One of the most important components for the functioning of the Google ecosystem on Android is the Google Play Services application. It is a kind of intermediary between third-party apps and Google products running on Android like Google Maps, Google Play Store, Google Drive, among others.
Through Google Play Services, many apps for transport, games, streaming, etc. communicate with Google applications. It also manages logins with Google accounts on compatible platforms such as Strava or Spotify, to name a couple of examples.
Under normal conditions, Google Play Services should not consume excessive system resources or cause overheating of the equipment, nor should it affect battery life. However, there are times when it can start to do so, causing discomfort for the smartphone user.
One of the measures with which this problem could be avoided would be to uninstall Google Play Services, but it is not possible, because except for Huawei phones, it is integrated into Android. Another measure to take into account is disabling it, but it is not convenient, because the optimal functioning of the operating system as a whole depends on it.
However, if it is possible to take another set of measures leading to optimize its performance, all of them very easy to apply.
First of all, check if Google Play Services is causing high battery consumption on your phone. For this, go to Settings > Battery > Battery usage.
Next, scroll down the screen to locate Google Play Services, check the percentage of battery it consumes and compare it with that of the other available apps. A disproportion will indicate that the cause of the abnormal battery drain is Google Play Services. Therefore, perform the following actions, one by one, until you see that the behavior of Google Play Services regarding power consumption has been normalized.
Restart your phone
It may sound silly, but in many cases a simple restart of the phone returns the behaviors of some applications, including Google Play Services, to normal.
If after the reset, you still notice substantial battery drain, try the following.
Uninstall the latest update of Google Play Services
An application like Google Play Services needs to be updated to its latest version, as this allows it to keep up with the updates received by the applications with which you constantly interact. That is why its update is done automatically through the options that the Android system includes by default.
However, it is possible that the latest version applied to Google Play Services may have affected its normal operation, so the solution is to uninstall this update. The procedure is the next.
Go to Settings > Apps > See all apps.
Scroll to Google Play services and tap App details. Next, click on Uninstall. Confirm the requested operation, clicking on Uninstall.
This will force Google Play Services to automatically update again to its latest version, which may resolve the issue.
Restore factory settings
If you are unsuccessful, consider doing a factory reset on the phone. But before you take this radical step, make sure you back up your most important personal information.