We all use Google Chrome on a daily basis and it is probably the first thing we install on our devices. But downloading Chrome and other Google apps also installs another program you may not know about called GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app in your system. Find out What is GoogleSoftwareUpdate.App on Mac?
If you are a Mac user, we will help you understand the GoogleSoftwareUpdate app on Mac, what it does, how to remove it, and other related questions.
What is GoogleSoftwareUpdateApp on Mac
What is GoogleSoftwareUpdate from Google?
GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app or GUpdate is a program that gets installed on your macOS device every time you download a Google application like Chrome and Google Earth. The program runs in the background to check for the latest updates of the application and installs them automatically .
This may seem harmless, but it raises several security issues. It automatically installs itself on your Mac without asking for permission and runs in the background, collecting device information, usage statistics, and more. Removing or disabling it is also not easy as it can be reinstalled.
Pros and Cons of GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app
We decided to create a list of advantages and disadvantages of the Google software update program to help you better understand it.
Advantage:
- Eliminate the hassle of checking for updates manually.
- Keeps your app always up to date with the latest version.
- Adds the necessary or missing patches to the application.
Cons:
- It installs without permission.
- It constantly runs in the background.
- Create multiple instances that run at the same time.
- It regularly collects your data and sends it to Google.
- It does not provide a menu to configure its settings.
- It is not easy to uninstall or remove.
- It reinstalls itself if you try to remove it.
As you can see, the cons outweigh the pros in this situation. This is the reason that is causing concern among Mac users. Let us learn more about what it does and how it affects your CPU and RAM performance.
How does GoogleSoftwareUpdate affect the performance of your Mac ?
Since this program continuously runs in the background, checking for updates and patches while collecting user data and sending it to Google, how does it affect the performance of your Mac device?
We decided to take a closer look at it in the activity monitor and come back with the results below.
As you can see in the image, Google’s software update program runs multiple instances of itself simultaneously for unknown reasons. Each instance runs 6-7 threads and consumes 0.3-0.5% of CPU usage.
At the same time, it was consuming about 6 MB of RAM per instance. This may not seem significant, but it raises a new concern as to why the app is running multiple instances.
How to check if Google software update is installed on your Mac?
You can check if Google Software Update is installed on your Mac device by running a code in Terminal. This method will also help you find the location of the program on your computer. This is how you can do it.
Step 1: Go to Finder and click Folder utilities.
Step 2: Now double click on the icon Terminal.
Step 3: Then type this command line in the Terminal defaults, read com.google.Keystone.Agent.plist and then press Enter .
You will now see a screen that looks like the image below. This shows that the program is installed on your device and the intervals between running it and checking for updates.
The program is not installed on your computer if you don’t see this.
How to change Google software update intervals?
The above method shows how often the program checks for updates and the intervals between them. It usually checks for updates every hour or so, but we can increase the interval so you only check once a day or once a week. This is how you can do it:
Step 1: open Finder and click on the folder Utilities.
Step 2: Locate the Terminal and double click on it to open it.
Step 3: type this command in Terminal: defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 86400 and press return .
Here, 86400 are the seconds of the intervals . If you divide it by 3600, which is the seconds in an hour, you get 24 hours. Then the program will check for updates every 24 hours.
If you want, you can enter any value you want 604800, which is 168 hours or a week.
How to enable or disable Google software update?
If you just want Google Software Update to stop working and send data or check for updates, you can disable it using the interval method. We’ll see:
Step 1: Visited Finder and click on the folder Utilities.
Step 2: double click Terminal to open it.
Step 3: In Terminal, type this command: defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 0 and press Return .
Entering 0 will stop Google from checking for updates and sending data to Google. It will disable the program until you decide to enable it again.
To enable it again, just go to Terminal and type defaults and type com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 86400, which will enable the program and start checking for updates at the specified intervals.
How to uninstall Google software update on Mac?
If you want to completely remove this program from your device, you will again need to use the Terminal command. Please note that the uninstalling google software update can break chrome updates completely. Below are the steps to completely uninstall Google Software Update on Mac.
Step 1: open Terminal on your Mac.
Step 2: First, type the following commands:
sudo touch /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate and press return .
Step 3: will ask you to enter your device password . If it is entered incorrectly, the message “Sorry, please try again” will be displayed, but if you enter the correct password, you can continue to the next step.
Step 4: then type
sudo chmod 444 /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate and press again Return .
Step 5: Now go to Chrome and check for updates. It should display an update failed message with error code 10 or 11. This ensures that the program has been completely removed.
The above method will remove and delete GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app from your Mac.
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How to disable Google software update on startup?
Another way to disable Google Software Update is by using the CleanMyMac X tool. This is a great all-in-one tool for removing potentially harmful software and controlling apps that are causing problems. With this tool, we will disable GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app from running at startup.
Step 1: Download the tool and install it on your Mac.
Step 2: once installed, click optimizations in the left sidebar.
Step 3: then click See all items…
Step 4: now click on launch agents .
Step 4: select Agent GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent.app and click Enabled with them.
This will change it to disabled and google updates won’t run at startup.
Is Google Software Update open source?
Yes, Google Software Update is a special version of Google’s Omaha project. Its open source nature allows anyone to search the code and detect if there is anything suspicious. Being open source, it also allows anyone to use it for free.
Why do I get the “GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app” popup?
If you’ve ever encountered pop-ups for “GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app” or “GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle”, it’s because macOS has detected that the tool can make calls that can be dangerous to your system. Therefore, it triggers warnings, which are displayed as a popup.
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Is Google Software Update malware?
No, GoogleupdateSoftware.app is not a malware or a virus. It is an official Google program used to check and update Google applications and services installed on your Mac to the latest version.
But since the program is based on an open source project, anyone can modify it and use it to create malware.
Can you update Chrome after uninstalling the Google software update?
Once you’ve permanently uninstalled the Google software update from your device, Chrome and other Google services won’t be able to check for the latest updates. You will need to download the full build and install it again to use the latest version (which will also reinstall the update plugin).
So if you want to continue using Chrome without having to deal with the software updater, it’s best to disable it and enable it every time you want to install an update.
Can the Google software update be reinstalled?
If you have uninstalled GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app from your system using the method we showed, it is impossible to install it again. To get it back, you’ll need to uninstall and then reinstall Chrome or download any other Google apps or services on your device.
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Opinion on What is GoogleSoftwareUpdate.App on Mac
This concludes our article on Google Software Update and how to remove it from Mac. There’s no denying how useful the program is, but it should be more transparent and not install automatically. And since it is open source, others can use it as malware to infect other unsuspecting devices.
Google should work on it, so it asks for permissions before downloading and operating in the background. We hope you have enjoyed this guide on What is GoogleSoftwareUpdate.App on Mac? . Stay tuned for more awesome guides and how-to instructions.
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