Google Is Bringing Its Core Services To Windows And HP Calls Dibs

Google wants to make accessing its services as easy as possible for Windows users with Google Essentials. The company says it’s “a new app that makes it easier for you to discover and install many of our best Google services — including Google Play Games — when setting up a new PC.”

Google Essentials will make its way into computers manufactured by HP first, which include the Pavilion, Envy, Spectre, Victus, OMEN and Omnibook line of machines. HP’s gaming offerings will benefit nicely from this partnership as users will be able to access games from the Google Play Games service, including both mobile and PC native games. Players will even be able to sync their game progress when jumping back and forth between their PC and Android device.


Another benefit of having access to Google Essentials is the ability to access Google Photos and Google Messages. In theory, this should enable Windows users who use an Android smartphone get a little closer to the experience that Apple users get when they have a Mac and an iPhone.

Google says that users will remain in control of whether or not Google Essentials is on their system. Any Google service or the app itself can be removed at any time. This is an important note, as the company doesn’t want users viewing its offerings with the same disdain as a lot of the bloatware that comes pre-installed on many Windows computers.

While the rollout of Google Essentials will start with HP computers, Google says it will continue to bring the app “to more laptops and desktops in the coming months.”