One of the apps that you may not use more often but couldn’t afford to lose from your Samsung Galaxy S9 is the Google Play or Play Store app. Needless to say, you won’t be able to download any of your desired apps if Google Play or Play Store app is not working on your phone in the first place. Hence it is but a problem that needs some urgent fixing. If you’re here for this reason, then this post might be able to give you some inputs. So read on and get helped.
Before you start trying any possible fixes, verify and ensure that the problem you’re dealing with is not with Google itself. You can head over to Google forums or help center and see if there are reports other people are currently experiencing the same issue. If it appears to be a widespread problem, then more likely it’s a temporary server issue that will fix itself. Should this be the case, all you need is to have a little patience until the Google Play Store server is up and running again. Otherwise, move on and try the following solutions.
Before going further, if you found this post because you were trying to find a solution to your problem, then try to visit our Galaxy S9 troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed most of the commonly reported issues with the phone. We’ve already provided solutions to some of the problems reported by our readers so try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit.
First solution: Force close Google Play app and reboot your phone.
If it’s just a random glitch transpiring on the Google Play or Play Store app, forcing the app to close will likely be able to fix the problem. Here’s how it’s done:
- Press the Recent apps button located on the left of the Home button. Doing so brings up all your recently opened applications.
- Look for the Google Play Services or Play Store app preview the tap on it to close.
You can also close all your other recently opened app to prevent any of them from causing conflict to other apps or phone functions.
- To close all running apps at once, select the option to Close All.
Alternatively, you can use the Application Manager to force close apps that are misbehaving.
- To do so, head over to Apps-> Settings-> Applications-> then select Google Play or Play Store from the list. Then tap the Force Close button to quit the app forcibly.
Try that and see how Google Play or Play Store reacts.
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Second solution: Clear cache and data on Google Play.
Temporary files that are stored as cache on the Google Play or Play Store app can get corrupted or crash randomly. When this happens, there is a tendency that the app misbehaves and becomes unstable. In this case, clearing the app’s cache and data can help. Here’s how it’s done:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps.
- Select Google Play or Play Store.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap Clear cache to clear the app’s cache.
- Tap Clear data to clear data from within the app.
Be advised that this command will delete all your personal data stored within the app, including login details, user profiles, saved files, settings, and the like. This means you will need to login to your Google Play or Play Store account afterwards. Reboot your phone and then see how the Google Play works.
Third solution: Wipe cache partition on your Samsung Galaxy S9.
Clearing the cache partition can help if the problem is attributed to some erratic cache files from within the system partition. This process can yield to a positive outcome as a factory reset without losing personal data stored on the internal memory of your phone. Here’s how to wipe the cache partition on your Samsung Galaxy S9:
- Turn your phone completely off.
- Press and hold the Volume Up, Home (Bixby), and Power button simultaneously for a few seconds.
- When the Android logo appears, release all the buttons and wait for the Recovery menu to show up on the screen.
- From the Android recovery menu screen, navigate to the options by pressing the Volume Down button repeatedly until the Wipe cache partition option is highlighted.
- Press the Power button to confirm selection.
- Press either Volume buttons again to highlight Yes then press the Power button again to confirm.
- The Reboot system now option will become highlighted once the process is complete. Press the Power button to reboot your phone.
If this doesn’t fix the problem, then move on to the next applicable solution.
Fourth solution: Update app or phone software to the latest version.
Installing new updates for apps and Android system is highly recommended to keep your device optimized and stable. Aside from bringing in new features, updates also offer bug fixes to address existing issues transpiring on an app or device itself. If you haven’t already, then go ahead and check for available software updates to install on your phone. Just make sure your device is connected to Wi-Fi and has enough power to complete the entire process. Then follow these steps to check for over-the-air (OTA) updates:
- Swipe up on an empty spot from the Home screen to open the Apps tray.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Software update.
- Select the option to Download updates manually.
- Wait for your phone to check for available updates.
- If an update is available, tap OK, then select Start to instigate update file download and installation.
- When you see the restart prompt on the screen, tap OK to reboot your phone.
Alternatively, you can update your Samsung S9 using Smart Switch on a computer. Wait until your phone boots up completely then see if Google Play or Play Store is already working stable this time.
Fifth solution: Perform a factory reset on your Samsung Galaxy S9.
A factory reset or hard reset can be considered among your last options if the problem with your Google Play or Play Store app persists after doing all prior methods. The problem you’re dealing with could be more than just a minor glitch and therefore requires a tougher solution. Be sure to note though that all your important data and personal information will be deleted in the process so don’t forget to back them up before you start. Once you’re all set, follow these steps to move on to a factory reset:
- Back up your data by going to Apps-> Settings-> Cloud and accounts-> Backup and restore, then select your desired setting. You may opt to Back up my data or go for Automatic restore.
- When the backup is finished, tap the Back icon until you reach the main Settings menu.
- Tap General Management.
- Tap Reset.
- Select Factory data reset option.
- Scroll down and then tap on Reset.
- Then select the option to Delete All.
- Enter your credentials and/or Samsung account information if prompted, then tap Confirm.
Wait for your phone to reset and reboot. After that, it will be restored to its factory defaults. Proceed with the initial device setup to get your phone ready to use again.
Seek Further Assistance
You can ask more inputs from Google Help Center if none of the prior solutions is able to fix the problem and that Google Play is still crashing on your Samsung Galaxy S9. There might be a more intricate software issue affecting Google Play services that needs to be dealt with by Google itself.
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