Google I/O is tonight but Big G has already updated Play Store and Play Services

The wait is almost over. In the coming hours, the stage of the annual developers’ conference Google I/O will spotlight the next moves of Mountain View’s company.

The opening speech promises several important announcements and, although some previews have already been made through the The Android Show, there remains a strong sense of anticipation.

Much of the attention is focused on artificial intelligence developments and on the progress of Gemini Intelligence, topics on which the company still maintains notable secrecy. Enthusiasts await confirmations capable of tracing the direction of software for the coming months.

Google updates Play Services and Play Store, here are the updates

However, before the official start of the presentations, the company decided to move ahead with a series of updates.

Without much media fanfare, updates have been rolled out for two core components of the ecosystem: Google Play Services and the Google Play Store.

The official release is scheduled for today, although the actual rollout will require the usual technical time to reach all compatible devices globally in a progressive way.

This allows the company to lay the groundwork for the new features that will be discussed during the evening conference.

Hints on Android 17 and refreshed interface

The details provided by the installation files offer an interesting snapshot of what lies ahead for users. For the version 26.19 of Play Services, changes focus on both aesthetics and security. Developers have worked on a storage-management experience, essential for tracking how many gigabytes or megabytes are used on the device, now fully refreshed adopting the Material 3 Expressive UI design guidelines.

On the connectivity front, support for the Android Credential Manager dedicated to vehicles emerges. The aspect that piques everyone’s curiosity most concerns the default activation of the Remote Lock and the Theft Detection Lock for devices based on Android 17.

Focus on gaming and collections

In parallel, the digital app store reaches version 51.5. Changes are more oriented toward entertainment and organizing multimedia content.

Several descriptive variations that affect gaming goals and features for the gaming sector have been implemented, previously distributed.

In addition, the documentation mentions improved access for the Play Collections, a feature that debuted earlier in 2024 and is now continuing its integration.

May update of Google Play Services, what’s new:

Google Play Services v26.19 (18/05/2026)

Account management

• [Smartphone] You will enjoy an updated storage management experience thanks to the Material 3 Expressive UI design.
• [Smartphone, Wear] Migration between two account systems (from service flags to account features).

Developers services

[Smartphone] Bug fixes for Developer Services.
[Smartphone] Added AppFunctions to Google Play services.
[Auto] With this update, Android Credential Manager supports automotive devices, enabling you to use saved passwords and passkeys, with the option to use your phone for passkey authentication.

Security and privacy

[Smartphone] This update adds support for Anti-theft Protection for newly configured and activated devices in the United Kingdom.
[Smartphone] With this update, Remote Lock and Theft Detection Lock are enabled by default on Android 17 devices.
[Smartphone] A survey may be shown when Advanced Protection mode is turned off.

Google Play Store v51.5 (18/05/2026)

[Smartphone] Now you can access Play Collections.
[Smartphone] This feature allows players to report the names of players’ profiles in the Play Store.
[Smartphone] Now you can view detailed statistics on daily play time by selecting series icons.
[Smartphone] Now you can share feedback on games recently played to help improve recommendations.
[Smartphone] Now you can find app content in the Play Store from installed apps.