months before you actually have the newest version. This is because Google does not advertise these updates in any way. There are no notifications for them, and they are not even installed automatically during a normal Android OS update.
Oddly enough, they are installed automatically only when you restart the smartphone. And when you consider how smartphones are used these days, the difference could be several months.
How to check for Google Play system updates
I can’t say whether Google will eventually change its ways and make Play system updates more visible. But for now, there’s only one way to check for them – install them manually in the Security Updates section of the Settings app.
Different phones have different menus, so I’ll use Pixels as an example of how to find this page. If you’re using a Google Pixel phone, go to Settings > Security & Privacy > System & Updates . You will see two sections: Security Update and Google Play System Update . Click the latest option to download and install the update. The update will be installed after the device reboots.
On any other smartphone, search will become your friend. In the Settings app, look for Play System Update to help you get where you need to go.