Google Play Services hits 10 billion installs, the first Android app to do so

Being pre-installed on most Android devices, Google’s apps rack up quite a lot of downloads and cross milestones on occasion. Now, for the first time ever, an Android app has crossed 10 billion installs on the Play Store — Google Play Services.

 

This one shouldn’t really come as a surprise, but it shows the wide-reach of the Android platform. According to the Play Store (via Android Police), Play Services has crossed 10 billion installs, the very first app to cross that milestone. It hits that total because Play Services has been pre-installed on every Android phone since 2012, and reset devices often inflate the numbers as well. After all, Android is only installed on around 2.5 billion devices currently.

Google Play Services is a suite of APIs, services, and more for Android smartphones that enables many features to work. For example, Android’s AirDrop competitor, Nearby Sharing, has been rolling out users over Play Services updates (in beta). Play Services can also track data. Google explains in the app’s listing:

This component provides core functionality like authentication to your Google services, synchronized contacts, access to all the latest user privacy settings, and higher quality, lower-powered location based services. Google Play services also enhances your app experience. It speeds up offline searches, provides more immersive maps, and improves gaming experiences. Apps may not work if you uninstall Google Play services.

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