Play Store showing download pending when you try to download apps from Play Store? Well, this could be because of a recent change in the way Play Store handles downloads OR maybe it’s just that your Play Store is stuck. But Fret not! We can fix it either way.

Google recently updated Play Store to download only one app at a time, not multiple apps like before. And this might be the reason you’re seeing download pending message because there might be other apps in the queue pending for download.

If you want you can clear the download queue on Play Store so that you can download the app before all other apps in the queue.

Clear Play Store download queue

  1. Open Play Store app.
  2. Swipe-in from the right edge of the screen, and select My apps & games.
  3. Here you’ll see all apps that are currently downloading on your phone. To cancel an app from downloading, select it and touch the X (cross icon) near the download progress bar to cancel download for the app.
    └ You can do this for all apps to clear the download queue.

If the issue persists even after clearing the download queue, then try to “Force stop” the Google Play Store app.

Force Stop Google Play Store app

  1. Go to device Settings » Apps.
  2. Select Google Play Store from the list of apps installed on your device.
  3. Tap “Force Stop“.

If you are still unable to download apps, try clearing out cache and data for Play Store app itself.

Clear Play Store app data

  1. Go to device Settings » Apps.
  2. Select Google Play Store from the list of apps installed on your device.
    └ If you can’t find Google Play Store on apps list. Look for the “Show system” apps option under the three-dot menu.
  3. Once on Google Play Store app info page, select Clear Cache and Clear Data. If you’re on Marshmallow or higher Android versions, select Storage, and then clear cache and data from there.

Reset Apps

If none of the above solutions work out for you, try resettings the apps. This will basically reset all your apps preference, so be sure to backup settings of all your important apps beforehand before going for the jugular.

Here’s how to reset apps.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap on Apps (or Applications) menu.
  3. Press the 3-dot menu button (in the top right probably).
  4. Tap on Reset app preferences.
  5. Confirm on the next screen by tapping on the Reset button (could be Reset apps).

That’s it.

Hopefully, the tips shared above helps you fix the download pending message on Play Store.

Happy Androiding!