What is the ‘Android Pulse’ app that just appeared in Google Play Store updates?

On Saturday morning, some users may have noticed a new app called “Android Pulse” appearing in the Google Play updates list. The app has no icon and is a first-party Google app aimed at "Defining anomalies for debugging" rather than posing any threat. Google explains that the app aids in the distribution of rules for anomaly detection in critical system resource consumption by the Android operating system and installed applications.

This service, which doesn't have an accessible interface, is designed to help with software diagnostics for the OS and any installed apps. The "critical system resource consumption" could pertain to battery, CPU, or memory usage.

The app is pre-installed on Pixel devices and is simply labeled as "Pulse" in system settings. The app icon resembles a heart rate monitor, displayed in green. APKMirror indicates that this app has been around since March, with seven previous versions. The app has been downloaded over 10 million times on the Play Store. However, today marks the first appearance of the update as a manually installable option.

It's intriguing that Google opted not to employ its dedicated System Services method to update this kind of app. In summary, "Android Pulse" is a Google app that is safe to have on your phone.