Google Play Store

Review by eFreeware

The Google Play Store is the app that installs and updates software on an Android device. Google describes it as the place to get apps, games and digital content, including books and TV through the Google Play Books and Google TV apps. Some of that content is free and some you pay for.

This page is about the Play Store app on Android itself. It is not an APK file you go and find on a website. On a device that ships with Google Play, the app is already there. The sections below cover the things people most often need: what it does, how to update it, how to keep your other apps up to date, and what to do when it will not behave.

What you need to use it

Everything you get from Google Play is connected to a Google Account. Your payment method is added to that account the first time you buy something, so you can install paid apps on another device signed in to the same account without paying again.

Google says the apps in Play are designed for supported Android and Chromebook devices. They cannot be used on Windows or Mac computers. If you came here looking for a Windows version of the Play Store, there is not one. On a computer you can browse the Play website, but installing happens on the device. For games only, Google offers Google Play Games on PC for Windows 10 (v2004) and later, at play.google.com/googleplaygames.

How to update the Play Store app

Google gives these steps for updating the Play Store app itself. Open the Google Play app, tap your profile picture at the top right, tap Settings, then About, then Update Play Store, and tap Got it. A message tells you whether the app is up to date. If an update is available, it downloads and installs in a few minutes.

How to update your other apps

To update apps by hand, open the Play Store, tap your profile icon, tap Manage apps and device, and look under Updates available. Tap See details, then Update next to one app or Update all.

For automatic updates, go to your profile picture, then Settings, Network Preferences, Auto-update apps. The options are to update over Wi-Fi or mobile data, to update over Wi-Fi only, or to turn auto-update off. A fourth option, updating with a limited amount of mobile data, is available only to a limited group of users. You can also switch on auto-update for a single app from its Details page.

Google also notes that some updates need new permissions, and that it may push an update that fixes a critical security problem whatever your settings say.

If the Play Store is missing or disabled

Google's help page on reinstalling and re-enabling apps says that if you turn off an app that came with your device, you can turn it back on. Check that route first if the Play Store icon has disappeared.

If apps will not download, Google has a separate troubleshooting page for download problems, and a sign-in error on any account on the device can stop apps updating automatically. Use Google's own pages for these fixes. Do not install a Play Store from a third-party site; that is the one thing to avoid.

Who it suits

If you own an Android phone, tablet or Chromebook, you will use the Play Store whether you think about it or not. Keeping it updated and leaving auto-update on is the simplest way to stay current. If your device has no Google Play at all, the sources here do not cover alternatives, and you should check what your device maker supports.