Almost everyone is familiar with that feeling when you want to install or update an app on the Play Store and you cannot do so. There can be several reasons for this, but one of the most annoying is the “looks like another app is blocking access to Google Play” error.
Unfortunately, this error is not very common, so many people do not know what to do when they experience it.
If you are experiencing the same problem, this article will teach you various ways to fix the error. However, before we get to that, you should know the reasons why this error pops up in the first place.
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What does the “Looks like another app is blocking access to Google Play” error mean in Google Play?
An app blocking access to Google Play is most likely a result of the overlay feature of such an app. For example, many streaming and recording apps have overlay features that allow them to appear on top of other apps while they run in the background. If this is blocking your activities on Google Play, you should disable the feature.
How to fix “Looks like another app is blocking access to Google Play” Error
Fixing “looks like another app is blocking access to Google Play” error is simple and requires no technical knowledge. You can start from the first method and work your way through the list if one does not work.
1. Restart your phone
When you are experiencing an error on your phone, one of the first things to do is restart your phone. Restarting your phone will close all the programs running in the background, and you can start afresh.
Press and hold the power button for a few seconds and then tap on the Restart option to reboot your device.
Once restarted, open the Google Play Store again and see if the problem is is fixed.
2. Disable Apps Overlay
The error is often caused by an app with an overlay feature blocking access to Google Play Store.
Rather than finding the app that is causing the problem, you can simply disable overlay for all apps and check if it fixes the issue. Here’s how to do it:
1. Open Settings on your device.
2. Go to Apps.
3. Tap on the three-dots icon in the top right corner of the screen and choose Special Access.
4. Tap on Apps that can appear on top. On some devices, this option may be called “Appear on top” or “Show on top”.
5. Turn off the toggle for all the apps.
Go back to the Google Play Store to check if the issue is resolved. If it is fixed, then it means that the issue was caused by one or more apps that were using the Overlay feature. You can either toggle on each app one by one to find out the culprit or keep this feature disabled for all the apps.
Note: since the steps are not always the same on every phone, you can just search for “Special Access” directly from your phone’s search bar.
3. Uninstall Google Play Store updates
Another common reason you cannot carry out actions on Google Play Store may be the updates on the app.
If you updated your Google Play Store app recently, the new version might have a bug that is causing the error to be displayed.
To solve that problem, you need to uninstall Google Play updates.
1. Go to Settings and tap on Apps.
2. Find and tap on Google Play Store.
3. Press the three-dots icon in the top right corner and select Uninstall Updates.
Go back to Google Play Store and see if you can now install and update apps.
4. Synchronize your Google account
Your Google Play Store is connected to your Google account, so you may be unable to use the Play Store if there is a problem with your Gmail.
One of the common reasons for the issue is when your Gmail is not syncing across devices. To re-sync your Gmail, follow these steps:
1. Open Settings on your phone.
2. Search for Auto sync data and tap on it.
3. Toggle on Auto sync data.
4. On the same screen, tap on your Gmail account that is displayed and select Sync account.
5. Close Settings and launch Google Play Store again. You should not see the error notice again.
5. Clear all data and cache from Google Play Store
Clearing all data and cache from Google Play Store can help resolve the issue. To clear all data and cache:
1. Go to Settings on your phone.
2. Go to Apps.
3. Tap on Google Play Store to open it.
4. Press Force Stop, then go to Storage.
5. Click on Clear data and Clear cache.
Close Settings and launch Google Play Store again. You should be able to install and update apps now.
6. Contact the Google Play Store support team
If you are still getting the error after trying all the solutions on this list, you should reach out to the Google Play Store support team.
You can report the issue to them and wait while they look into it. To contact the Google Play support team, follow the process below:
- Open Google Play Store.
- Tap on your photo to open your profile.
- Go to the end of the page and click on Help & Feedback.
- Scroll down and press Contact us.
- State the problem on the next page.
- Click on Next steps and confirm the areas in which you need help.
In the next steps, you will see “contact options.” For example, you can select to send them an email or chat if it’s during office hours.
If you can get the team while they are available, you can lodge your complaint through the chat feature. This will enable you to get a response immediately. If they are not immediately available, you can send them a message and wait while they attend to it.
