Another month, another round of Google Play System Updates. After rolling out the February 2023 Android security patches to Pixel devices, Google has now outlined the changes coming to the Play services and Play Store this month.
For February, the company is covering several aspects of its services, from mobile apps to developer-focused tools, although the actual list is rather small at this point. Google has a tendency to introduce more fixes and features as the month progresses, hence it is quite possible to come across a number of server-side enhancements in the coming days.
Most of the changes are merely improvements to stuff we've seen before. Having said that, there is one point worth highlighting. The notification for Nearby Sharing is now pinned when it’s shown, which is a welcome improvement for users, who actively use the feature to quickly share files across their devices.
If you're interested, here's the complete list of patch notes:
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Device Connectivity
- [Phone] Pin Nearby Sharing heads up notification to screen when shown.
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Google Play Store
- New Features to help you discover the Apps & Games you love.
- Optimizations allowing faster and more reliable download and installation.
- Continuous improvements to Play Protect to keep your device safe.
- Various performance optimizations, bug fixes and improvements to security, stability and accessibility.
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Developer Services
- [Phone] New developer features for Google and third party app developers to support Machine Learning & AI related developer services in their apps.
The aforementioned improvements are available through Google Play Store version 34.3 and Google Play services version 04.23, which were released on February 1 and are currently in the process of rolling out.
To check your current version, open the Play Store, tap your account icon, head to Settings and then the About section. Here, you should be able to both view the currently installed version and update it. It’s possible that you won’t get the newest release right away, though, as Google uses a staged rollout model.