How to Fix Google Play Services Error on Android (10 Easy Ways)

You’re using your phone. Suddenly a popup appears. “Google Play Services keeps stopping.” Or “Google Play Services error.” Maybe an app won’t open, or the Play Store won’t download anything. This is frustrating because Google Play Services runs in the background. You never actually open it like a normal app. But when it breaks, half your phone stops working.

The good news is this problem is almost always fixable without resetting your phone or losing your data. Google Play Services is just a system component that sometimes gets corrupted, runs out of permissions, or clashes with an update.

Let me show you ten real ways to fix this. Start from number one and work your way down.

What Is Google Play Services Anyway?

Before fixing anything, you should understand what this thing does. Google Play Services is not an app you use directly. It’s a background tool that helps other apps work properly. It handles login stuff, location services, push notifications, app updates, and many hidden features. When it throws an error, you might see problems like:

• Apps crashing for no reason
• Play Store stuck on “Downloading”
• Battery draining faster than usual
• “Authentication required” messages
• Google apps like Gmail or Maps not syncing

The errors can say different things. “Google Play Services has stopped.” “Device is not Play Protect certified.” “Google Play Services error code 0, 1, 2, 9, 10, 20, etc.” But the fixes are mostly the same.

Fix 1: Restart Your Phone

I know this sounds too simple. But do it anyway. Google Play Services runs in the background continuously. Sometimes a small glitch freezes it. A full restart kills every running process and starts everything fresh.

Press and hold the power button. Tap Restart or Reboot. Wait for the phone to fully turn back on. Open an app that was giving the error. If the error is gone, you’re done. If not, keep reading.

This fix works for temporary crashes after an update or after installing a new app.

Fix 2: Clear Google Play Services Cache

This is the most effective fix for most people. The cache is temporary data that Google Play Services stores to work faster. When that cache gets corrupted, errors start popping up.

How to do it:

Go to Settings → Apps → See all apps. Tap the three dots in the top right corner and choose Show system (on some phones, system apps are visible without this step). Scroll down until you find Google Play Services. Tap it.

Tap Storage & cache. Then tap Clear cache. Do not tap “Clear storage” or “Clear all data” yet. Just clear the cache.

Now restart your phone and test.

Clearing cache removes nothing important. No passwords, no accounts, no saved data. It’s completely safe.

Fix 3: Clear Google Play Services Storage (If Cache Didn’t Work)

If clearing the cache did nothing, the next step is clearing the stored data. This is a bit more serious. It resets Google Play Services to factory condition. You won’t lose your photos or messages. But you might need to sign back into some Google services or re-add some cards in Google Pay.

How to do it:

Same path as above. Settings → Apps → See all apps → Show system → Google Play Services → Storage & cache. This time tap Clear storage or Manage space → Clear all data.

After doing this, restart your phone. Open the Play Store and let it update Google Play Services if needed. Your phone might feel slow for a minute while it rebuilds everything. That’s normal.

Fix 4: Update Google Play Services

Sometimes the error happens because your version of Google Play Services is old or the automatic update failed. You can manually update it.

How to do it:

Open the Google Play Store app. Search for “Google Play Services.” Tap on it. If you see an Update button, tap it. If you only see Open or Deactivate, then you already have the latest version.

But here’s a trick. Sometimes the Play Store shows no update available even when one exists. In that case, go to a trusted website like APKMirror (search for it yourself, I’m not linking anything). Find the latest version of Google Play Services that matches your Android version and processor type (ARM64 or ARM). Download and install it manually.

Fix 5: Check Google Play Services Permissions

Android’s permission system can accidentally block Google Play Services from doing its job. If certain permissions are turned off, errors appear.

How to check:

Go to Settings → Apps → See all apps → Show system → Google Play Services → Permissions. Make sure these permissions are allowed:

• Body sensors (if available)
• Calendar
• Camera (some apps need this)
• Contacts
• Location
• Microphone
• Nearby devices
• Notifications
• Phone
• Physical activity
• SMS

If any permission is set to “Deny” or “Not allowed,” change it to “Allow.” Don’t worry. Google Play Services is not spying on you. These permissions let other apps work correctly.

Fix 6: Remove and Re-add Your Google Account

A corrupted account sync can cause Google Play Services to fail. Removing your Google account and adding it back refreshes everything.

How to do it:

Go to Settings → Passwords & accounts (or Accounts and backup → Accounts). Tap on your Google account. Tap Remove account. Confirm.

Now restart your phone. Go back to the same menu. Tap Add account → Google. Enter your email and password. Sign in.

After adding the account back, give your phone a few minutes to sync. Then test the apps that were showing errors.

This fix helps when the error is related to authentication or sync problems.

Fix 7: Uninstall Google Play Services Updates (Rollback)

Sometimes a new version of Google Play Services introduces a bug. When that happens, you can uninstall the updates and go back to the factory version that came with your phone.

How to do it:

Go to Settings → Apps → See all apps → Show system → Google Play Services. Tap the three dots in the top right corner (if available). Tap Uninstall updates. Confirm.

If you don’t see the three dots, look for a button that says Disable. Tapping disable will also uninstall updates. After disabling, tap Enable to turn it back on.

Restart your phone. Google Play Services will automatically update itself again over the next few days. But for now, the older stable version might work fine.

Fix 8: Check Your Date and Time

This sounds weird but it’s real. Google Play Services uses secure connections that require your phone’s date and time to be correct. If your date or time is off by even a few minutes, the connection fails and errors appear.

How to fix:

Go to Settings → System → Date & time. Turn on Automatic date & time and Automatic time zone. If they were already on, turn them off, wait ten seconds, then turn them back on. This forces a fresh sync.

Now test your apps.

Fix 9: Install the Android System WebView Update

Android System WebView is a component that works closely with Google Play Services. If WebView is old or corrupted, Play Services can crash.

How to fix:

Open the Google Play Store. Search for Android System WebView. If you see an Update button, tap it. If you don’t, tap Uninstall (this removes updates, then you can update again). After updating or reinstalling, restart your phone.

On newer Android versions (Android 10 and above), WebView is built into Chrome. So updating Chrome also updates WebView. Go to the Play Store and update Google Chrome as well.

Fix 10: Factory Reset (Last Resort Only)

If you tried everything above and Google Play Services still shows errors constantly, a factory reset is the final option. This erases everything on your phone. Your photos, apps, messages, contacts (if not backed up), and settings.

Only do this if:

• You tried all other nine fixes
• The error makes your phone nearly unusable
• You have backed up your important data

How to do it:

Go to Settings → System → Reset options → Erase all data (factory reset). Confirm. Your phone will restart like it’s brand new.

After the reset, set up your phone normally. Install your apps one by one. The Google Play Services error should be completely gone. If it still appears after a factory reset, the problem is hardware-related or your phone model has a known issue with certain Android versions.

Which Fix Should You Try First?

If you want the shortest path, do these three in order:

1. Restart your phone.
2. Clear Google Play Services cache.
3. Clear Google Play Services storage.

These three solve about 80 percent of all Google Play Services errors.

If you see a specific error code like “Error 20” or “Error 0,” follow the same steps. Error codes usually point to the same underlying problems: corrupted cache, missing permissions, or outdated software.

Conclusion

A Google Play Services error can be intimidating, but in 90% of cases, clearing the cache and data of the app solves the issue instantly. By keeping your system updated and ensuring your storage isn’t full, you can prevent these errors from returning.

If your apps are also failing to update, you may want to read this guide: