The error message “Package File is Invalid” may occur when there’s a problem while you’re downloading or updating an app. It may occur even to high-end smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 because it’s a problem with the Play Store or your network. But don’t worry because it’s not really a serious issue. In fact, we’ve already encountered similar cases in the past that we’ve successfully solved.
In this post, I will share with you the most practical solutions or procedures we used in fixing this problem before. There are times when it happens but then disappear immediately and there are also times when it stays until you do something about it. If you’re one of the users with a phone that’s plagued with this issue, then continue reading as this article may help you somehow.
Before going further, if you found this post because you were trying to find a solution to your problem, then try to visit our 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.
How to troubleshoot Note 9 with “Package file is invalid” error?
This error will occur only if you encounter problems while downloading and/or installing applications from the Play Store. When this happens to you, here’s what you need to do…
Restart your Galaxy Note 9. First of all, you must reboot your phone especially if it’s the first time the problem occurred as it might just a result of minor issue. Better yet, try doing the Forced Reboot procedure by pressing and hold the volume down and power keys at the same time for 10 seconds or more. This will refresh your phone’s memory as well as it’s services and core functions. After that, try downloading or updating the app you were having issues with and if the problem still occurs, then move on to the next solution.
Turn Wifi off and back on. The error might also be due to an interrupted internet connection. When your phone is in the middle of downloading or installing the app and the connection got cut off, this error may also occur. So, the next thing you must do is restart your Wifi or mobile data depending on which one you’re using. Before downloading or updating the app again, make sure your phone has a stable internet connection. If the error still shows up even after this, then the next solution might help.
Clear cache and data of the Play Store. By doing so, you will reset Google Play Store and bring it back to its default settings and configuration. Again, it’s possible that the problem is with the Play Store that’s why it’s necessary to perform this procedure. Don’t worry, none of your apps or files will be deleted if you did this. You just have to go to Settings and then look for Applications. Find and tap Google Play Store and from there you can clear its cache and data. If the problem continues after this, then continue to the next solution.
Download or update the app via web browser. This is a workaround and not a real solution. You may successfully download or update the app but there’s no guarantee that the problem won’t come back the next time you download apps using your phone. Still, if you don’t want to deal with such problem right now, then you must try this.
- On your computer (non-mobile) web browser, navigate to https://play.google.com
- Sign in to the same Google account that you used on the phone/tablet via the Sign In button.
- Search or browse the app and select Install.
- Select the problematic device in the Choose a device dropdown and select Install.
- Check if the app is successfully downloaded/installed on the device.
Uninstall / reinstall the app. If you’re simply trying to update an app and then this problem occurred, then try uninstalling it so all its associations will be removed. After which, download it from the Play Store. File corruption may also be the cause of this problem. However, if you were trying to install an app and the process got stopped during the download, then you have no other choice but to reset your phone.
Backup files and perform the Master Reset. As long as your phone is still running on a stock firmware that hasn’t been modified in any way, then this problem can still be fixed by a master reset. Just be sure to make a backup of your important files and data as they will be deleted during the process. After the backup and once everything is set, follow these steps to perform the Master Reset:
- Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Samsung account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Samsung credentials to finish the master reset.
- 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.
I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix the problem with your device. 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!
RELATED POSTS:
- How to fix “Error retrieving information from server [RPC:S-7:AEC-0]” on Samsung Galaxy Note 9
- How To Fix Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Iris Scanner Stopped Working
- How To Fix Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Screen Flickering After Drop
- How To Fix Galaxy Note 9 “Unfortunately the Process com.android.phone Has Stopped”
- How To Fix Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Not Recognizing micro SD Card
Connect with us
We are always open to your problems, questions and suggestions, so feel free to contact us by filling up this form. This is a free service we offer and we won’t charge you a penny for it. But please note that we receive hundreds of emails every day and it’s impossible for us to respond to every single one of them. But rest assured we read every message we receive. For those whom we’ve helped, please spread the word by sharing our posts to your friends or by simply liking our Facebook and Google+ page or follow us on Twitter.