Is your Sony Android TV not installing apps ? Several factors can cause this issue such as a poor internet connection, insufficient storage space on your Android TV, or downloader storage permission issue, to name a few. To fix this issue you will will need to perform several troubleshooting steps.
Sony is one of the largest companies in the world that makes a wide variety of products such as smartphones, gaming consoles, and Smart TVs just to name a few. The company’s Sony Smart TV lineup is considered as one of the best in the world as it uses some of the best technologies to deliver an outstanding visual experience.
Why are apps not downloading on my Sony Smart TV?
One of the issues that you might encounter with your Sony Android TV is when it does not install apps. Trying to download and then install the apps from Google Play does not work at all.
Here’s how to fix the Sony Google TV not installing apps issue.
Solution 1: Power reset your TV
One of the common causes of a Sony Android TV not downloading or installing apps is a software glitch. A power reset or power cycle will usually fix issues caused by minor software glitches or bugs as it will remove any temporary corrupted data that could be causing the problem.
- Turn off the TV using the supplied remote control.
- Unplug the TV power cord from the power outlet and wait about 60 seconds.
- Reconnect the TV AC power cord to the electrical outlet then and make sure to turn on the Sony Android TV.
You can also perform a soft reset using the remote control.
- Point the remote control to the illumination LED or status LED and press and hold the POWER button of the remote control for about 5 seconds.
- Select Restart to restart.
- The TV should restart automatically. Wait for approximately one minute, and the TV will turn back on. If it does not reboot, press the POWER button on the remote control to turn on the TV.
Try checking if your Sony Smart TV can download and install apps.
Solution 2: Make sure to use a valid Google email account
If you register a non-Google email on your Sony Android TV there’s a possibility that Google may not recognize it as a valid Google Play account.
To fix this you should delete the registered account then register a Google email account.
Deleting registered account
Open the Settings menu.
Under the Personal category, select Google.
Select Remove account.
Select OK.
Register your Google email
Open the Settings menu.
Under the Personal or Accounts category, select Add account.
On the Choose account type screen, select Google.
Enter your Google email and password to sign in.
Try checking if the issue still occurs.
Solution 3: Check the available storage space on your Sony Google TV
You won’t be able to download or install apps on your Sony TV if it has run out of storage space. The available storage space has to be larger than the size of the app. You will usually get server error message when your TV has low storage and the Google Play becomes inaccessible.
To check the available storage space open the settings menu then follow these steps according to your TV menu options.
- Select System → Storage → Internal shared storage → Available.
- Select Device Preferences → Storage → Internal shared storage → Available.
- Select Storage & reset → Internal shared storage → Available.
- Select Storage & reset → Storage → Available.
If your TV has low storage space available then you should uninstall unnecessary applications.
- Open the Settings menu.
- Select Apps → See all apps, then check the Installed apps category.
- Select an app to uninstall.
- Select Uninstall.
- Select OK.
Repeat this until your TV has sufficient space available.
Solution 4: Clear data and cache on the Google Play services
If the Google Play Services has corrupted cached data then this might be what’s causing the problem. To fix this you just need to clear cache and clear data of the app.
- On the supplied remote control, press the HOME button.
- Select the Settings icon.
- Select Apps → See all apps → Show system apps.
- Select Apps.
- Under System apps, select Google Play Services.
- Select Clear cache, then select OK.
- Select Clear data, then select OK.
- If displayed, select CLEAR ALL DATA, and then select OK.
Try checking if this fixes the app issue.
Solution 5: Make sure the parental controls settings is set to show all
If the TV has strict parental controls settings then this might be what’s causing the issue.
- Press the HOME button.
- Scroll down to the Apps category and select Google Play store.
- On the Google Play Store, select Settings.
- Under Parental controls, select Allow all, including unrated.
Solution 6: Make sure your Sony Smart TV is running on the latest software version
You should make sure that your TV has the last software version installed as this will usually have several improvements as well as bug fixes that could fix any app issues you are experiencing.
Sony Google TV models
- On the supplied remote, press the Quick Settings button.
- Select the Settings icon.
- Select System → About → System software update.
- On the supplied remote, press the Quick Settings button.
- Select the Settings icon.
- Select System → About → System software update. If the Automatically check for update settings is turned off, check manually if there’s an update. To check manually, select System software update with the procedure above, and then select Software update.
Sony Android TV models
- On the supplied remote control, press the Help button (if available), otherwise press the Home button and then select Help.
- Select Status & Diagnostics, then select System software update.
- Check if the Automatically check for update or Automatic software download setting is set to ON. If this option is set to OFF, select Check for a system software update or Software update to manually check for an update.
Once the Sony TV is running on the latest version try checking if the issue still occurs.
Solution 7: Factory reset the Sony Smart TV
The factory reset will erase all user settings and resets the TV back to factory settings.
- On the supplied remote control, press the (Quick Settings) or HOME button depending on your TV.
- Select Settings.
Perform any of these three steps depending on your Smart TV model.
- Select System → About → Reset → Factory data reset → Erase everything → Yes.
- Select Device Preferences → Reset → Factory data reset → Erase everything → Yes.
- Select Storage & reset → Factory data reset → Erase everything → Yes.
Try checking if this fixes the problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
<strong>Why does all the apps keep buffering?</strong>
This is most likely caused by a slow internet connection. Try restarting the router and your TV then check if the issue still occurs. You should also check other streaming services on your TV if they also buffer. If the issue is the same then this is most likely caused by a slow internet.
<strong>Why am I getting an internet connection error on my Sony Google TV?</strong>
This could be due to an issue with your WiFi connection. Try to do a speed test. If the results are good then you should proceed with restarting the TV as this might just be caused by a temporary glitch.
<strong>Can I reset my TV to factory settings without using the remote control?</strong>
You can do a forced factory reset which allows you to reset the TV without using the remote.
<strong>Why is my Sony TV Wi-Fi network status showing disconnected?</strong>
It’s possible that this is caused by an issue with the router not having an internet connection thus the wireless network is not working. It could also be due to a setting problem of your TV. Try to delete the Wi-Fi network from your TV then connect to it again.
<strong>How do I install apps on Sony TV?</strong>
You can use the Google Play Store app to find apps you want to install on your TV.