What’s Google Connectivity Services and can you disable it

Google Connectivity Services is one of those system apps that you don’t even realize exists until something happens. Most users don’t pry through settings looking for details and it’s just one of those Google-made built-in tools. Like Speech Services by Google, for example. However, some users were affected by it, when they noticed that the service consumed a large chunk of their monthly data package. We made sure to explain what’s the deal with this service to the best of our knowledge. The information is sadly scarce. Learn more below.

What is Google Connectivity Services, and why is it using so much data?

This is how Google describes Google Connectivity Services on Play Store:

“Google Connectivity Services helps Android manage Wi-Fi and other network connections. Keep it updated to ensure your device has the latest Wi-Fi networking capabilities. Google Connectivity Services includes Wi-Fi Assistant, which automatically connects you to high-quality public Wi-Fi, and secures those connections by transmitting your data through a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) managed by Google.”

This service was introduced as an on-device tool for Android that tunnels Wi-Fi connections on public networks through a built-in VPN.  To be precise, the Wi-Fi Assistant that is part of Connectivity Services does this while the service itself deals with a variety of connection-related optimization for public networks. As such, it should keep you safe and keep your calls private when in public. It’s mostly available on devices that have Google Fi and Pixel lineups. Other OEMs don’t incorporate it as they have their own connectivity services that do similar things.

So, it seems like one of those services that just works in the background to improve users’ experience. So, what’s the problem? It’s just a tool that will actively look for public connections in the background and even utilize mobile data automatically to ensure your device has an internet connection at all times, right?

You can find it in the App list among other apps and it can’t be uninstalled but you can disable it.

Can I disable Google Connectivity Services?

Here’s where is the problem. Namely, some users had an unpleasant revelation at the end of the month when they realized that Google Connectivity Services used a lot of mobile data. This is most likely a problem in configuration, where users were using the aforementioned Google VPN capability on a mobile data network.

It can be a difference in data usage stats, so check the data usage on the website first. But, if this affects your monthly bill, make sure to contact support. With that in mind, you can disable this app or, to save data, just disable Google VPN functionality. You can always re-enable it if necessary.

Not only that, but because this service needs to work in the background, it will also affect battery life. For most, it’s a minor thing and the actual impact isn’t enormous, but we had to say it. So, to summarize, Google Connectivity Services are an essential part of all devices on Google Fi, you can disable it in Settings > Apps > Google Connectivity Services.

Also, keep off the Google VPN and rather use a third-party VPN that offers unlimited data. There are a bunch of those so pick one with a moderate monthly subscription.

With that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to tell us about your experience with Google Connectivity Services. The comments section is just below.

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in July 2022. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.

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