Google Play Services is an integral part of Android and its role is to connect and keep all apps up to date. And, no, you can’t remove it. However, many Android users report issues with it, reporting that Google Play services keep stopping repeatedly.
If you are affected by this, don’t worry. We have a few applicable solutions for you.
Table of contents:
- Clear data from Google Play Services and the Play Store
- Uninstall Google Play services updates
- Clear data from Google Services Framework
- Install an APK of Google Play services
- Reset your device to factory settings
What to do if Google Play services keep stopping?
There are multiple reasons why Google Play Services will keep stopping. The most common reason is data corruption, although we might be looking at the system-wide problem considering this is a built-in system service.
Learn how to fix this by following the steps below.
Solution 1 – Clear data from Google Play Services and the Play Store
The best way to start with app troubleshooting (be that a system service or a third-party app) is by clearing cache and data. This way you’ll reset the app and fix possible cache corruption.
Google Play Services tend to pile up the most of data and that’s a reason more to clear your local storage. It will help you make new media files and reset the app.
Follow these instructions to clear cache and data from Google Play services and the Google Play Store:
- Open Settings.
- Choose Apps.
- Then, open App manager, Manage apps, or All apps (it depends on the phone’s OEM).
- Once there, tap on the 3-dot menu and enable all system processes. This will add hidden system apps and services to the App list.
- Now, locate the Google Play Services entry and open it.
- Tap Storage.
- Select Manage storage or Manage space.
- Finally, clear all data.
- Do the same for the Google Play Store.
- Reboot your device.
Solution 2 – Uninstall Google Play services updates
Alternatively, since you can’t reinstall a system app like Google Play services, you can reset it to factory values. That is done by uninstalling updates that the app got over time.
Here’s how to uninstall Google Play services updates in a few simple steps:
- Navigate back to Settings > Apps > All apps > Google Play services.
- Tap on the 3-dot menu.
- Tap Uninstall updates.
- Confirm when prompted and reboot your device.
Solution 3 – Clear data from Google Services Framework
Moving on, there’s another Google system service we need to tackle to resolve the problem. Google Services Framework is the main component of Android and it relates to all included services.
You can’t reinstall it but we can try and clear cache and data from Google Services Framework and look for improvements. Here’s how to do it:
- Navigate back to Settings > Apps > All apps and open Google Services Framework.
- Tap Storage.
- Clear all Data. Restart your phone or tablet.
Solution 4 – Install an APK of Google Play services
If previous steps failed to resolve the problem with Google Play services and the app keeps stopping, there’s a way to work around it. What you can do is navigate to a third-party APK hub on the web and download an older version of Google Play services.
Follow these instructions to install an APK of Google Play services on your Android device:
- Uninstall updates from Google Play Services as explained in Solution 2.
- Navigate to APK Mirror or any other websites that offer apps for sideloading.
- Now, you can either go for the latest version of Google Play services or you can download an older one. We suggest downloading an older version, but not older than 2 months.
- Download the APK and run it. Once asked for permission to install apps from untrusted sources, make sure to grant it.
- Install Google Play services and look for improvements.
Solution 5 – Reset your device to factory settings
And, finally, if none of the previous steps worked out for you, the only remaining solution we can recommend is resetting your device to factory settings. First, ensure that all your data is backed up, and then proceed to reset your device to factory settings.
Here’s how to reset your device to factory settings:
- Open Settings.
- Choose System.
- Open Backup & reset.
- Choose Erase all data (factory reset).
- Tap Erase all data and confirm the selection when prompted.
With that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and we hope that Google Play services are not stopping anymore. In case you have any questions or suggestions, we encourage you to post them in the comments section below. Also, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in December 2019. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.
