Fix Unfortunately Google Play Services has stopped

Some Android users are getting “Unfortunately Google Play Services has stopped” error after installing a software update on their smartphones. This error message is mostly seen on custom ROMs like Cyanogenmod and some devices running Chinese UI like MIUI and EMUI on Xiaomi and Huawei phones. Recently, many devices got the Marshmallow update and due to some incompatibility issue these devices are experiencing many Google Play store related errors.

There are many methods to fix Google Play Services has stopped error and the most effective methods are mentioned below.

Google Play Services has stopped error message on Android smartphone

Method 1: Clear Data Cache of Google Play Services & Play store

Go to Settings >> Apps >> All

(On LG phones, settings >> General >> All)

From the list, Scroll down and select “Google Play Services” >> Tap “Clear Data”
Again, Scroll down and select “Google Play Store” >> Tap “Clear Data”
Again, Scroll down and select “Google Services Framework” >> Tap “Clear Data”

Note: In some devices running Android Marshmallow 6.0, you will have to first make system apps visible. To do this, go to settings >> Apps >> All. Now tap menu button (top right) and select “show system”. Then for clearing data like in step 3, you will need to go to Apps >> All >> Google Play Services >> Storage >> Manage Space >> Clear All Data. Repeat the same step for “Google Play Store” and “Google Services Framework”. Additionally, you can also “clear cache” for each.

Method 2: Uninstall Google Play Services updates

This method is useful if you are running Android 5.0 Lollipop and earlier operating system. Before you uninstall Google Play Service updates, you will need to remove your Google account from Settings.

Go to settings >> Accounts >> Google >> Tap on you Gmail Address
Tap Menu button (icon) and then select “remove account”
Again, go to settings >> Apps >> All >> Google Play Services >> Uninstall updates

(In case of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Apps >> All >> Google Play Services >> Permissions >> enable all)

Again, go to settings >> Apps >> All >> Google Play Store >> Uninstall updates

(In case of Marshmallow, Apps >> All >> Google Play Store >> Permissions >> Enable all)

Method 3 (For Custom ROM users):

If you have a rooted device with a custom Android ROM installed with custom recovery, first try wiping cache partition from recovery. Reboot and see if the problem persists. If you still get the error check your GAPPs zip file and make sure it is compatible with your custom ROM. Re-flash the Gapps package and reboot system. If you still get the error, the problem may be caused by a buggy OS. So, it’s time re-flashing another custom ROM. While you may not have to completely wipe data or factory reset your device, it is recommended that you perform a clean installation.

Method 4: Sideloading Google Play Services and Play Store

Here will download an APK file of the latest Google Play Services compatible with the Android OS installed on your phone. First you will need to allow installation from unknown sources. Go to Settings >> Security >> Enable “Unknown Sources”. Now you can download the Google Play Services apk file and then install it. For clear instructions on how to sideload or install Google Play Services apk file, refer to the comment section of this post: Fix Google Play Services update error

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