Top 7 Ways to Fix Google Play Store Not Opening on Android

Google Play Store is the first app Android users open after switching to a new phone. Users also frequently interact with the Play Store to download and update apps and games. Unfortunately, even after years of improvements and redesigns, the Play Store remains a constant mess. We’ve seen the Play Store show errors when checking for updates, fail to download apps and sometimes won’t open on Android.

If the Google Play Store isn’t opening for you on Android, you can always sideload APK files from the web. However, this is time consuming and can leave you vulnerable to security risks. Instead, you can follow the steps below and fix the problem at home.

1. Reboot Phone

This is a simple trick but well worth trying before jumping into the advanced troubleshooting options.

On most Android phones, the Restart option is hidden under the power button. Long press the power button and tap Restart to reboot the phone.

2. Force Stop Google Play Store

This method is notable as it will completely stop the Play Store and related services from running in the background. From there you can return to the home screen and try to open the Play Store again.

Stage 1: Find Google Play Store in your home and long tap on it.

Step 2: Tap the info button and go to the Play Store info menu.

Stage 3: Select Force Stop and the operating system will completely stop the Play Store.

Try to open Google Play Store again.

3. Clear Play Store Cache

Over time, Google Play Store collects cache in the background to make certain tasks in the app faster. By collecting cache, Play Store loads your frequently visited pages faster for you. It also remembers your search history from the top search bar.

An overload of cache data can affect Play Store functions on the phone. You need Play Store cache data from Settings. Here’s how.

Stage 1: Tap and hold the Google Play Store icon and select the info button.

Step 2: Go to the storage and cache menu.

Stage 3: You can see the collected cache data from the menu below. Select clear cache.

You can now open the Google Play Store once again.

4. Clear Google Play Store Storage

Be careful when using this option. Permanently deletes the entire app’s data. This includes all files, settings, accounts, databases, etc. are included. That is, you will need to set up accounts and payment methods again in the app.

Stage 1: Open the Settings menu on your phone.

Step 2: Go to Apps & notifications > See all apps and select Google Play Store from the menu below.

Stage 3: Select Storage & cache and tap Clear storage from the menu.

It will give you a warning, tap OK and you’re ready to go.

5. Disable Google Play Store

This trick has worked for many to fix Play Store related issues on Android phones.

Stage 1: Open the Google Play Store info menu.

Step 2: Tap Disable and turn off Play Store on your Android phone.

Stage 3: Activate it again.

Try accessing the Play Store again on your Android phone. It should open normally. If not, move on to the next method.

6. Remove Apps from Background

This method is most relevant to phones with a low amount of RAM. If you have a lot of apps and games open in the background, you should close them to make room for the Google Play Store.

The Android operating system is smart enough to suspend RAM usage in the background, but some apps and games may consume more memory than normal usage, leaving almost nothing for other apps like Google Play Store to open smoothly on the phone.

7. Uninstall App Updates

Google often releases Play Store app updates on Android. A new redesign or bug in the latest update might have messed things up on your phone. You can uninstall app updates for Play Store and revert to stable version on phone.

Stage 1: Long press the Google Play Store icon and open the info menu.

Step 2: From the Play Store info menu, tap on the three dots option at the top and select Uninstall updates.

Confirm your decision and Play Store will revert to the previous working build on the phone.

Access Play Store on Android

While there are many third-party stores available for Android, the Google Play Store remains a crowd favorite with millions of apps and games and an overall seamless experience. So, before doing any serious measurements like factory reset, use the methods mentioned above and fix the problem without breaking a sweat.