Why Does It Say “Something Went Wrong Try Again?”
If your Android phone displays this message, it means that something in your device software is preventing you from downloading or updating specific Google Play apps. The emphasis here is on the word “specific” because as it turns out this unique error does not affect ALL Google Play apps. Just a few select ones (for example Slack that won’t install or Netflix that won’t update). Most Android or Google Play problems indicate possible faults on your device hardware, software or your network connection. These well-known causes of error usually prevent you from downloading ANY app at all since every one of them is equally affected. There aren’t any exceptions. However with a “Something went wrong. Try again” error, the Google Play account holder will be prevented to download/update only select apps. This is what makes such an error all the more disquieting. There is no way to tell which apps will be affected (the ones viewed in the screenshot below work just fine).
What Causes the Error?
As name suggests, the error is down to “something” malfunctioning on your phone which is the vaguest possible Android error definition. A majority of failed download app issues on Google Play arise as a result of error codes such as “103,” “403,” “506,” and so forth. In this example there are no error codes. In this case, Google Play servers are unable to pinpoint the exact error code for these apps failing to download, so the app just tells you to keep “trying again” until the exact problem has been mitigated. As a user, it’s hard to tell what went wrong unless you go through all possible error causes.
Google Play account issues: this is the number one cause of this error. If you’re using multiple Google usernames on your device, or you changed the password(s) for a few, this may prevent a few apps from downloading through your Google Play application.Accumulated cache: over many months and years, your device accumulates a ton of cached history for Google Play and other apps. This leads to the point of maximum capacity where you can’t update any more data for these apps. This is the main reason the problem affects a few particular apps only as there may be some untraceable shared history between them and your Google Play account. Android software issues: if you didn’t update your Android phone in a long time or for many other reasons, you will notice sudden and unpredictable Google Play download errors. In such cases, you need to check your device for integrity issues such as date/time or other obvious display errors. A hard reset or network reboot is in order, as well.
How to Resolve “Something Went Wrong Try Again” Error in Google Play Store
If Google Play opens but you can’t download the apps, basic troubleshooting dictates that you check your Wi-Fi/mobile data, phone storage space, and any pending Android updates. However, these classic methods won’t do any good in this case. The following methodical solutions however, will help you get to the root of the problem and restart downloads for the apps which seem stuck for no reason.
1. Fix Your Google Account(s) Associated with Google Play
If using multiple Google accounts on your device, this issue inadvertently shows up. In fact, it is one of the main reasons you may be facing this problem. So as soon as you notice the error, the first thing to do is to check whether your multiple Google accounts are working properly with Google Play. Note: If your Google account requires a one-time password on phone or other kinds of phone verification, you need to perform those additional verification steps. Once you’ve verified all your Google accounts associated with Google Play, you should be able to download the problematic apps once again. If you continue to face issues after this, follow the remaining methods below.
2. Remove and Re-Add Google Account
Sometimes we may have a Google account which we aren’t using anymore. If you had previously downloaded a Google Play app through that account, you might face unexpected errors when trying to download it again using a new account on the same device. The best thing to do is to remove such obsolete accounts from your device. If you still remember the password and intend to use it again, you can add them back in.
3. Clear Google Play Services and Other Apps Cache
We use our most important apps everyday without imagining that they are continuously accumulating cached information. This may lead to a saturation point in the future, as the apps are unable to download any more information. When that happens, it’s best to erase any past history and go for a fresh start.
4. Force Stop Google Play
Force stopping Google Play is a proven way to eliminate any app download issues. You can easily restart the app afterwards. While this method is not necessary if you successfully fixed your Google account and cache issues, it is a preventive strategy which works nicely as an immediate solution to download errors.
5. Check If Automatic Date and Time is Enabled
Over a period of time, it is common to encounter a few software errors on your Android phone. Wrong date and time issues are one of the most visible ones which should be given urgent attention.
6. Reset Network Settings
If you are unable to fix the download issues on your Android phone after fixing the Google account, clearing cache, and other storage, it may help to reset the device’s network settings.
7. Reset All Settings
As a last resort to troubleshooting this error, you can also try resetting all settings on the device. Image credit: Pixabay All screenshots by Sayak Boral
