AI-generated Key Takeaways

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• To develop apps using Google Play services APIs, set up your project with relevant SDKs from the Google maven repository and test on a compatible Android device or emulator.

• To use Google Play services APIs, you need to declare the required SDK dependencies in your app's module-levelbuild.gradle file.

• You should check for the presence of Google Play services on a device using theisGooglePlayServicesAvailable() method before attempting to use Google APIs, as devices without the Google Play Store do not have it installed.

• New versions of Google Play services SDKs are released periodically with updates and bug fixes, and updating your dependencies allows you to benefit from these improvements.

• Google Play services also includes several Gradle plugins that can be included in your project for various use cases.

To develop an app usingGoogle Play servicesAPIs, follow the instructions on this page to setup your project with the relevant SDKs, which are available from theGoogle maven repository.

To test your app when using Google Play services, you must use one of thefollowing:

• A compatible Android device that runs Android 6.0 (APIlevel 23) or higher and has the Google Play Store appinstalled.
• The Android emulator with anAVD that runs the Google APIsplatform based on Android 6.0 (API level 23) or higher.

Declare dependencies for Google Play services

To develop features that depend on the Google Play services APIs in your app,complete the following steps:

1. Open thebuild.gradle file inside your app's module directory.

   Note: Android Studio projects contain a top-levelbuild.gradle file and abuild.gradle file for each module. Be sure to edit the file for your app'smodule. Learn more aboutbuilding your project withGradle.

2. For each SDK that your app requires, include the dependency for that SDK.This page includes a section that lists commonGoogle Play servicesdependencies for Android apps. You might also want toaddFirebase to yourproject.

3. Save the changes andsync yourproject.

The following snippet shows an examplebuild.gradle file that uses thelocation library:

applyplugin:'com.android.application'...dependencies{implementation'com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:21.3.0'}

New versions of the Google Play services SDKs with bug fixes and new featuresare periodically released. These updates are announced in thereleasenotes. If your app uses a dependency that has beenupdated, change to the latest version in your app's dependencies to takeadvantage of these fixes.

Check whether Google Play services is installed

As described in theOverview of Google Play services, Google Play services is automatically updated on Android6.0 (API level 23) and higherthrough the Google Play Store app. However, devices without the Google PlayStore don't have Google Play services installed. If your app runs on deviceswithout Google Play services, you should always check if Google Play services isinstalled before you attempt to use Google APIs or enable featuresthat require it.

To check for the presence of Google Play services on the device, use theisGooglePlayServicesAvailable()method.

To then begin a connection to Google Play services, or learn how to detectwhether the version of Google Play services installed supports a specific API,read the guide onAccessing Google APIs.

Google Play services dependencies

The following table lists the dependencies for Google Play services that you caninclude in your Android app. You can filter the list by device type by selectingone of the buttons, and you can search for a specific use case or dependencyname by entering text into the box that appears after the buttons.

Phones and TabletsAndroid TVAutoAndroid GoChromeOSWear OS

Gradle plugins

Google Play services also includes several Gradle plugins, as shown in thefollowing table. Note that the buttons that appear before the previous tabledon't change the information that appears in this table.