this guide will try to resolve the error “unknown problem with google play services” on android. Since it doesn’t have an error code, this is one of the most difficult problems to identify. but please be patient, follow all the methods below and we will surely get to the bottom of this.
at first glance, google play services seems like a redundant application. It doesn’t really have an interface, it takes up a lot of storage space, and it’s a regular customer of your system resources. If you’ve ever been curious to check the permissions required by Google Play services, you’d be surprised. that number is huge.
Aside from being heavy, Google Play Services has a decent amount of errors and bugs that might just ruin your day. Some errors have an error code that makes them easier to identify and fix, but some, like the one in question, don’t. The error “Unknown issue with Google Play Services” doesn’t really point you in a direction, but the guide below will. 
If you are thinking of disabling or uninstalling google play services to get rid of this error, please don’t. is a very bad idea. google play services is a collection of critical processes for the android ecosystem. In addition to being responsible for updating the Google Play Store and various Google applications, Google Play Services provides other core functionality, such as authentication to all Google-related services and synchronization of your calendar or contacts. . but perhaps even more importantly, it manages access to all user privacy settings related to location-based services.
with this in mind, it is clear that disabling google play services is not an option. instead, follow the methods below in order until you find a solution that makes the error go away.
Method 1: Make sure you have enough storage space and memory
Before we get a little more technical, let’s clear up two things. Does your device suffer from insufficient space? Do you have a habit of leaving many applications running in the background? if that’s the case, the error is likely due to your own action.
google play services need space and free ram to store updates and move things. Even if this app does take precedence when it comes to using system resources, given the fragmented nature of android, that’s not always the case. this is what to do:
- To simply matters, try to use your build-in phone manager to achieve this. Almost every manufacturer has one, with names ranging from Phone Manager to Smart Storage.
- Open the app and hit Optimize (Cleanup) to make the task manager clear the right data for you.
- Make sure you have at least 500 MB of free storage space. If the cleanup app didn’t free that much, try to uninstall some apps you use rarely.
- Restart your device and try to keep the processes running in the background to a minimum.
- If the error reappears, move over to method 2.
If your android doesn’t have a task manager or cleaner app installed, you can do it yourself, but it will take some time. here’s how:
- Go to Settings and tap on Storage.
- You should see a list with how your storage is distributed. Tap on Cached data and confirm by hitting Delete.
- Hit the back icon and tap on Used space. See if you can delete any files under Pictures, videos, or move them to your SD card.
- If you’re still under the 500 MB threshold, uninstall rarely used apps until you get there.
- Go to Settings > Apps (Applications) and tap on Application Manager.
- Swipe from left to right until you get to the Running tab. Make sure your system has at least 200 MB of free RAM.
- If it doesn’t, see which apps aside from the one belonging to Android use the most RAM memory. Tap on them and hit Stop.
- Now use your phone like you’d normally do and see if the issue repeats.
Method 2: Give permissions again
Many times, google play services misbehave when they can’t use all the permissions they need. Although this will not happen without provocation, it is possible that you have disabled them by mistake or that some third-party applications have done it for you. Here’s how to make sure that’s not the case:
- Go to Settings and tap on Apps (Applications).
- Make sure you select the All apps filter, scroll down and tap on Google Play Services.
- Tap on Permissions and see whether all of them are granted.
- If you see a permission that isn’t granted, enable it.
- Reboot your device and see if the error is gone.
method 3: clear data and cache
Considering the fact that this application deals with many different processes, it can easily crash or become clunky. although this is less common in the latest versions of android like nougat or marshmallow, it can still happen. Here’s how to clear data and cache for google play services:
- Go to Settings and tap on Apps (Applications).
- Make sure the All apps filter is selected and scroll down to Google Play Services.
- Once inside, tap on Storage and hit Manage Space.
- Tap on Clear All Data and wait for your device to recalculate your storage space.
- Go back to Storage and tap on Clear Cache.
- Restart your device and see if the issue repeats.
method 4: clear the google services framework cache
android has a separate system process called google services framework. this framework is responsible for syncing and storing device data. sometimes force stopping before clearing the cache will make the error go away. this is how it’s done:
- Go to Settings and tap on Application Manager. Note: Some manufacturers hide system processes somewhere in the app tab. If you can’t find Application Manager, go to Settings > Apps (Applications) and tap on the menu icon (three-dot icon). From there select Show System processes.
- Now scroll down to Google Services Framework and tap on it.
- Tap on Force Stop.
- Go to Storage and tap on Clear Cache.
- Reboot your device and see if the error is gone.
method 5: force update google play services
Not all of you can follow this method because some android manufacturers prefer to restrict this option. but if you are rooted or working with a version of android closer to the standard version, you might be able to do it.
Usually if the error originates from google products like google play store, google+, hangouts or google analytics, forcing an update might make the error go away. this is what to do:
- Go to Settings > Security > Device administrators.
- Deactivate Android Device Manager. Note: If you don’t see Android Device Manager in that list, skip this method.
- Go to Settings and tap on Apps (Applications).
- Make sure the All apps filter is on, scroll down and tap on Google Play Services.
- Tap on Uninstall updates and restart your device.
- Go back to Settings > Security > Device administrators and activate Android Device Manager.
- Wait for it to update again and see if the issue repeats.
method 6: uninstall/reinstall conflicting apps
sometimes google play services crash with certain apps. If you’ve gotten this far without finding a fix for the error, it’s likely that the problem is with an app. The best known applications to fail with google play services are gmail, hangouts, google maps and duo.
Instead of dealing with each one, you can identify the cause by looking at when the error appears. If you get the error “unknown problem with google play services” when trying to open gmail, that’s probably it. Following the same train of thought, if you get the error when enabling your location, you should probably blame google maps.
Another clear indicator of the culprit is if the error started appearing at the time a certain application was updated. this is what to do:
- Go to settings > apps (applications) and select the all apps filter.
- tap the app that you suspect might be in conflict with google play services.
- start by tapping storage and clear data & cache.
- if possible, press uninstall or uninstall updates.
- reboot your device and see if the problem recurs. if so, repeat steps 1 to 4 with other google apps like gmail, hangouts, duo, drive, gboard, google+, google music, etc.
Method 7: Uninstall Password Managers
Some password manager apps like lastpass or 1password are known to cause this error on older versions of android. if you’re not on nougat, try uninstalling any password manager apps you might have on your system and see if the problem recurs.
- go to settings > apps and tap your password manager.
- press uninstall.
- restart your device.
method 8: re-update your device if google play services moved (rooted users only)
Given the fact that google play services take up more than 500mb of your device storage, you might be tempted to move away from your data partition. Well, no! will cause many apps to misbehave and display this error. I know because it’s happened to me.
with the latest updates (starting with marshmallow), google play services have become more responsive and should not be tampered with.
If you’re not rooted, android will prevent you from doing this, but if you used an app like root explorer to move google play services elsewhere, that’s probably the cause. If you find yourself in this situation, the only way forward is to re-flash your device.