Does your Google Play Store not working and keep stopping? Don’t worry; it’s one of the most common problems that every smartphone user experiences at least once in his life. It can be due to different reasons but we assure you there are solutions.
As we know the Google Play Store is a perfect mediator between the user and their apps. Below, we have listed the best solutions to fix several ongoing issues with your Google Play Store [Now referred to as Google Play]. First, you need to pinpoint the problem.
Pinpoint the Problem
Check if the problem is not with Google Play itself by visiting the Down Detector. Go there and type the “Google Play” in the “real-time problem and outage monitoring” search box. If too many users are reporting the same issue, then the problem can be on Google’s side. So, sit back and wait for them to fix the issue.
Suppose this is not the case, then there might be a problem on your end. First, restart your smartphone as it’s one of the simplest solutions for many Android issues. Any app or service that is creating a problem will automatically resolve with the restart.
If the issue is still not resolved, you have to check some simple things outside Google Play.
1. Check Your Internet Connection
Maybe it seems obvious, but sometimes checking the internet connection can solve the issues. Try to switch your connection from Wi-Fi to Cellular Data or vice versa and check if the problem is resolved. You can also switch your phone to airplane mode and back again. Further, you can reset your router to ensure a good internet connection.
2. Check Your Date and Time
Google Play Store periodically checks the Date and Time on your smartphone and acts up if there is any mismatch. Make sure there is no discrepancy between the actual date and time and what is displayed on your smartphone. Google servers experience a tough time syncing with smartphones due to this mismatch. Follow these steps to fix this issue.
Go to the Settings > Additional Settings > Date & Time > and enable the Network provided Time. But if it’s already enabled, and your Google Play Store is still not working. Turn off the network-provided date and time and set it manually. Try to enter the date and time as accurately as possible. If Google Play is still not working, don’t worry; there are plenty of solutions to handle this problem.
Check Your Google Apps
If the Google Play is frozen or glitching, Go to the Settings > Apps > Notifications and select all apps from above, and Force Stop them.
Make sure the latest version of the Google Play Store is installed on your smartphone, especially when the Google Play Store keeps stopping. If the problem is still there, try to clear the Google Play cache and data.
Are you still facing the issue? After clearing the Google Play Services data and cache. If the problem still persists, reset the Google account on your device.
1. Install the latest version of Google Play
Open the Google Play Store > Profile Icon on the left upper corner > Settings > About and scroll down to check the version. Make sure it’s the latest version of the Google Play Store.
2. Clear the Google Play Store Cache and data
Go to the Settings > Apps > Manage Apps > Google Play Store and choose the clear date from the below horizontal menu. A Clear data screen will be pop up. Tap on the clear cache. If the issue is still there, repeat the above procedure and choose the clear data this time.
3. Install the latest version of Google Play Services
Make sure you have the latest version of Google Play Services on your device. Before doing that, you should have the latest version of the Google Play Store.
To do that, go to the Settings > Apps > Manage Apps > Google Play Services and ensure that you have the latest version.
4. Clear the Google Play Services cache and data
Google Play Services are equally important for the good working of the Google Play Store [Now Google play]. These services make your device communicate with the different parts, enable them to sync, send push notifications, and so on. So, you need to clear the Google Play Services cache and data as well.
Go to the Settings > Apps > Manage Apps > Google Play Services and choose the clear data option from the below horizontal menu. A pop-up will appear, firstly tap on clear cache and then on clear data.
5. Reset Your Google Account
This is a slightly more drastic solution, which needs to refresh your Google account. It means that the entire Google account on your phone will be reset.
Be careful as you can remove your entire account by doing this.
Go to Settings > Accounts & Sync > Google and tap on More at the bottom of the screen. A pop-up will appear; now tap on the Remove account.
Go back into your Settings and tap on Account & Sync again. The only thing you should see is the Add Account. If you see any account, make sure to remove it. Tap on Add Account and follow the on-screen steps.
6. Check third-party app
All the above solutions resolve the issue if it’s related to the Google Play Store. But the problem can arise due to the interference of any other app. Follow these steps to resolve this issue.
Step1:- First, check your disabled apps. If you have recently disabled any of your apps, it’s easy to fix. Go to the Settings > Apps > App Manager and scroll down to see any of the disabled apps. If you found any, just enable them.
Step2:- VPN is a good way to get access to your favorite media. You can even install an app from another country by using the VPN. But it can also cause a problem for your Google Play Store depending upon the region you are currently living in. So, make sure to disable the VPN on your android. Go into the Settings > Connection and Sharing > VPN and check if you have enabled a VPN; disable it.
Step3:- Google Play Store can also stop working due to the disabled download manager. To enable it Go into the Settings > Apps > Manage Apps and find the Downloads or Download manager in the list. Tap on it to see if it’s disabled; make sure to mark it enabled. If you only see the Force Stop or Disable buttons, then the Download manager is not disabled.
Drastic Solutions
If you are still facing the same issue, you need to move on to some drastic solutions. These are more technical solutions that need to be done with care. So, make sure you have tried all of the above-listed solutions first.
1. Delete the “hosts.txt” File
If you have already rooted your device, open the root-privileged file explorer of choice and go to the root/system directory. Here you can search for “hosts.txt”, and delete it. Don’t touch any other files in the directory.
2. Uninstall the updates on Google Play
Most of your android apps start working after just uninstalling and reinstalling them. But Google Play Store is a system app, and it’s not working on it. You can only uninstall the updates so that you can get a default version.
To-Do that Goes into the Settings > Apps > Manage Apps and scroll down to the Google Play Store. Tap on it and Uninstall the updates from the below horizontal menu. If it’s still not working, reinstall all the updates and move on to our next solution.
3. Perform factory data reset
If anything above is not working, the last option is to do a factory reset. It’s a drastic measure as all of your data will be lost. Make sure to perform a complete backup before starting this solution.
To do that, Go to the Settings > About phone> Factory
reset and tap on the Erase all Data from the below tab.
These very all the possible solutions to fix the error “Google play store not working”. We hope our solution guide has resolved your issue. If for some reason you are still facing any issues, write your problem In the comments our team of experts will try to resolve your problem. Thank you