Is Your Phone’s Google Play Store Not Working? How To Fix It?

Google Play Store is the default app store on Android and sometimes it can stop working and raise errors. This could be caused due to either app update, excessive cache, incorrect date, and many more such causes. Here you can learn about the fixes that one can try to resolve Google Play Store not working issue.

You’ll want to make sure the problem is on your end and not a wider problem with Google. Check the Play Store status on a service. If a lot of users are reporting a similar problem, then chances are it’s on Google’s side, and you’ll need to wait for them to fix it.

If you suspect the problem is on the user end, you’ll first want to restart your phone. It seems obvious, but this can be a quick solution to many issues. If your problem repeats, then it’s time to get to work.

Check Your Simcard, WiFi, and Network Connection

It may seem too simple or easy, but checking your Internet connection could solve the problems you’re having. Try switching from Wi-Fi to mobile data, or vice versa, and see if the problem persists. You should also try switching your phone to “airplane mode” and back again. Finally, you can reset your router to make absolutely sure you have a good connection.

Check your Google apps

If the Play Store is frozen or glitching, force close it by swiping it away or going to Settings > Apps & notifications > See all apps select the Google Play Store, and hit Force stop.

Then, you’ll want to make sure that Google Play itself is up to date and clean. This involves making sure you have the latest version of Google Play installed, especially when the Google Play Store keeps stopping. If you still have problems, you’ll want to do some housekeeping. This means clearing the Google Play Store cache and, if this doesn’t solve things, going further and clearing out your Play Store data.

Not sure how much this one works, but I have heard plenty of people say that switching Airplane Mode on, and then off, will help the Google Play Store get back on track. Hey, it’s not a complicated process and it’s safe. Why not try, right?

Toggle Wi-Fi off and on

Just like with Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi could be the issue. Not to mention, your network may very well be having simple connection issues! Toggle Wi-Fi on and off, and play around with the Google Play Store for a few. It just might help.

Restart your router

Please check your Wi-Fi issue or two by simply restarting my router. It may not always make sense, but give it a try and you just might affect the Wi-Fi magic enough to get things working again.

Clear the Google Play Store cache

In some cases, you can get the Play Store going again by just clearing the cache. The cache is a storage area that temporarily holds data so it can be quickly retrieved without needing to be reloaded. This could solve your problem, and emptying it is easy.

Check Your Disable Apps

Check Your Date And Time Settings

Google periodically checks your smartphone’s date and time for the Play Store. In case there is a discrepancy between the actual time and what is displayed on your phone, Google’s servers could have a tough time syncing with your device and cause Google Play Store to act up.

To fix this issue, you need to go into the Settings on your Android device. Under System, you should see Date and Time. Tap on this, and you will see whether your phone is on the Automatic date and time provided by your network. If it isn’t already then, you should toggle it on.

Remove Proxy or VPN Settings

Plenty of VPN/proxy users say they have encountered issues all over the board. Have you tried deactivating these (if you are using them)? Proxy settings are under WiFi, and you can access it by long-pressing on your router name and click “Advanced.” Meanwhile, VPN settings are under “More” in the Wireless & Networks section.

Generally, when you have a problem with an app, you can just uninstall it and then reinstall it. Well, that works for some apps, but the Google Play Store is a system app on your Android device. What you can do instead is uninstall previous updates to the app, and this might help your problem. Here’s how you can do it.

• Open Settings, tap on Apps.
• Tap on See all apps and scroll down to Google Play Store.
• Tap to open it and then tap on the three dots on the top right corner to reveal Uninstall updates.
• Tap Uninstall updates and check if the issue is resolved.

Perform a factory data reset on your smartphone

If you’re still facing problems after having tried all of the above, then you may have little choice but to do a factory reset. This is a drastic measure, and there are consequences. All of your data will be lost. So you should perform a complete backup beforehand. Your data will be restored when you log back into your Google account.

Here’s how you can factory reset a phone running stock Android.

• Open Settings.
• Scroll down and tap on System.
• Tap on Reset options and then tap on Erase all data (factory reset).