How to fix Google Play Store error 971 on Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Some owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 have been complaining about the Google Play Store error 971. It usually pops up if you’re installing an app. The actual error message goes like this, “App can’t be installed. Try again, and if the problem continues, get help troubleshooting. (Error code:-971)”. Basically, what happens is that you’ll still be able to initially download an app but when it reaches the installation stage, the process is halted. As a result, you will have to re-download the app only to be greeted by the same error over and over.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Samsung Galaxy Note 9 that keeps showing the Google Play Store error 971 when you’re downloading an app. We will consider every possibility and rule them out one by one until we can determine what the problem really is and hopefully fix it. So, if you’re one of the owners of this device and are currently being bugged by the same error, continue reading as this article may be able to help you.

Before anything else, if you have other issues with your device, try to browse through our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed several issues with this device. Odds are that we’ve already published a post that tackles similar problems. Try finding issues that have similar symptoms with what you currently have and feel free to use the solutions we’ve suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you still need our help, then fill up our questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

Troubleshooting Samsung Galaxy Note 9 with Play Store error 971

Based on experience, this problem is actually not that hard to fix. In fact, you may be able to get rid of the error 971 after doing a couple of procedures. So, try to go through the procedures below and see what works for you…

First Solution: Do the Forced Restart

Before doing any troubleshooting procedure, it’s best to begin with a forced restart. It is a simulated battery removal that will refresh your phone’s memory as well as reload all its apps and services. If the error started due to a minor firmware issue or even a glitch, then this procedure will fix it. Here’s how it’s done:

Press and hold the Volume Down button and don’t release it yet.
While holding down the volume button, press and hold the Power key as well.
Keep both keys held down together for 15 seconds or until the Galaxy Note 9 logo shows on the screen.

Once the phone has rebooted successfully, launch the Play Store and try downloading an app to see if the error 971 still pops up. If it still does, then move on to the next procedure.

ALSO READ: How to unfreeze a frozen Samsung Galaxy Note 9?

Second Solution: Be sure to have enough available space on your Note 9

Your phone’s storage plays a big role when it comes on troubleshooting Play Store error code 971. It is imperative that before installing an app you need to check first if there’s available space in the internal storage, because if there’s not enough space, then, that would be the reason that your phone failed to successfully install an app. So, this time, we suggest you transfer some things to your SD card or computer to free up some space on your phone.

When the device is ready, open your Play Store and download any app and see if it can install an app without any issue. But if the error 971 still occurs after doing this procedure, then try the next solution.

Third Solution: Reset Play Store

Another effective way to resolve such issue is by clearing Play Store’s cache and data. In other words, we will bring the app back to its default settings so that newer files and data will be created. Don’t you worry, this method is safe and the important files saved in the internal storage won’t be wiped out. Here’s how:

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Settings > Apps.
Tap the 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display preinstalled apps.
Find and tap Google Play Store.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

After doing the Play Store reset, open the app and try to download any app just to test if the problem is fixed. If the error 971 still shows up, then move on to the next procedure.

ALSO READ: What to do if your new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has a black screen of death?

Fourth Solution: Reset Network Settings

When it comes on downloading and installing of an app it is imperative that you have a stable internet connection. Having an interruption during the installation may affect the normal operation of the phone and may lead to this kind of problem. So, to rule out such possibility, all you need to do is to reset the network settings to refresh the connection between your phone and the network to make the connection more stable. Here’s how you do it:

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Settings > General Management > Reset > Reset network settings.
Tap RESET SETTINGS.
If you have set up a PIN, enter it.
Tap RESET SETTINGS. Once complete, a confirmation window will appear.

After doing this procedure and the error 971 still shows up when you install an app, then move on to the next solution.

Fifth Solution: Perform a Reset

If all else failed to fix the problem and the Play Store error 971 still shows up on your Note 9 when you install an app, then it’s time for the ultimate solution–factory reset. While we know that it’s a very effective solution for this problem, we don’t really recommend it without first exhausting all possible solutions. At this point though, it’s necessary to perform the reset. So, make sure to create a backup of your important files and data you don’t want to lose as you may not be able to retrieve them after this. Also, remove both your Google and Samsung accounts so that you won’t be locked out of your device after the reset. Once everything is in order, follow these steps to reset your phone.

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the Galaxy Note 9 logo shows, release all three keys.
Your Galaxy Note 9 will continue to boot up into the Recovery Mode. Once you see a black screen with blue and yellow texts, proceed to the next step.
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’ 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.

I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix your Samsung Galaxy Note 9 that keeps showing the Google Play Store error 971 when you install an app. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!

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