Google Play services vs Gboard

Privacy compared: the newest public version of each, scored by the same six rules. Gboard scores 90 and Google Play services 42, so Gboard is 48 points ahead.

42of 100

Google Play servicescom.google.android.gms

version 26.37.37 (260400-994713346)

90of 100

Gboardcom.google.android.inputmethod.latin

version 18.4.1.985164140-beta-arm64-v8a ahead by 48

Who is ahead on what

The longer bar is the better one on every axis; a score is the mean of its six axes. The arithmetic behind each is on the app's own card.

Axes: Gboard leads on 5 axes, Google Play services on none; 1 axis is level.
Trackers: Google Play services carries 4 trackers, Gboard none; fewer is better.
Dangerous permissions: Google Play services may ask for 16 permissions, Gboard for 1 permission.

The six axes

Each axis is one short rule applied to both apps, with the one thing that decided its number underneath.

Security Gboard +30

Google Play services 70 1 security problem found.

Gboard 100 No security problem found.

Tracking Gboard +53

Google Play services 47 4 tracking tools found.

Gboard 100 No tracking tools found; that does not prove there are none.

Build hygiene Gboard +2

Google Play services 62 The app passes 8 of 13 checks of how well it was built.

Gboard 64 The app passes 9 of 14 checks of how well it was built.

Packaging level

Google Play services 100 Unpacked, the base APK is 218 MB; 446 KB of it is unused files.

Gboard 100 Unpacked, the base APK is 107 MB; 156 KB of it is unused files.

Access Gboard +91

Google Play services 1 Asks for 10 of 11 kinds of permission; 4 kinds of special access. It is 53 points below the bottom of the scale, so the total loses 8.8 more.

Gboard 92 Asks for 1 of 11 kinds of permission; no special access.

Background Gboard +60

Google Play services 24 Runs 6 kinds of background service and starts by itself after a restart.

Gboard 84 Runs no background service, but starts by itself after a restart.

TrackersGoogle Play services 4 · Gboard 0

The advertising, analytics and attribution SDKs recognised in each app. What only one of them carries is what sets it apart.

Only in Google Play services

Firebase AnalyticsGoogle AdMobGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Tag Manager

In both

none

Only in Gboard

none

Dangerous permissionsGoogle Play services 16 · Gboard 1

The permissions Android asks the user about at run time: the camera, the microphone, the location, the contacts and the like. An app may need one for what it does; asking is not the same as using.

Only in Google Play services

ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATIONACCESS_COARSE_LOCATIONACCESS_FINE_LOCATIONBODY_SENSORSCAMERAREAD_CALL_LOGREAD_EXTERNAL_STORAGEREAD_PHONE_STATEREAD_SMSRECEIVE_SMSRECORD_AUDIOSEND_SMSWRITE_CALL_LOGWRITE_CONTACTSWRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE

In both

READ_CONTACTS

Only in Gboard

none

Where this comes from

Both are the apps' public cards: what anyone may know of an app, from its newest public version - one Google Play installed, and out in the world. Each card has the score's lines and the earlier versions: Google Play services, Gboard.