Dear GrapheneOS-Users,
I recently got a new notification from the “GmsCompat” app with “Action required in Play Store”. When I select the message, the Play Store wants me to give it access to allow to installation from unknown locations.
I think this is new from the last GmsCompatConfig update, I think from this commit but I’m not sure: (https://github.com/GrapheneOS/platform_packages_apps_GmsCompat/commit/ba36b76f530e18a2e944a0da4b801a49f2ff4dfe).

But what exactly is the intend for this? Is it now necessary for the Play Store to install software / app updates? I thought all play services are maintained and tested from GOS / comptlayer and updates pushes via “Apps”?

Hope someone can clarify this situation for me, thank you very much and have a great new year!

Just saw a better clarification from the release notes (https://grapheneos.org/releases#2022121100).

Sandboxed Google Play compatibility layer: new infrastructure for controlling Play Store updates of Play Store and Play services with a max version of Play services and the Play Store set via GmsCompatCompat and an override toggle for allowing it to update to any version

That means, Play Store updates are no longer pushed via "Apps"/GOS but via Play Store? And to prevent Play services run wild, the CompatConfig is managing the allowed versions which can be installed, right?

Play Store is available in "Apps" as it was before. That's where you're expected to get it from.

The changelog you quoted means that the Play Store can now do "updates" (which in reality is downloading language packs and other things) for Play Services without bumping up the actual version of Play Services.

This was intended behavior before, but the change you quoted makes this more robust, as there were previously issues with those updates from Play Store actually bumping up the version of Play Services independently from "Apps", which is not desired.