Although the Google Play Services gets updated automatically and doesn’t cause any trouble, there are times when you may run into the “Unfortunately Google Play Services Has Stopped” error on your Android device.
How to Fix Unfortunately Google Play Services Has Stopped Error on Android
Fortunately, it’s quite easy to fix the “Unfortunately Google Play Services Has Stopped” error on Android. Here are all the possible fixes you can try to fix this dreaded error. We’ve put these fixes in an ordered manner, making it easier to troubleshoot the possible cause. So please ensure you follow the fixes one by one.
1. Restart Your Phone
One of the easiest ways to fix most Android problems is to restart your device. The idea behind it is pretty simple. If an app or a background service on your phone is causing Google Play Services to crash, restarting the phone would clear it off the RAM and put the device in a new state. Depending on the Android phone you own, you can reboot it either by turning it off and on or by using the restart option. Related Read: Disable Automatic App Updates on Android to Save Cellular Data
2. Make Sure the Date and Time Are Correct
If you’re using an Android device without a SIM card or have inserted a new one, it may not show you the correct date and time. Since Google Play Services (or any other services, for the matter) needs to be synced correctly with the date and time, it may cause you to get the “Unfortunately Google Play Services Has Stopped” error on your device. Follow these steps to set the correct date and time on Android:
3. Switch to Mobile Data (Or Vice-Versa)
Many a time, you may encounter the “Unfortunately, Google Play Services Has Stopped” pop-up due to a poor or unstable internet connection or because your ISP is causing it to establish a proper connection with the servers. A quick fix to this problem is to switch your internet connection. If you’re on Wi-Fi, switch to mobile data, or if you’re facing problems on mobile data, switch to Wi-Fi and then try using the Play Store again.
4. Clear Cache and Data
Although a simple restart should fix the “Unfortunately Google Play Services Has Stopped” error in most cases, if it doesn’t, another way to fix this problem is to clear the cache and data for Google Play Store and Play Services. Here’s how to do it: Related Read: How to Fix it When Apps Keep Crashing on Android
5. Disable Google Play Services
When the “Unfortunately Google Play Services Has Stopped” error keeps popping up on your Android phone and none of the fixes listed till now work, you can try disabling Play Services on your device to see if it fixes the problem. Here’s how to disable the Play Services:
6. Uninstall the Recent Google Play Services Update
Google Play Services automatically updates itself whenever there’s a new update. While this comes in handy as you don’t have to go about updating it manually, sometimes a recent update can cause it to throw the “Unfortunately Google Play Services Has Stopped” error on your smartphone. But thankfully, you can uninstall recent updates for system services on Android to restore them back to the previous version. We’ll be doing the same with Google Play Service. Here’s how:
7. Update Google Play Services
Just like how a new update can cause Play Services to act up and crash, running a relatively older version of the same can also sometimes cause your device to spit the “Unfortunately Google Play Services Has Stopped” error. When this happens, you can check if there’s a new update for the Google Play Services and install it. Follow these steps to do this:
8. Reset App Preferences
A lot of the time, changing certain app settings or permissions while trying to get something to work can impact the proper functioning of the Play Services on Android. To ensure this isn’t causing Play Services to crash on your phone, here’s how you can reset app preferences to restore the defaults:
9. Log Back into Your Google Account Again
Although rare, the Play Services and Play Store can sometimes face issues working properly when there’s a problem with your Google account: perhaps because you changed its password or something else. So if you see the same error message even after trying out different solutions, logging out of your Google account and logging back in should most likely resolve this issue. Here are the steps to do this:
10. Factory Reset Your Android Device
Lastly, if none of the above solutions fix the Play Services on your device and you keep seeing the “Unfortunately Google Play Services Has Stopped” error, factory resetting the device is your only option. When you factory reset a device, it restores your device to its default state and deletes all of your data on the device. Follow the steps below to restore your smartphone. But before you do that, make sure to backup all your important data and apps on the device first. After the device is restored, follow the on-screen prompts to set up the device.
Getting Google Play Services Working Again
Seeing the “Unfortunately Google Play Services Has Stopped” error pop-up on your Android smartphone is very frustrating. It makes the device impossible to use and prevents you from downloading or updating apps from the Play Store. We have covered all possible solutions to this error, which we believe can help you fix the problem on your device, so you can restore Play Services’ functionality and resume normal operation.
Unstable internet connection Misconfigured date and time settings A misconfigured app or service Improperly set up Google account A broken Play Services update Outdated Play Services or Play Store version Outdated operating system
