Google Play Services 26.43 Adds Automatic Photo Backup to Windows PCs

Family hub, passkeys and Wallet

People who use family accounts get a new "Family" entry in the system settings, directly below the Google settings. It shows the family members, any subscribed Google One plan with its storage use, and the shared services in one place.

The Google Password Manager also gains a useful option. When importing credentials, users can now manually choose which login data to keep if passwords or passkeys conflict. Passkeys are credentials that replace passwords and can be approved with a fingerprint, for example.

Google also updated its system management services, which it says should improve battery life, device connectivity, performance, privacy, security, stability and updatability. Added to that are features for Google and third-party developers that support location- and context-based flows in apps. Google also fixes bugs in security and emergency-related services, refreshes loyalty cards in Google Wallet and resolves further Wallet bugs.

Why it matters

Play services updates are delivered independently of classic Android updates and security patches, so manufacturers do not have to approve them. The changes reach all Android devices with Play services, which covers most of them: phones, tablets, smartwatches, smart TVs, cars with Android Auto and Chromebooks.

Google usually distributes such updates in waves, so not every device will get them at once. On one editorial test device, the new Play services version was already installed while the Play Store itself was still running an older build.