voilatile-pa.googleapis.com

[celenityy]

Does anyone have any idea what this domain does?

I've noticed Google Play Services on stock Google Android devices make connections to it... but that's about all I know.

I've put lots of analysis, research, and testing into it, and I just can't figure out what its doing/used for. I've had it blocked and haven't noticed any issues, but I'm still unsure if its safe to block or not as part of BadBlock and what its functionality actually is.

I'll cc: @TheBlockList & @nickspaargaren since they have this domain blocked on their lists, I would very much appreciate any info or elaboration on this, it's a very strange case.

[hagezi]

This is what the AI says:

The volatile-pa.googleapis.com service is used by Google to monitor and manage server-side processes that are temporary and volatile (i.e. not permanently stored).

"Volatile" in this context refers to data or processes that are only needed for a short time and are then deleted again. "PA" stands for "Project API" or "Public API", which indicates that this service provides an interface through which projects or services can access temporary data.

This service can be used for various purposes, such as

• Temporary storage of data: Temporary storage of data to improve the performance of applications.
• Session management: Managing user sessions that are only active for a certain period of time.
• Temporary computing: Performing calculations or processes that are only needed for a short time and whose results do not need to be stored permanently.

This service is part of the Google Cloud Platform and is used by developers to efficiently manage temporary data and processes.

[celenityy]

Interesting... Thank you for the info! @hagezi

What's interesting with this domain is that it actually is called voilatile, so I wonder if this was intentional by Google or just a typo by an engineer...

I'm almost tempted to keep blocking this on my lists since no one's reported any issues, will have to ponder this further.

For reference: I've noticed Google Play Services call this domain; I don't think I've seen any other Google apps/services call it, but I may need to further test & analyze.

I may eventually try to pick up a cheaper/low-end Android device to root & MITM for Google domains like these, way too many weird ones with no info on them.