How to Solve the Frustrating ‘Unfortunately, the process com.google.process.gapps has stopped’ Error

Back in the day, people using older versions of Android would frequently encounter the annoying ‘Unfortunately, the process com.google.process.gapps has stopped’ error. Thankfully, this error has become less common since KitKat. However, if you’re experiencing it on your Android device, this won’t bring you much comfort. But don’t worry, I’ve got some fixes that can help you out.

In most cases, you’ll see this error message when you’re trying to download or install something from the Google Play Store. That’s because ‘gapps’ is simply short for Google Play Apps. Fortunately, there are a few things we can do to resolve this error.

How to Resolve the ‘Unfortunately, the process com.google.process.gapps has stopped’ Error

First, we’ll start by clearing the Google Play Services cache, and then the app cache. One of these steps should definitely solve the problem.

1. Open the Settings menu on your device.
2. Scroll down and tap on Apps, then select Google Play Services.
3. Tap on Storage and choose Clear Cache.
4. Go back to the apps list and select Google Play Store.
5. Tap on Storage and choose Clear Cache.
6. Give it another try.

If clearing the cache doesn’t do the trick, it means the app installation files may be corrupted or incomplete. This method works for most app installation issues. If you’re still seeing the ‘Unfortunately, the process com.google.process.gapps has stopped’ error, give this a shot:

1. Open the Settings menu on your device.
2. Select Storage & USB and tap on ‘Cached data’. Confirm to clear the cache.
3. Tap on Apps, then tap on the three dots in the upper right corner and select ‘Show system’.
4. Find Google Accounts Manager and tap on it.
5. Select Storage and choose Clear cache.

You’ll need to sign back into your phone, but now you should be able to download apps without any errors.

If you’ve tried everything and still can’t get rid of the error, you may have to uninstall Google Play and reinstall it to fix the problem. Google Play is regularly updated, often without your knowledge, and sometimes those updates can cause issues. Although it’s a last resort, uninstalling some of these updates can help clear the error. If nothing else has worked, give this method a try:

1. Open the Settings menu on your device.
2. Scroll down and tap on Apps, then select Google Play.
3. Tap on the three dots in the upper right corner and choose Uninstall updates.
4. Tap Ok to confirm and retest once the operation is complete.

In all the instances of the ‘Unfortunately, the process com.google.process.gapps has stopped’ error that I’ve encountered, one of these methods has always fixed it. However, if none of these solutions work, your last option is to perform a factory reset. But be careful with this option since it will erase all your personal data from your phone. Make sure to back up everything before proceeding.

1. Open the settings menu on your phone.
2. Go to Backup & reset and select Factory data reset.
3. Tap on ‘Reset phone’ and then on ‘Erase everything’.
4. Allow the process to complete and your phone will reboot.

Got any other suggestions to fix this error? Let us know in the comments below!

Got any other suggestions to fix this error? Let us know in the comments below!