Forum Discussion
Android: Google Carrier Services app?
I recently received a T-Mobile branded OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren. I used Google's transfer function to set it up copying files and apps from my Moto G7 Power. This resulted in several duplicate apps,...
It is used for RCS, some carrier aggregation, and other carrier specific functions. Personally, I would keep it.
RCS is one of the features in GCS, but there's a lot of behind the scenes stuff that this app does with Android. It's not necessary, but OnePlus installs what is technically a custom ROM, not just a skinned ROM like Samsung phones, and they may have incorporated the benefits of the GCS app into the ROM (I haven't looked into it), but it's highly unlikely installing GCS will cause problems.
One thing to note is GCS allows new features, like RCS, to be pushed to the phone. So if you don't have that app, new Google features and battery saving (RIL sleep modes) updates to Android won't be pushed to you, unless they're bundled in the OnePlus software update. Google is moving away from small updates like that in OTAs, and trying to compartmentalize them in APK updates, like GCS.
