Galaxy S9 YouTube not working because of Google Play Store “no connection” error [troubleshooting guide]

Sometimes, apps may not work properly if a core Google app is having an issue. Today’s troubleshooting guide provides solution options for those experiencing trouble with their YouTube app. In the case below, a user reported that his/her YouTube app stopped working since the device’s Google Play Store started having a “no connection” error. Play Store app usually encounters a problem when its data has been corrupted, or when there’s an account issue. Since the person reporting the trouble has already indicated that he/she has already tried signing in and out of his/her (presumably) Google account, we’ll no longer include this in the list of solutions below. However, keep in mind that this step is an integral part in troubleshooting this problem so be sure to do it if you haven’t tried it yet.

Today’s problem: Galaxy S9 can’t use YouTube because of Google Play Store “no connection” error

Hey good people. My google play store is not working. More specifically the google apps in online are not working.I am connected to wifi and still it shows some “no connection error” when i try to use play store. Now i am unable to use youtube. I cleaned the cache removed the account and again signed in it took many tries to sign in but then the problem again came.I am facing it for 5 days. — Talalhaider98

Solution: Hi Talalhaider98. YouTube is published by Google and it uses some Google apps and services in order to work properly. So, if you’re having an issue using Google Play Store app, it’s possible that YouTube app may be affected as well. To fix the issue, follow our suggestions below.

Solution #1: Restart your S9

You should not do any further troubleshooting without first trying to restart your S9. This is a basic troubleshooting step and is sometimes an effective way to fix things. To restart your S9, we suggest that you do the soft restart or force restart to simulate a battery pull. This type of restart clears your phone’s memory and refreshes the system in general. It’s generally advised for cases when the device has stopped responding but it can very well be applied to your case as well. If you haven’t tried it yet, here are the steps:

Press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons for approximately 10 seconds or until the device power cycles. Note: Allow several seconds for the Maintenance Boot Mode screen to appear.
From the Maintenance Boot Mode screen, select Normal Boot. You can use the volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the lower left button (below the volume buttons) to select. Also, allow up to 90 seconds for the reset to complete.

Solution #2: Clear cache of Google Play Store and YouTube apps

If a force restart won’t fix the issue, the next troubleshooting step to do is to clear the cache of apps having the issues. To clear an app’s cache:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap More settings (three-dot icon) at the upper-right.
Tap Show system apps.
Find the app and tap it.
Tap Storage.
Tap CLEAR CACHE button.
Restart your S9.
Check if the problem still exists.

Make sure that you clear the cache of both Play Store and YouTube.

Solution #3: Clear data of Google Play Store and YouTube apps

Should clearing the cache of said two apps won’t work, you can then go ahead and delete their data in the same order. Here’s how:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap More settings (three-dot icon) at the upper-right.
Tap Show system apps.
Find the app and tap it.
Tap Storage.
Tap CLEAR DATA button.
Restart your S9.
Check if the problem still exists.

After you delete their data, each of these apps will ask you again to sign back in to your Google account.

Solution #4: Uninstall app updates

Sometimes, app updates can have mix results. On the one hand, known bugs will be fixed while on the other, some may result to newer bugs the developer may not have anticipated. Try to uninstall the apps for each app if nothing comes out positive at this point in time. Here’s what you need to do:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap More settings (three-dot icon) at the upper-right.
Tap Show system apps.
Find the app and tap it.
Tap More settings (three-dot icon) at the upper-right.
Select Uninstall updates.
Restart your S9 and check for the problem.

Solution #5: Wipe cache partition

In some cases when YouTube or Play Store is problematic, wiping the cache partition sometimes helps. That’s because Android uses system cache stored in the cache partition to load apps and when there’s a snag, errors may occur. To see if you have a system cache issue, follow these steps:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.
Check for the problem.

Solution #6: Reset app preferences

Android apps don’t work on their own. Oftentimes, they need system apps, services, and even other third party apps to work properly. This applies to Google Play Store and YouTube apps as well. If there’s a missing or disabled core system files for both of these apps, this can be the reason why the problem occurs. To check, you want to bring all app preferences or settings to their defaults. Here’s how:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
Tap Reset app preferences.
Restart your device and check for the bug.

Solution #7: Check for rogue apps

Some bugs may not work properly when installed. This is often true after you install a new operating system the app is not optimized to work with. At times, newer devices may encounter trouble when using apps that’s designed to work with older models. Stil, at other times, some apps are intentionally designed not to provide a service but instead to do malicious tasks. As such, they run the risk of causing problems when they are detected by an antivirus system, or if they can’t do their nefarious tasks. To see if one of your installed apps is actually causing Play Store “no connection” error, you can run the phone on safe mode. Then, you want to observe how your phone works when only the native apps run. If there’s no Play Store “no connection” error on safe mode, you can bet the problem is caused by one of your third party apps.

To boot your device to safe mode:

With your S9 off, press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

To know which app is causing a problem, follow these steps:

Boot to safe mode.
Check for the problem.
Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
If your S9 still refuses to power back on, repeat steps 1-4.

Solution #8: Clear cache and data of Google Services Framework

Sometimes, Google Play Store and other Google apps like YouTube may behave erratically when Google Services Framework, a core Google app, is not working properly. To ensure that this app is good, you can clear its cache and data.

Solution #9: Factory reset

Ideally, the Google Play Store “no connection” error should have already been fixed by now but if nothing works at all, try to return your S9’s software settings back to their defaults. Factory reset will erase user data so make sure to back your files up beforehand.

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.