‘Google Partner Setup' update rolling out via Play Store (GMS)

Ink · Aug 23, 2023

A new update for “Google Partner Setup,” a required internal Android app, is rolling out now via the Play Store.

While most of the exciting new features for our phones and tablets come from updates to apps or from each year’s major Android release – like Android 14 releasing in the coming weeks – there are also numerous other apps and background programs that help keep your device running smoothly. The most well-known of these is Google Play Services, which is involved in nearly every Google-related activity on Android, but it’s just one of many.

As many are now learning, another such app is Google Partner Setup. According to Google, this app is included on “all Android devices with Google Mobile Services,” providing some core functionality. While this app has been around for years now, it wasn’t until earlier this year that Google published this particular service to the Play Store.

Fast forward to this week, Google Partner Setup has received a new update that is rolling out to potentially billions of Android devices, dating as far back as Android Oreo. The app itself is quite small, and you’ll likely not notice any differences after installing the update.

That said, the company does note that Google Partner Setup is now updatable through the Play Store “so that bug fixes, improvements, and critical updates for your device can be delivered faster.” We assume this means allowing it to be updated without requiring a system update.

Notably, the Play Store listing for Google Partner Setup has already been flooded with one-star reviews claiming that the app’s update is responsible for a slew of issues.

Google Partner Setup is a required application for devices that run Google Mobile Services

This app is pre-installed by the device manufacturer to ensure proper device functionality on all Android devices with Google Mobile Services; it cannot be disabled or deleted.

Google recently moved this app to the Play Store so that bug fixes, improvements, and critical updates for your device can be delivered faster. No other changes have been made as a result of this Play Store listing.

If your device is running Android 7 or an earlier version, it will not receive an update for this app. This app may indicate that it is not compatible with your device, but this does not mean that the app is malfunctioning or causing your device to malfunction.