How to fix Play Store Authentication Required error

Although they occur rarely, Play Store errors are critical and can make the lives of Android users much harder. Some users report the Play Store Authentication Required error on Android. This error appears whenever they open the Store and try to download or update apps. Since Google Play Store won’t work without a Google Account, it will show you the error. On the other hand, users that reported the problem are signed with their Google Account, as per usual.

If you run into this error and don’t know what to do, check the steps we listed below to fix it in no time.

Table of contents:

1. Clear local data from Play Store and associated services
2. Uninstall updates from Play Store and associated services
3. Remove, add, and re-sync your Google Account again
4. Perform a factory reset

How do I fix the authentication problem in Play Store?

Let’s start by restarting your Android. Of course, make sure that you have added a Google Account on your Android. Without it, most Google services won’t work at all. Also, disable VPN and proxy and make sure that your device is connected to a stable Wi-Fi or cellular data network.

If you are still stuck, clear local data from Play Store or uninstall updates. This applies to accompanying services, as well. Finally, if nothing works, consider resetting your device to factory settings.

1. Clear local data from Play Store and associated services

The first thing you should do is clear local data from Play Store and a few associated services that work in the background and affect the whole Android experience. This should restart apps and, assuming that you have set up Google Account on your Android, the authentication issue should be fixed immediately.

Here’s how to clear local data from Google services:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Expand all apps.
4. Tap on the 3-dots menu and choose to Show system processes.
5. Open Play Store and select Storage.
6. Clear data.
7. Do the same for Google Play Services (Storage > Manage data > Clear all data) and Google Services Framework.
8. Restart your Android and check for improvements.

2. Uninstall updates from Play Store and associated services

If the previous step failed and you’re still getting the Play Store Authentication Required error, we recommend uninstalling updates from the aforementioned Google services. This should address the problem at hand.

If you are not sure how to uninstall updates from Play Store, Google Play Services, and Google Services Framework, follow these instructions:

1. Navigate to Settings > Apps > All apps. Make sure to check the Show system processes option.
2. Open Play Store and tap on the 3-dots menu.
3. Tap Uninstall updates.
4. Confirm and do the same for Google Play Services and Google Services Framework.
5. Restart your device and check for improvements.

3. Remove, add, and re-sync your Google Account again

You can also try addressing the issue by simply removing your Google Account, adding it again, and then resyncing. This usually works and it should work here as well. Especially since the problem points towards Google Account issues or Play Store’s inability to access Google Account data, to be precise.

If you’re not sure how to remove your Google Account on Android, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Accounts.
3. Select Google.
4. Remove the account.
5. Restart your device, and add the account again. You don’t need to restore apps when asked to restore data upon signing in.
6. Get back to Settings > Accounts > Google and select your Account.
7. Tap Sync and then open Play Store again.

In case you still get the error, consider performing a factory reset.

4. Perform a factory reset

Factory reset is the last thing anyone wants to do but if an essential system functionality is failing you, you should consider it. Basically, it’s not as slow as back in the day (you do need a semi-capable bandwidth) but the most important thing is to back up everything before following through with the reset.

Here’s how to reset your Android in a few simple steps:

1. Back up your data from the internal storage (photos can be saved to Google Photos, and other media can be saved to an external storage or a PC).
2. Go to Settings > General management > Reset.
3. Tap Factory data reset.
4. Follow the instructions to reset your device to factory values.
5. Once your Android restarts, we usually suggest adding your Google Account and restoring it. However, in this case, we are inclined to suggest not restoring anything after adding Google Account. The clean slate state.

And, on that note, we can conclude this article. In case you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to share them with us in the comments section below. Thank you for reading and do check our Twitter or Facebook.