To free up space on Android, it’s always a good idea to disable auto-updates and go for manual updates. You don’t really have to start Gmail or YouTube from Google Play Services, much less allow their auto-updates to consume valuable memory. The key is to be selective about the apps requiring auto-updates.

This might seem counterintuitive as many of us feel that auto-updates free us from waiting for new features, bug fixes and security patches. On the Play Store app click the icon with three little bars (☰), followed by “My apps & games.” Here, you can stop auto-updates and any pending installations. As soon as it’s done, you can get back to installing your intended app once again.

Clearly, to allow the download, the earlier processes must be stopped first. The basic idea behind the download pending error is that Google prioritizes background updates and installations to more recent downloads. Stop Auto-Updates and Pending Installations If that doesn’t quite cut it, then don’t worry. That should be enough to get background up and running again, and get rid of that frustrating “Download Pending” message. Then scroll down until you reach Google Play Store, and tap the slider next to it so that it’s blue and switched on. So to address this problem, go to “Settings -> Data usage -> Data Saver -> Unrestricted data”. This doesn’t necessarily mean that downloads won’t be occurring in the background, but in some cases it can cause unexpected holdups. There’s a good chance that the Google Play Store app on your phone isn’t currently set to have unrestricted data access in the background. The safer option is to simply switch off your VPN whenever you want to download things from the Play Store, then switch it back on when you’re done. Be warned that this may incur data usage charges if you’re not careful. To do this, go to Settings in the Play Store and change the options under “App download preference” and “Auto-update apps” to allow non Wi-Fi downloads. The higher-risk option is to allow to download over non Wi-Fi networks.

There are two possible solutions to this. This means that if you’ve set apps to only download and update over a Wi-Fi connection, they won’t download if you’re using a VPN. There are calmer and easier ways to ensure that you can start downloading your desired app in any urgent situation.Ī strange quirk of the Google Play Store is that if you use a VPN, it tends to think that you’re not Wi-Fi. You also don’t have to reboot your Android phone or tablet or nervously search for another Wi-Fi provider. But, in many cases, it’s not the Internet speed which is the real issue. Google does recommend having a strong Wi-Fi or carrier network for downloading Play store apps.

Google play pending download