Buzz
One common cause of rapid battery drain on Android devices is apps that consume a lot of system resources. Each such app installed on an Android device is a service of Google Play (Google Play Service). And invisibly, if there are many apps installed leading to the Android device running out of battery quickly.
What are Google Play services? And what are they used for on Android devices?
Google Play services are used to update Google apps on Google Play.
This component provides key functions such as authentication for Google services, synchronizing contacts, accessing all the latest user security settings, and location-based services.
Google Play services also help enhance user experience with apps. Speed up offline search, provide maps, and improve gaming experience. Additionally, apps may not function properly if you uninstall Google Play services.
Why does Google Play Service drain device battery?
There are numerous reasons to explain why and how to fix Google Play Services draining your Android device's battery. Especially if you have multiple Google accounts signed in and used, that could be the reason for Google Play services consuming excessive battery. With multiple accounts in the Google Play services app, you'll receive constant emails and notifications across all connected accounts on your Android device.
Another significant reason you encounter Google Play draining your Android device's battery is due to sync errors. If Google Play fails to synchronize data with Google servers, it will lead to the situation where Google Play services drain a lot of battery.
Additionally, GPS is also one of the culprits draining battery on Android devices. Whenever an Android app requires GPS location, you'll enable GPS on Android. At that point, the app will go through Google Play Services, and we all know that enabling GPS on Android and using it will consume a lot of battery.
Fixing Google Play Services Battery Drain on Android, Saving Android Battery
Method 1: Limit Google Services from Draining Battery
Numerous Google services run in the background of Android devices. These services are the culprit behind battery drain on Android phones and tablets.
To see which apps drain battery quickly on Android devices, navigate to Settings => Battery => Battery Usage. Here, you can view a list of apps running on the device and the amount of battery each consumes. The apps at the top of the list are the ones consuming the most battery.
After identifying the apps consuming the most battery, you can disable those apps when not in use to save more Android battery.
Many are unaware of the apps or services included in the Google Play service package. If you're curious about the same, you can explore the services bundled with Google Play service below:
- Account Manager: This service is responsible for synchronizing Google account data, including emails and other accounts.
- Services Framework: Responsible for 'communicating' with Google and cloud computing.
- Contacts Sync: With the help of Contacts sync, the contacts on your Android device are synchronized (All contacts available at google.com/contacts).
- Google Backup Transport: Using this service, you can easily create a backup of your Android phone or tablet on Google servers (Google Server).
After learning about the apps accompanying Google Play services, you can check the battery consumption of each app or service and disable the apps or services that consume excessive battery.
Method 2: Prevent Auto Sync on Android Devices
As mentioned earlier, auto-sync feature is also one of the reasons for excessive battery drain on Android devices. To turn off auto-sync on Android and address the issue of Google Play services draining excessive battery, follow the steps below:
Step 1: First, open the Settings app, then find and select Accounts under the Personal section.
Step 2: At the top right corner of the screen, tap on the 3-dot icon.
Step 3: A popup window will appear on the screen with the option Auto-Sync Data. Your task is to tap on the option to uncheck it.
Step 4: Finally, tap on OK to disable the Turn auto-sync data option on the Android device.
Currently, there are numerous apps supporting data backup on devices, including Dropbox. When the automatic Dropbox data syncing feature activates on Android, it's also one of the reasons for rapid phone battery depletion. Please disable the automatic data synchronization feature of Dropbox on Android.
Method 3: Update Google Play Services
To update Google Play services to the latest version and resolve the issue of Google Play services draining device battery, all you need to do is uninstall the old version and update Google Play with the latest update.
Step 1: First, on the Android device, open the Settings app, then find and select Apps (on some devices, it may be Applications).
Step 2: Next, scroll down to find and select the option Google Play services.
Step 3: Select the Uninstall Updates button to remove all automatic updates of Google Play services.
Step 4: After removing the updates, open Google Play Store, find and download the latest version of Google Play services to your Android device, and install it.
Step 5: Once the installation process is complete, restart your Android device, and the latest version of Google Play services will be installed on the device.
Method 4: Disable Location and Activate Battery Saving Mode
Most apps nowadays use user location to provide accurate results, leading to high battery and CPU usage on the device. You can disable location-based apps and activate Battery Saving Mode to conserve battery on your Android device:
Step 1: First, open the Settings app on your Android device (phone or tablet).
Step 2: Find and select the option Location under the Personal section.
Step 3: In the Location settings window, find and select the first option named Mode.
Step 4: Next, in the Location Mode settings window, you'll see 3 options: High Accuracy, Battery Saving, and Device Only.
Step 5: Your task is to select the Battery Saving option. Choosing the first option, High Accuracy, is the reason for high battery and CPU usage on Android devices.
Method 5: Disable or Force Stop Google Play Services
If you've tried the solutions above and still can't fix the issue of Google Play Service draining your Android device's battery, the last resort you can consider is disabling Google Play services.
Follow the steps below to disable and force stop Google Play services on your Android device:
Step 1: First, open the Settings app and select Apps (or Applications - on some devices).
Step 2: Access the running tab to view all apps running on your Android device.
Step 3: Find and select Google Play Services from the list of running apps in the Running tab.
Step 4: Press Stop or Force Stop to disable Google Play Services on your Android device.
Disabling app updates on Android will help you save battery power the best. If apps automatically update their versions from their servers, your phone will consume a certain amount of energy for this. If it's an app you use frequently, it's okay, but for unimportant apps, it's a waste. Therefore, turn off app updates on Android to save battery power.
Disabling Google Play services will help you save a considerable amount of battery on your Android device. However, you won't be able to use any apps or services related to Google Play on your Android device anymore. So, think carefully before choosing to fix the issue of Google Play Service draining your Android device's battery.
Another issue encountered with Google Play is error 924, which prevents many users from downloading files. When encountering error 924 on Google Play, users are unable to download any apps. Refer to the solution for error 924 on Google Play to proceed with file downloads as usual.
