How to fix the "com.google.process.gapps process has stopped" error

One of the problems that Android has always faced practically since it hit the market, has been compatibility with the devices where it is installed, since it is not designed specifically for specific hardware, as is the case with Apple's iOS and the iPhone. This, and no other, is the main problem manufacturers face when updating their devices to new versions, since not only do they have to optimize the Android version to their devicesBut they also have to add the happy layer of personalization.

But even so, we can always find some malfunction, either because of the Android version that has not been fully optimized for our terminal model, or because of the customization layer. One of the most common errors affects both applications and the operation of the terminal. In this article we are going to focus on fix the error "com.google.process.gapps process has stopped", an error that in most cases does not allow us to download applications from the Google Play Store.

This error began to appear in Android Kitkat 4.4.2 and since then it seems that the guys at Google have not bothered to find a solution that does not force users to have to resort to the internet, since even in the latest versions of Android At the time of writing this article we are on Android 8.0 Oreo, it is still a more than recurring problem in many terminals. Below we offer you different solutions to this problem, avoiding the most drastic solution at all times which consists of hard resetting the device and erasing all its content.

Clear the cache of the application that gives us problems

If this error happens regularly every time you open an application, it is likely that the application itself is the one that is shocking with the system, so the first action we must take is clear the cache of it.

To clear the application cache, we just have to go to Settings> Applications and select the application in question. When clicking on it, we do not go to the bottom and click on Clear cache.

Remove the latest apps you have installed

When we find the problem in an application that had been installed on our device for a while, it is very possible that it is in the last application we have installed, something that unfortunately is quite common on Android.

To solve this operational problem, the first thing we must do is uninstall the application, either directly through Settings> Applications, or through a third-party application that allows us to perform this function.

Delete the latest updates you have downloaded

If since we have installed the application update, it has begun to show us that message, the problem may be found in the last update of the application that we have installed, so to rule out problems, the first thing we must do is uninstall the updates.

To uninstall the updates, we go back to Settings> Applications and select the application in question. At the top, we find the Force stop option and Uninstall updates. By selecting the latter, our device will eliminate any trace of the last update and will leave the application as it was at the beginning, when it worked correctly.

Reset app preferences

The last solution that we propose, before getting into what it will probably be the source of the problem and that it is not related to the applications directly, but to the system, we can reset the preferences of the applications. To restore application preferences we go to Settings> Applications and click on the All tab.

Next, we go to the menu located in the upper right corner of the screen, represented by three vertical dots, and select Reset preferences. Before confirming the process, Android will show us a message confirming that the preferences of all disabled applications, notifications of disabled applications, applications for default actions, background data restrictions for applications and all the permission restrictions.

Once we have carried out this process, and we have verified how the application that gave us problems has worked again, we must again set the settings that individually Each application had, as can access to location, mobile data ...

Delete data from Google Play services

If after trying all the previous options, everything seems to indicate that the problem does not reside in the applications themselves, but that we find it in the Google Play services. Google Play Services is the Android system application that allows to have all system applications always up-to-date and they also ensure that all applications are always updated to the latest version available.

By performing this process, all preferences and settings established in Google Play will be erased restoring the default settings. To delete the data from Google Play services, we go to Settings> Applications and click on Google Play Services. Next we go to Delete data, within the Storage section and confirm the deletion of all data from this application permanently.

Factory reset device

If none of these methods fix the com.google.process.gapps problem, it is possible, although unlikely, that the problem is in the last update the device received, so in order to rule it out, we must factory reset the device. By performing this process, the device will return to the original version of Android with which it came to market.

In order to restore the device's factory settings, we must go to Settings> Backup and reset and select the Factory data reset option. This process will delete all the applications, as well as all the photos and data that are in the terminal, so first of all we must make a copy of all the data that we want to keep, especially the photographs and videos that we have taken with the device, since later there will be no way to get them back a rear, for many applications that we test.

One option to make this copy is to enter a memory card on the device and move all the images and videos, as well as the data, that we want to keep, in order to have them back at hand when we restore the device.