The Google Play Store is one of the main ways to download and install apps on your Android smartphone. When connected to stable Wi-Fi, you should have a seamless experience using the app. However, some users came across Play Store stuck on pending.
Google Play Store pending can happen due to various reasons, including app bugs and an unstable internet connection, among other factors. This guide will show you what to do when you can’t download apps from Play Store and are stuck waiting for download.
Read this guide to learn more.
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How to Fix Play Store Stuck on Pending
When users can’t download apps from Play Store, this is usually caused by the pending download issue, where apps are stuck on the “pending” stage and will likely stay there for a while.
However, here are some fixes that you can try to solve the Play Store stuck on pending problem on Android. Remember to review each fix and check which one you think is the most effective:
Method #1: Check if the Time and Date on Your Phone Matches With Google Servers
One of the most overlooked settings when experiencing the pending download issue on Play Store is checking if the time on your device matches with Google servers. Once they’re not synced, it can cause download problems on the Google Play Store.
To sync your smartphone’s time and date with Google servers, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app and go to Additional Settings > General Management.
- Tap Date & time and enable the Set Automatically or Automatic Date and Time option.
- Restart your smartphone and retry downloading apps from the Google Play Store.
Method #2: Check Your Internet Connection
Another critical factor you should check when unable to download apps from the Play Store is your phone’s wireless connection. If you have slow Wi-Fi connections, you can try power cycling your Wi-Fi router to troubleshoot it.
To power cycle your Wi-Fi router, follow the steps below:
- Turn off your Wi-Fi router and unplug its power adapter from the socket.
- Wait for one minute to drain the power.
- Plug the power adapter back in and switch on your router. Check if your internet connection returns to normal.
Once you’re still experiencing slow internet connections, contact your ISP for further help.
Meanwhile, you can temporarily switch to a mobile data network and check if this solves the problem. However, you must toggle Wi-Fi off first since your phone will prefer it over mobile data by default once it’s switched on. To do this, follow these steps:
- Turn on your smartphone and swipe from the top down to show the notifications panel.
- Tap the Wi-Fi icon to disable it and switch Mobile Data to On.
- Open the Google Play Store and tap on the hamburger menu on the top-left side of the screen.
- Go to Settings and select App Download Preference. Set it to Over Any Network and tap Done.
- Try downloading apps and check if the pending issue is solved.
Method #3: Prioritize Apps on the Download Queue
When you want to download or update multiple apps, you can prioritize the apps you need or often use on your phone. Fortunately, you can do this by adjusting the download queue in the Google Play Store.
To first download the apps that you need on your phone via the Play Store, proceed to these steps:
- Launch the Play Store and select your profile avatar on the top right.
- Select Manage apps & device and choose See Details under the Updating apps… option.
- Select the X button across the apps that you can download later and keep the one you need to download or update first.
- Once finished, you can slowly add back the other apps to the queue.
Method #4: Clear the Play Store’s Cache and App Data
Issues on the Google Play Store can occur once it has bugs or its cache data is outdated. This can sometimes prevent you from downloading or updating apps, leading to the pending download problem.
To clear the Play Store’s app data via Settings, do the following:
- Launch the Settings app and choose Apps & Notifications.
- Find the Google Play Store from the list of installed apps and select Storage & Cache.
- Choose Clear Cache and tap Clear Storage.
- Launch the Google Play Store. You may be prompted to re-enter your login details on the app.
- Once logged in, check if you can now download apps seamlessly.
Once your downloads are still pending, you can try logging out of your synced Google accounts and adding them back into your phone. To do this, proceed to the steps below:
- Open Settings and go to Accounts > Google.
- Tap on one Google account and select the More icon on the top-right corner of the screen. Choose Remove account.
- Repeat these steps to your other synced Google accounts.
- Once they’re all removed, log into your primary Google account by selecting Add account and choosing Google from the list of platforms.
- Enter your account details and follow the on-screen instructions to finish.
- Launch the Google Play Store and try downloading your desired apps. See if the issue is fixed.
Method #5: Check Your Phone’s Storage
You’ll need enough storage space on your phone to run installed apps and add new apps via the Play Store. However, if your device is low on storage, your phone may display an insufficient space message and leave your Play Store downloads pending.
To check your phone’s storage space, follow these steps:
- Launch Settings and select Storage from the options.
- You can now see your phone’s overall storage data and how it’s being used through a bar.
Remember that you’ll need enough free space to accommodate running apps, especially games. If your phone lacks space to download more apps, you can remove apps you don’t need, including bloatware.
You can also consider deleting or moving your phone’s media content to another storage device to free up more space, like your computer or an SD card.
Method #6: Disable VPN Apps on Your Phone
You might have issues with your Play Store downloads once you use a virtual private network (VPN) app on your Android phone. While this helps keep your data safe online, you may experience significantly slow downloads once you use it with your Wi-Fi connection.
Try disabling it before downloading apps on your phone and check if it fixes the Google Play Store pending problem.
Final Thoughts
Most app downloads and updates on your Android device are made using the Google Play Store. However, some apps may remain on the download queue once stuck on pending. This can be caused by a slow internet connection, VPNs, corrupted app data, and other related reasons.
Hopefully, this guide helps you to fix the Play Store stuck on pending problem on your Android phone.