Getting and fix download pending error in google play store is not something huge, and you are not the only one facing it that you can’t handle on your own. You need to know a few shortcuts, that is all and next time not only yours, but maybe you can fix your friend’s phone as well.
The Google Play Store is the default and the most trusted source for downloading apps for your Android smartphone. But what happens when you cannot download apps because of fix download pending error in google play store?
When you initiate a download on the Play Store, you see this error with an option to cancel the download under my apps and games. There can be many reasons behind this. Let’s take a look at all of them one by one below.
Quick Ways to fix Download Pending Error in Google Play Store:
When downloading an app on Google Play, some of you may have come across a download pending message. It’s usually not a thing of concern as it’s normal when you’re queueing downloads. But it can turn out to be quite a problem, mainly if your download stays pending.
Fix download pending error in Google Play store in: 21 minutes
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Enable background data usage.
Go to “Settings -> Data usage -> Data Saver -> Unrestricted data”. Then scroll down until you reach Google Play Store, and tap the slider next to it so that it’s blue and switched on. That should be enough to get background up, run again, and get rid of that frustrating Download Pending error message.
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Turn off your Bluetooth.
Simply turning off Bluetooth can affect getting apps to download or update properly.
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Install any pending system updates.
Software updates are fantastic, but there are bugs in just about every update. So you’ll want to make sure your phone is running the latest version of the software possible.
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Disable battery optimization for the Play Store.
Battery Optimization uses services “to sleep” when not in use, including the Play Store. If you think Battery Optimization is the culprit, then you’ll want to make sure the Play Store is not on this list.
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Check the Play Store version.
Most of the time, the primary cause of this problem is the outdated Google Play Store version. In many cases, users also reported that they could fix the problem by going to the previous versions of the Play Store. Try to update your Play Store app version. If it’s updated and you are still facing the download pending problem, try to find a previous version of the Play Store from Android app mirror websites and get apk for installation.
Editor’s note: Some of the steps in this guide were put together using a Pixel 4a with 5G running Android 12. Keep in mind steps might be different depending on your device and the Android version you’re running.
1. Restart your Phone
Start with the essential thing – Restart the phone to fix download pending error in google play store. It often solves your problems by shutting unnecessary applications running in the background. So if you encounter the download issue without touching other settings that you know nothing about, restart your phone or tablet and try again after some time.
2. Cancel all Downloads
The Play Store automatically downloads and installs the latest apps on your device. However, the app you are trying to download may be in a queue, and hence you see the download pending error. To counter that, open the Play Store and tap on the menu icon and select My apps and games.
To cancel downloading an app, tap on the ‘x’ button or tap the Stop button to cancel all downloads at once. You can then download the app you want first before resuming with the update to fix the download pending error in google play store.
3. Check Available Storage
Your phone might not have room for your new app if it has a lot of pictures, videos, and games on it. The apps already on your phone will take up a lot of space. Delete a few files and see if that works to fix download pending error in the google play store. If you don’t want to delete it, shift the data to Google Drive or Cloud.
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4. Check Your WI-FI or Mobile Data
It may happen even in this day and age. Your Wi-Fi is not working as intended or is slow due to some error. See if toggling the Wi-Fi button helps you download the app using your mobile data plan.
It may also happen that your mobile data plan is not working or is too slow to download apps.
Fix Download Pending Error in Google Play Store
In that case, connect to a different Wi-Fi network or ask your friend to start his mobile hotspot. I suggest you toggle the data plan off and back once to see if it fixes the error.
5. App Download Preferences
Are you someone who, without even realizing it, you click on “yes” until the notification disappears? Well, If yes, then accidentally, you might have changed the download preference from wifi to data. It could lead to download errors as heavy apps like PUBG require wifi for download.
To fix the problem:
- Go to Play Store
- Select the three-bar icon at the top.
- Tap on Settings in the play store.
Select App download preference. Tap Over any network, and you are good to go.
6. Disable Your VPN
People who are concerned about their privacy may be using a VPN. Some people also use a VPN that unlocks access to region-restricted sites. We mainly use it to increase our Internet speed marginally and block ads.
A recent update might have broken something. In that case, it is a good idea to try and disable your VPN connection. See if that fixes download pending error in Google Play Store.
7. Disable Auto Updates
This suggestion will help you with your download and help in auto-updating the app that you never use. After new updates, the size of the app increases. To prevent that, you must disable the auto-updates.
To disable Auto-Update:
- Go to Play Store
- Try downloading or updating an app.
- Select the three-dot icon at the top-right corner and uncheck the box next to Enable auto-update.
- Disabling the auto-updating option would fix the Play Store, waiting to download error.
8. Force Stop and Clear all Data
Play Store might be misbehaving due to some leftover data or cache memory. Clear old data and cache, go to Settings, open Apps, and find the Google Play store.
Once inside, we recommend you first Force stop the app and then tap on Clear data to Clear all data, and it will delete data and cache.
It might ask you to log in to your Google account again when you open Play Store. Do it and see if it helps.
Repeat the same process, but this time for Google Play Services, which you will only find under Apps.
9. Check Parental Control Settings
If you have got kids around, you might have accidentally turned the parental Control Setting, and they would be coming in your way downloading apps.
To fix that:
- Tap on Play Store Settings.
- Select Parental Controls.
- Either keep it off or customize it differently.
10. Reset all App Preferences
It can wreak havoc on your phone, so we recommend you only do it if other methods are not working. There is an option to reset app preferences, Hidden deep inside app settings.
It will reset app preferences and settings of all apps, default or third-party installed, so you will have to set it all up all over again.
To do it, go to Settings, tap on Apps and then open the menu.
When you select the Reset app preference option above, you will get a popup menu telling what will happen. Tap on Reset apps to initiate the change to fix download pending error in google play store.
11. Check Date and Time
Most smartphones will automatically set the correct date and time using your carrier and geo-location. No sweat. But sometimes, it may not be the case—conflicting time.
To change date and time, go to Settings, tap on Additional Settings, and select Date & time.
Now toggle Automatic date & time off and set them both manually. Also, check that the time zone is correct while at it.
Some users have reported that they could resolve Play Store’s download pending error by purposely changing their date and time to something else before turning it back to the original. If you think the timing is correct, maybe you should change it briefly to something else.
12. Granting Necessary Permissions
It might be the case that when you were downloading the file, you accidentally taped on no permission, which might be causing the issue as the app doesn’t have the authorization to be installed on your phone.
To fix that problem:
- Go to the phone, and click on ‘Setting’ on your phone.
- Tap on Apps & notifications.
- Under All apps, tap on Google Play Store, followed by App Permissions.
Then, allow Storage permission to fix download pending error in google play store.
13. Remove SD Card to fix Download Pending Error in Google Play Store
Not all smartphones support external SD cards, especially premium smartphones, but if yours does, and you are using an SD card, you should remove it. SD cards can get corrupted, hit with viruses or malware, or need formatting.
If any of the above is true, it could be possible that the SD card is not allowing the Play Store to download apps. As most of you already know, you can install apps and save data on SD cards too.
14. Use Different Gmail Account
If everything fails, it may be possible that something is wrong with your Google account. Maybe a setting or permission is coming in the way. To ensure that this is not the reason, log out of your primary Google account and try downloading it using a different Google account. If the download works, you will check your Google account settings and permissions.
Go to Settings and tap on Sync or Accounts based on the smartphone and OS version you are using. Tap on Google here.
When you tap on More at the bottom of the screen, you will see Remove's option. You can then add a new Google account and check how things go.
15. Enable Download Manager
Play Store uses the Download Manager app to manage all downloads and updates on Android smartphones. Check if the Download Manager app has been disabled and if yes, you need to enable it to fix the download pending error in the google play store.
Go to Settings and tap on Apps. You are looking for System Apps here. Under system apps, you will find the Download Manager.
Please enable it to help Play Store do its job correctly.
16. Update your Android System WebView
You should also check if an update is available for the pre-installed app System WebView. For that, open the Play Store and search for Android System WebView. You can directly open Android System WebView in Google Play Store for the web. Tap on Update (if available).
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17. Download Apps Using a Browser
If you have tried everything but still can’t install apps using the Google Play Store app, it may be time to take on a different approach. Instead of getting apps on the Play Store app to no avail, getting the app you want from the web might be the trick to work. What’s great about this is that you won’t necessarily need to do this on an Android browser. It also works on a computer, although you will still have to connect your phone to the Internet. Here’s how you can do it:
1. Go to the Play Store Website and log in with the Google account you use on your Android phone.
2. Proceed to the app you wish to download and click on the install button.
3. Select the device where you want to install the app. Google Play will ask you to re-enter your Google password to authenticate the installation.
4. A pop-up message should appear, saying that it will install the app on your device soon.
5. After a few minutes, go to your app drawer, and the app you want should be there.
FAQs About Fix Download Pending Error in Google Play Store
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How to troubleshoot Google Play Store download?
Check Storage Of Device: If there is insufficient storage space, downloading won't work. Check the storage space, as shown below.
Step 1. Go to Setting > select Device care.
Step 2. Navigate to and select Storage > tap on Advanced at the bottom of the screen.
Step 3. Check Available space.
If your device has less than 1GB of storage available, you will need to free up some space. -
Why my Plays Store is showing download pending?
One of the possible reasons your Play Store downloads get stuck in download pending is that you have many of them already running on your device. To fix it, you can disable the installation and updates for all the apps you don’t urgently need and then get the app you want to install.
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Why are downloading apps taking so long?
First, make sure you have a strong internet connection. It’s best if you can connect to a Wi-Fi network. If you don’t have access to Wi-Fi, make sure you have a solid mobile data connection. Then try your download again. Sometimes you can clear your cache and disable Wi-Fi, and the problem instantly disappears.
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What does download pending mean?
Play Store download pending is one of the errors you could face while installing new apps on your Android device from the Google Play Store. When the error occurs, it causes your phone not to download any new apps. Anything that you try to download remains pending regardless of what you do.
Download Pending Error in Google Play Store Resolved
Staring at the screen looking at the download pending error can be frustrating. We want everything to happen instantly with a short attention span and patience. Sadly, this is not always the case.
You will need to be patient here and try one or all of the above methods to see if you can resolve the error. These are our tips and tricks on fixing the download pending Google Play error. Did we help you solve the problem? Do you have other solutions that worked for you? Let us know in the comments.
