How to update Google Play Market on Android - 5 ways

18.08.20192677

A user who knows how to recover deleted files on Android has probably logged into his Google Play Market account for a long time and receives game and program updates in a timely manner. But the application store itself also needs updating. By default, the process starts automatically, but sometimes you have to think about how to update the Play Market manually.

Method one - automatically

Mobile devices running the Android operating system consume a lot of Internet traffic, spending it on updating applications and internal modules. This means that our smartphones and tablets always have the latest versions of software installed - at least as long as we have access to the Internet and automatic updates are activated on the devices. Many users disable automatic software updates. This is done for the following reasons:

• Traffic savings are achieved;
• The amount of “garbage” remaining after updates in the system is reduced;
• Battery charge lasts longer.

Many applications can work without any update - these are offline programs, magazines, games and much more. Some programs stop working immediately after discovering their new version. The same outdated Play Market shows incorrect behavior and stops installing applications.

How to update the Play Market on Android and what is needed for this? If the Play Market is installed on the device by the manufacturer, then you do not need to update it. More precisely, it is necessary, but this is done automatically - users must be content with the automatically installed new version. You can see for yourself how the store is periodically updated and slightly changes its appearance.

In order to update Google Play Market on Android, there is no need to perform any actions. As soon as any updates are available, they will be installed automatically. If you suspect that there are still updates, but they are not installed, try restarting your smartphone or tablet - after that, the installed software will ask for updates via the Internet.

If you want to keep the software on your smartphone up to date, regularly install new Android updates and do not uncheck the automatic installation and update of applications in the Play Market settings.

Firmware corruption and hardware failure

The most difficult case. A fatal firmware failure or hardware malfunction of the device can be assumed in the following situations:

• The problem arose after an adverse impact on the device: unsuccessful firmware update, falling, connection to a faulty charger, etc.
• Along with the Play Market, other applications have stopped working or the failure occurs haphazardly: the program sometimes works, sometimes it doesn’t.
• There are other symptoms of a malfunction - freezes, spontaneous reboots, shutdowns, overheating, inadequate load on resources.
• The above tips did not help solve the problem. It remained even after resetting the settings to factory settings (wipe).

There are only two ways out of this situation - reinstall the firmware yourself or entrust diagnostics and repairs to service specialists.

If the Play Market does not work on your phone or tablet, then the reason for this may be a number of errors, ranging from a crash to a conflict with other applications. To prevent Play Market from breaking, you have to look through a large number of settings and try different ways to fix the problem.

Method two - manual update

If you are faced with a situation where the Play Market is not working, this may mean that it wants to update. In order to make sure that a new version is available, you need to go to “Settings” and tap on the “Build version” line. In response to this, the Play Market will request the necessary files from the server and update - after which you will receive a fully functional application store.

After downloading the update, it is recommended to restart your phone for the new settings to fully take effect.

You clicked on the “Build version” line, but the store returned a message to you that there are no updates? In this case, you will have to trust the smart application and look for other reasons for the store not working correctly. If you haven't had an app store since you bought your device, it means you installed it manually - in which case you can't count on automatic updates.

You can update the Play Market on Android for free and in completely manual mode using specialized resources where new versions of the store are posted.

A typical example of specialized resources on mobile topics is the 4pda forum. Here you will find files for new versions of Play Market and detailed instructions for installing them.

Solving possible problems

If, after reinstalling the Google Play Store, the smartphone continues to be unstable, or other problems arise, it is recommended to perform a factory reset:

• Open your phone settings.
• Go to the "Backup and Reset" section.
• Click the "Reset Settings" button.

Resetting the settings removes all data from your phone, including user files. To avoid losing them, it is recommended to create a backup copy in advance in the “Backup and Reset” settings section.

Method three - data cleaning

If there is no automatic update, you can force it to start. Go to the device settings and find the menu with installed applications. Find the Play Market here, tap on it and press two buttons in succession - “Erase data” and “Clear cache”. The next stage is a reboot, after which automatic software updates should start.

In new versions of Android, cleaning is performed in the “Memory” submenu. You can also use the “Uninstall updates” button, after which auto-update will start automatically.

Removing Play Market

The first step of reinstallation is to remove the store. Unfortunately, this is not possible on your phone by default.

The user can only get rid of previously installed updates using the following instructions:

• Open your device settings.

• Go to the "Applications" section.

• Select "Google Play Store".
• Click the Stop button and then Disable.

After this, the store will roll back to the original version. In general, this should be enough to solve the problem. Next, all you have to do is launch the Play Store and download the missing updates. If rolling back the version does not help, it is suggested to completely remove the service using third-party tools:

• Download ES Explorer to your phone.
• Launch a new file manager.
• Call up an additional menu by pressing the button in the form of three stripes.
• Activate the “Root Explorer” and “Show hidden files” items.
• Use File Explorer's built-in search and search for "com.android.vending."
• Delete all files containing “com.android.vending” in their name.

As you may have already noticed, during the operation you need to obtain root rights. After removal, it is recommended to disable the corresponding option in the ES Explorer settings. Otherwise, you will face a lot of restrictions that are typical for rooted devices. So, you will not be able to make transactions, and the phone will be out of warranty.

Method four – via APK file

Problems with updating most often occur on Chinese devices manufactured under unfamiliar brands on undebugged equipment. Undebugged software is also used here. In this case, you will have to install the new version of the Play Market in forced mode. Find it on any of the resources, for example, here. Go to your security settings and allow installation of applications from unknown sources. Run the installation of the downloaded APK file, wait until the installation is completed - the Play Market has been updated to the latest version.

Problems with the user's Google account

The inability to access the Play Market often occurs due to problems with the user account. Perhaps you recently changed the password for the gmail.com mailbox to which your profile is linked, or there was a failure on the Google server and Android stopped recognizing you.

To restore access to your account, connect your tablet or phone to the Internet (via a SIM card or Wi-Fi), go to “Settings” and open the accounts section. The screenshot below shows what the Gmail sync issue looks like.

If you see the same picture, open the menu of this section and tap “Sync now”.

If the error persists, delete your Google account on your phone (the button is located here) and create it again. Or get yourself another gmail.com account and log in under it.

The market does not update on a rooted phone

How it manifests itself : all Google applications and, perhaps, some others do not download updates and do not access the Internet, although the latter definitely works on the device.

Reason: access to store updates is blocked via hosts.

Solution:

• Launch any file manager with root access on your phone, for example, Root Explorer. Go to the folder /system/etc and find the file in it hosts no extension.

• Open this file with any text editor and view the contents. By default, in addition to comments that begin with the # symbol, it contains a single entry: 127.0.0.1 localhost ::1 localhost. Any lines below that mention Google resources and map to IP address 127.0.0.1 should be removed.

Not only malicious programs, but also normal programs can make entries in hosts. For example, ad blockers. Therefore, removing everything from there is not always beneficial. Although it doesn't harm.

If you are sure that it was not a person who blocked access to the Play Market (what if someone decided to make such a joke), be sure to check your device for malware and change the passwords for your accounts in all applications and services that you use on your phone.

The market is not updated, the phone is slow and glitchy

How it manifests itself: Updates are not installed, some system functions do not work, applications crash with errors, advertising windows open on their own, etc. The day before the failure, you installed new programs (especially from third-party sources), visited dubious sites, clicked on links etc. or cleaned the device memory.

Reason: Software conflict (best case), virus infection, relocation or removal of Google Play Services and Google Services Framework.

Solution:

• Uninstall applications installed shortly before the crash.
• Scan your phone memory and SD card with an antivirus.
• Restore Google Services or reinstall them.

What to do if an error occurs?

It happens that after restoring and entering the correct password, the system still does not allow you to access Google Play. The most likely reason for this behavior is that two-factor authentication is active, which is a feature that enhances account security. To log into your profile, in addition to your login and password, you also need to enter a security code, which comes as an SMS message or is voiced by a robot. We can find out that this protection system is activated by the fact that after the input form a line appears for entering a code.

As soon as we install the Play Market into the system, restore access from the profile and set up synchronization, all Google services will begin to work in full force. All applications, games and programs should start working normally.

We hope this instruction helped you? If you have any questions, ask them in the comments.

Enable program settings

There is a good chance that you may still have Google Play on your mobile device. It may simply be “off” and you can’t see it. In order to fix this, you need to do the following:

• Go to Settings on your Android device.
• Then go to “Application Manager” or similar name on your brand of phone.

• They are usually divided into “Loaded”, “Running” and “All”. Click All.
• Scroll down the page, after a while you can find “Google Play Store” in this list. Click to open.

If you see an active Disabled button in this app's configuration, click Enable.

At this point, the steps to restore the Google Play store are completed, the program will become active again, if necessary, you can add a shortcut to the main screen.

If you have forgotten your Google Play password

If you previously provided personal data to Google, then recovery is not difficult:

1. From your PC, go to the main page of the official Google website.
2. Click "Login". When the “Can’t sign in to your account?” form opens.
3. Then enter the email address that was linked to the service and your phone number.
4. You will receive a code via SMS, after entering it you will create a new password.

If personal data is not specified, recovery will take slightly longer:

1. On the Google home page, now click “I can’t use my phone” in the box.
2. To verify your identity, you will answer questions, mainly related to the dates of login and creation of your account.
3. And after that, a letter with instructions from technical support will be sent to the specified mailbox.

No store updates and Google account not working

How it manifests itself: Before Play Market updates stopped installing, you received a notification that your Google account has been disabled or support for your device has ceased. Also, all applications and services associated with the account stopped working on the phone, in particular Gmail.

Reason: Google considered that you violated the rules of its use and blocked you. Or the version of Android installed on your phone is too old.

Solution:

Follow Google's instructions to unlock or connect another account to your smartphone. Also make sure there are no problems with your account in the gadget manufacturer’s community if you use it.

If your phone has Android version 2.3.7 or older, update it according to the instructions from the official website.

There is access to updates, but they are not installed

How it manifests itself: The Market detects but does not download updates, or errors occur during their installation. Other applications are also not installed or updated.

Cause: There is not enough free space in the device memory.

Solution:

Clear your phone storage of unnecessary data and move some applications to the SD card.