Google Play store cannot update apps – How To Fix

This guide shows you various ways to fix the problem of not being able to update apps via the Google Play Store. One app that hardly requires any introduction is the offering from the Silicon Valley giant which streamlines the process of downloading and purchasing your favourite apps and games. You might still run into problems sometimes, though.

People have complained about not being able to update their apps through Play Store. It is common for the Store to crash whenever they attempt to do so. Therefore, the only option left is to sideload APKs from third-party sites, which is neither easy nor risk-free. Therefore, in order to overcome all these roadblocks, this guide will inform you of numerous workarounds that can be applied in order to resolve this problem as soon as possible. Here are the steps.

Fix Cannot Update Apps via Google Play Store

In order to determine which workaround is most successful, it is recommended that you try each of the below-mentioned options. In light of that, let’s begin.

1: Force Stop Play Store

The first thing you should do is force stop Play Store and then restart it. Performing this action will refresh its underlying settings, which may be able to resolve the issue we are currently experiencing. Here are the steps you need to follow to try this tweak:

• Click on Settings > Apps > All Apps > Google Play Store.
• Once you have selected Force Stop, tap on OK to confirm your action.
• Check whether you can update apps through the Google Play Store.

2: Boot to Safe Mode

There may be instances where a third-party app or service interferes with the proper operation of the system apps. It is recommended that you begin by booting your device into Safe Mode in order to verify the same. It is recommended that you disable all third-party apps and if this resolves the issue, then the culprit is definitely a third-party application that needs to be removed as soon as possible. The following are some suggestions for how to proceed:

• The Power menu can be accessed by long pressing the power button. Press and hold the Reboot option for a few seconds.
• The Safe Mode prompt will appear, tap OK to proceed. Safe Mode will now be activated on your device.

• Check whether you can update apps via the Play Store. Reboot your device back to normal mode if you are.

• After that, uninstall each third-party app one by one until the issue ceases to occur.

3: Update Android System Webview

It is more often than not the Android System Webview plays a major role in the creation of an app. As soon as a new version of Webivew is released, Google usually releases a patch as well. Take a look at a third-party site of your choice and if there is a pending update to the Play Store, make sure to download and install it right away. After you’ve completed this step, check to see if you can update apps through the Google Play Store.

 4: Remove Network Restrictions from Play Store

Additionally, Play Store should be configured so that it can function in a non-restrictive network environment by removing all network restrictions. I will explain how to do it in the following order. Make sure that you have an unlimited data plan, just to be safe]

• Go to Settings > Apps > All Apps > Google Play Store.
• Next, enable Background Data under Mobile Data and WiFi.

• You can also enable Unrestricted data usage by toggling the toggle.

• Make sure you can update apps on the Google Play Store.

5: Delete Play Store Data

You may also experience this issue if your Play Store data becomes corrupted. As a result, you should delete the existing data and let the app recreate the same instance from scratch. As an example, here’s how it could be done:

• Go to Settings > Apps > All Apps > Google Play Store

• Tap on Clear Storage > Delete under Storage and Cache.

• Make sure you can update apps via Google Play.

 7: Downgrade Play Store

Sometimes, Google updates the Play Store with buggy features. It may take days or even weeks for the patch to be rolled out in some cases. By downgrading Google Play Store to its earlier stable build, you could take matters into your own hands [well, to some extent] rather than being completely dependent on Google. How it might be done is as follows:

• Go to Settings > Apps > All Apps > Google Play Store.

• Tap on the overflow icon and select Uninstall Updates.

• In the confirmation prompt, tap Uninstall Updates again.

• Make sure you can update apps on the Google Play Store.

8: Downgrade Google Play Service

We recommend you downgrade the Google Play Service to its older working version, using the instructions below:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > All Apps > Google Play Service.

2. Tap on the overflow icon and select Uninstall Updates.

3. The confirmation prompt will again ask you to uninstall updates.

4. Make sure you can update apps via Google Play.

10: Reset Device

You should factory reset your device to its default state if none of the methods listed above proved successful. Taking a backup beforehand is highly recommended since this will wipe off all your data. After that, you can proceed with the steps below.

• You can reset your system by going to Settings > System > Reset Options.

• You can then choose Erase all data [Factory Reset] > Erase all data.

• Check out the results after setting up your device.

It’s that simple. These methods should help you fix the issue of not being able to update apps via the Google Play Store. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding the aforementioned steps. We will get back to you with a solution as soon as possible.