Google Play Services 9.8 launched with loads of new features, improvements

The proprietary background services and API package for Android devices, Google Play Services has just received a major update that adds numerous features and enhancements that should make it even more useful to developers and Android users alike.

Since this is a major release, Google published a fairly long changelog that highlights some of the most important changes included in Google Play Services 9.8. It's important to note though that Google has decided to disable Nearby Notifications due to an issue that couldn't be addressed in time.

The good news is that this is just a temporary solution, so Google could enable the feature in the next update for Google Play Services.

Among the most interesting new features and improvements included in the update, we noticed the ability for users to fill in phone numbers associated with their account with a single tap in apps that use the Credentials API.