Fix Google Play Store’s “Download Pending” Issue: 5 Easy Solutions

Have you experienced downloading a game from the Google Play Store, only to find out that it’s stuck on your download pending queue? A situation like this can ruin your mood, especially if you’re looking forward to playing the game.

When it comes to downloading files from the Internet, things can be frustrating sometimes. Especially when downloads take too long or when we encounter downloading issues like “not downloading,” etc. 

With the Google Play app, we can also experience the same thing. There are times when the apps that we want to install don’t download for some reason and remain at pending downloads.

With years of development, most people consider Google Play Store a reliable and stable app. However, we get minor issues from time to time.

So if you’re having trouble in getting new apps due to the “download pending” error, check out our handy guide.

Related: How to Update the Google Play Store

Google Play “Download Pending” Issue

When downloading an app on Google Play, some of you may have come across a download pending message. It’s usually not a thing of concern as it’s normal when you’re queueing downloads. But it can turn out to be quite a problem, especially if your download stays on pending.

Many reasons might cause this, but it’s easy to fix it yourself. Here are a few things you can do to get rid of the download pending error.

Note: Some of these methods may differ slightly depending on the phone, Android version, and UI you have.

1. Check your download queue

Most of the time, the root of this issue is your long list of pending downloads and updates. If that’s the case, and you need to prioritize the pending download, here’s what you can do:

1. Open Google Play and navigate to “My Apps and Games.”
2. Check if you have on-going downloads or updates.
3. Stop all pending downloads and updates.

Then, all you have to do now is to head over to the page of the application that you want to download and install it.

2. Check your network connection

A slow network connection affects all of your downloads and updates. So if you’re using a Wi-Fi connection, check if you have network problems.

See also: Best Wi-Fi Analyzers for Android

If your connections seem to be slow but working, try restarting your router or contacting your ISP for help. You can also download apps using your data in the meantime to check if your network is the problem.

To do this, make sure to enable downloading apps over any network on your Google Play app:

1. Open Google Play.
2. Head to Settings > App download preference and make sure to select the “Over any network” option.

Also, if you have any active VPN connection, close them and try downloading apps again.

3. Enable background data

Restricting your background data can cause a few problems when you’re downloading apps from Google Play. To check your network restrictions, go to Settings > Connections > Data usage > Restrict networks.

You can also check the background data settings of individual apps by going to Data usage > Wi-Fi data usage. Tap Google Play Store and Google Play services and make sure to allow background data usage.

4. Clear cache and app data

If the methods above don’t work for you, clear the cache and data of your Google Play app.

Remember, deleting the app data removes your account from the app and all the settings you made within it. But don’t worry, you can always set those up back again once you login to the Google Play app.

1. Ensure that the Google Play app is closed.
2. Go to your device settings app and proceed to the app list. Search for the Google Play store app and tap on it.
3. On the app information page, tap Storage.
4. Tap Clear Cache. You can tap Clear Data as well.

Now, restart your device, open Google Play, and try downloading an app. If that doesn’t work, clear the cache and data of your Download Manager and Play Services.

5. Uninstall and reinstall your Google Play Store updates

If all the methods above don’t work for you, uninstall your Play Store updates to revert it to its factory version.

1. Go to Settings and tap Apps.
2. Select Google Play Store, tap More (usually represented by three dots) and select Uninstall updates.
3. Open Google Play and try to download the app again.

Usually, Google Play updates itself automatically, so you don’t have to worry about having its latest features. But if that isn’t the case, you can open the app, head to Settings, and update it manually.

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To Sum It All Up

Having download problems is a hassle, especially if you’re in a hurry to play a game or use an app you want from the Play Store. Thankfully, the “download pending” issue is quite easy to fix without having to do tedious work.

We hope that our guide helped you, and you’re back to downloading apps without a problem.

Do you know other methods that can we can add to this guide? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

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