[FIXED] Looks Like Another App is Blocking Access To Google Play

[FIXED] Looks Like Another App is Blocking Access To Google Play

Google Playstore is the official digital market for the Android operating system developed by Google. It provides more than 2 million apps, games, and other features to billions of users. Moreover, Google plays includes apps and games and allows users to download/update and purchase e-books and magazines.

Google play music makes it more convenient for users to listen to unlimited music. You can opt for this feature and start with 30 days free trial. And if you want it, you can pay $9.99 per month to access this feature.

Google Play Store allows users to download and purchase various games, music apps, e-books, movies, and other useful applications and tools. However, many users often complain about android’s low-key performance and errors.

If you are an Android device user, you may face such errors or bugs and constantly try to fix those issues. Here we describe one of the most annoying errors which frequently appears on the screen. When you try to download any app or game, you may have seen ‘Looks like another app is blocking access to Google Play on your mobile screen.

Moreover, in some cases, it also displays, ‘It seems that another app is blocking access to Google Play.’

If you are facing this error on your device and looking for a permanent solution, this article will help you know more about the error and various ways to fix it.

Error “Looks Like Another App is Blocking Access To Google Play”

Android is one of the most used operating systems all over the globe. With its affordability, ease of use, and flexibility, many people prefer to use it. Google Play is one of the most used apps on Android smartphones.

However, due to its negative performance and errors like features, it faces backlash from many users. Annoying errors and bugs frequently irritate users.

One of the most irritating errors that generally appears in Google Play is when you try to download any applications, games, or movies, regardless of whether they are free to use or by purchasing them. It will display a message on your screen. This message says, ‘ Looks like another app is blocking access to Google Play. Turn off any apps that might be drawing over the screen and try again.’

This error is mainly caused by apps running in the background or Google Plays updates. Sometimes, when you restart your phone, this error will automatically resolve. However, if your device faces any other issue, you have to resolve that, and then you can follow the steps below to fix the error.

Why does Another App On An Android Device block Google Play Access?

Android users frequently encounter several annoying errors such as short battery life, slowdown of applications, and apps crashing or not responding. Errors on Google Play are not new errors. Many users are tired of such notifications. 

Users encounter this same error when they update or download any application from Google Play Store. 

There can be various reasons behind this error. We will discuss the major reasons behind this error. In the following part of this article, we will also provide you with the best possible solutions to use Google Play without any obstacles.

The reasons are as follows:

• Third-Party Applications: 

When we download applications or games from an unknown source or website, we automatically grant permission to those third-party external applications to run on our device.

Official Google Play and services do not verify these external applications. When you allow permissions to such applications, it will somehow create security issues, and your privacy can be harmed due to these outside apps.

So, verify the source for safety and privacy whenever you download/install apps from unknown sources.

• Updates Of Google Play Service: 

Google Play Services automatically updates regularly. If any updates remain pending, then there are high chances that you might face Google Play-related errors or bugs.

Make sure you complete any pending updates before downloading/updating applications from Google Play Store.

• Applications Running in the Background

Some apps may run in the background of your device when you minimize those apps and switch to another. These apps generally run in the background and may consume mobile data even if you’re not actively using them.

However, you can enable or disable app permission to run in the background. You can select the apps you want to keep running in the background and which apps you won’t.

Due to excessive use of devices and parallel running applications in the background, your Android device may face errors. Moreover, many users face short battery life and high internet data consumption due to those apps.

• Outdated Android OS: 

If the Android operating system on your device is outdated or of a previous version, you will see several errors and bugs in your mobile phone. To run the application and devices without any errors, ensure that your Android system is up to date, and if it’s not, then you can update it to the latest Android version.

Here are the steps to check your Smartphone’s Android version.

1. Open ‘Settings’ 
2. Now, look for ‘About phone.’ Tap on it.
3. After that, tap on ‘Advanced’ and then ‘System.’
4. Now click on ‘Download’ if any updates are available.

How To Fix The Error?

Many Android device users frequently face this error mentioning, “Looks like another app is blocking access to Google Play.” This error appears when you try to download apps from Google Playstore or when you update the Google Playstore. 

Here we will try to explain all the steps so that you can easily get rid of such annoying errors and download apps without any obstacles.

• #1 Restart Your Phone
• #2 Uninstall the Google Play Updates
• #3 Turn off the ‘Appear On Top’ Option
• #4 Remove Your Google Account
• #5 Clear Google Play Service Data and Cache Files
• #6 Contact Google Play Store for Technical Support.

Step 1: Restart Your Phone

The error might be due to various reasons. If several apps run in the background, they may use high mobile data, and in some cases, multiple apps face crashes. Due to excessive usage and poor operating system performance, you may encounter errors in Google Playstore. Generally, this error pops up on your screen and includes a message: “Looks like another app is blocking access to Google Play.”

This error keeps displaying on your device when you download or update an application from Google Play. 

To get rid of this annoying error, restart your device. If you do so, all the applications on your device will rearrange automatically, and you won’t see such an error further. 

To restart your android device, hold the power button for a while. Now you will see the ‘Restart’ option tap on that, and your device will immediately restart. The restart option will force close every application running in the background.

Step 2: Uninstall The Google Play Updates

The error may appear when you try to update your Google Play or after completing the entire update process. You may have seen a notification stating that “Looks like another app is blocking access to Google Play,” After that, if you try to download any app from the store, you will be able to install it on your device. Follow these steps to Uninstall all the Google Play Store Updates.

• Open your device Settings:

The first step to uninstall updates is to go to your system settings and follow the further steps mentioned below.

• Go to the Apps option:

After tapping on Settings, you will see many options such as About phone, System Apps Updater, Security status, etc. You have to tap on the ‘Apps’ Option.

If you find it difficult, type ‘Apps’ in the search bar and hit enter. 

This will lead you to the Apps menu.

• Tap on Google Play Store:

Once you open the ‘Apps’ option, you will see six different options related to your Android device’s Apps.

Now tap on the ‘Manage apps’ menu option.

Once you select apps and tap on the Manage apps menu, you will see a list of applications already installed on your device. This Manage Apps section also includes information about when you use any application and how much data it uses.

After that, scroll down until you find the ‘Google Play Store.’ You can also search ‘Google Play Store’ on the search bar.

• Now Tap on Three Dots Uninstall Updates for The App: 

Once you open ‘Google Play Store’ in your Manage apps menu, you will see information about services.

Here, you will see details about the app, such as storage, data usage, battery, and permissions you are allowed to access such applications.

Now, you will see ‘Uninstall Updates’ at the bottom of your mobile screen. Tap on it, and it will fix your bug/error within a few seconds.

Step 3: Turn Off the ‘Appear On Top’ Option

Another solution for this error is to Disable the ‘Appear On Top’ Option. This feature is also called ‘Screen overlay.’

Go to Settings: To uninstall your system app, the first step is to open system ‘Settings’ on your device. Similarly, to disable ‘Appear On Top, ’ you need to open ‘Settings’ on your mobile.

Open Privacy Protection section: Once you go to settings in your Android device, now you need to open the ‘Privacy Protection’ menu from settings.

Now, look for ‘Privacy Protection’ in the settings and scroll down until you see an option named ‘Privacy Protection.’ 

You can also type it on the search bar and hit enter to navigate it easily.

Now Tap on ‘Special Access’: Once you open the ‘Privacy Protection’ option in the settings, you have to look for ‘Special Access’ or ‘Special Permissions.’

Under ‘Privacy Protection,’ tap on ‘Special Permissions to ‘Disable Appear on Top’ option.

After That, Select ‘Appear On Top’:

You will see many options when you open the ‘Special Permission’ menu. You need to tap on ‘Display over other apps.’

Tap on ‘Disable Appear on Top For All Apps’:

When you tap on the ‘Display over other apps.’ menu, several applications will appear on your mobile screen.

If your Google Play Store displays an error stating that ‘Another app appears to be restricting access to Google Play Store,’ then you can disable all the other apps by tapping on it manually.

Step 4: Remove Your Google Account

If you have more than one Gmail/Google account, you can remove an account in which you are facing this error. Having multiple google accounts puts a strain on your device and may affect its battery life. You may experience that when you receive emails from several sources in your multiple Gmail/Google accounts, it hinders the process of google accounts, or the app might crash.

If you face such errors on your device and have multiple accounts, it’s better to delete your unwanted or less important Google Account.

It would help if you remembered that when you remove/delete any particular Google account from your device, all the details, such as emails, apps, contacts, settings, and many others, will be removed.

To remove your Google Account from your device, follow these steps.

• Open Settings on Your Device: To remove or delete your Google account from your Android device, you must open ‘Settings’ on your device.

Swipe down from the screen and look for the gear icon. You can also go to settings from the app menu.

• Tap on the ‘Accounts’ option: Under the settings, you will see many options

Scroll down and look for the ‘Accounts’ option. You can also search for the ‘Accounts and Backup’ option from the search bar.

• Look for the Google account, Including the Email Address: Once you tap on ‘Accounts,’ you can see different Google accounts you have created. 

Now tap on that particular account you want to delete from your device permanently. Look for the Email address under the Google account icon and tap on that.

• Go To ‘Remove Account’: Below the Google account and email address, you will see a tap option ‘Remove Account’ tap on that.

Remember, once you delete your google account, you will not be able to access any of the apps, contacts, settings, etc., associated with the account.

• Fill in Your Password/Pin in The Section: To confirm and verify that you want to remove an account, add the pin or password. You can also add fingerprints to verify.
  
• Enter Your New Google Account: Once you complete the above steps, your account will be deleted.

Now you have to create a new account on your device. To create an account, go back to the previous screen and tap ‘Add accounts.’

Tap on ‘G’ Google, and you can add a new account on Google.

• Enter Your Google Account Password: Once you add a new account by applying the Email address, you will see a new screen asking you to add a strong password for your safety. 

Add a password for your new account.

Now you will have to sync your Google account with Google PlayStore.

Step 5: Clear Google Play Service Data And Cache Files

Cache files are also known as temporary files. These files carry information about almost every application. If your device keeps lagging or freezing, you can delete these files and clear data anytime. Clearing these unwanted files allows apps to run better without any hurdles. Due to these temporary files, users often find their device’s slow performance. 

Follow the instructions below to clear Google to play service data and cache files.

• Open Settings In Your Device: To remove errors, you must clear unwanted data and temporary cache files from your device storage. For this, you need to open your device settings. 
• Tap On Apps: You will find the ‘Apps’ option in the settings. Scroll down until you find ‘Apps’ and tap on that option. However, you can also look for Apps by normally typing in the search bar and hitting enter.
• Now Select ‘Manage Apps’: Once you open the ‘Apps’ successfully, you will see ‘Manage Apps’ in the apps option; tap on that for further process.
• After That, Choose ‘Google Play Services’: Under ‘Manage Apps,’ you will see a list of applications that runs on your Android device.

Now scroll down, look for ‘Google Play Service,’ and tap on that. You can also search for the same in Search Bar.  

• Tap on ‘Force Stop’: When you select ‘Google Play Service,’ you will move ahead and reach the main screen of the system; from there, you can clear unwanted data and temporary cache files.

When you open that service app, you will see App info such as storage, data usage, and battery with a percentage indicator. 

At the bottom, three options will display on the screen, including ‘Force stop,’ ‘Uninstall,’ and ‘Clear data. 

To reset your application, tap on ‘Force stop.’ Make sure you don’t go back and let it complete the process.

• Now Click on ‘Clear data’ and select ‘Clear Cache’:

Once your device and application reset after ‘Force stop,’ tap on ‘Clear Data’ and select ‘Clear Cache.’

This clear cache option will automatically delete unwanted temporary files from your device, and you can run an application without any error.

Step 6: Contact Google Play Store For Technical Support

After trying all the above methods and your error remains, you can contact Google Play for technical support. Here is the process: You can easily contact GoogleP lay and file your report to fix a bug/error.

• First, open your Google Play application on your device
• Now, click on the ‘Account profile’ option from the upper right corner of the application.
• Once you tap on your account profile, you will see several options in the menu. Select the ‘Help and Feedback’ option from the bottommost section.
• The above step leads you to the official page of Google Playstore Help. 
• In the ‘Help and Feedback’ page, you will find ‘Contact Us’ under the ‘Need more help?’ section.
• This will lead you to a page where you can describe your issue related to the error.
• Now, click on ‘Next Step.’
• After that, you will see a ‘Contact option’ page.
• Under the ‘Contact option’ page, you need to select desired support issue.
• However, you can also contact the team for support via chat or email.

Final Words:

Many Android users encounter with ‘Looks like another app is blocking access to Google play’ error. They are constantly looking for a permanent solution so the app works properly. This error sometimes appears as ‘It seems another app is blocking access to Google Play.’

In normal circumstances, you can fix this issue by restarting your device. A restart will automatically stop all the applications running in the background. 

Some users unintentionally use third-party applications from an unknown source. Many developers upload their apps and games on their websites, and such apps/games are not verified through Google. 

Before downloading such apps, verify the source and secure your device from any unwanted virus or malware.

Due to such an error, you can not download or install any apps, games, make payments, or any other feature of Google Play, and with the available storage, you are still unable to make further processes.

In addition, several errors in the Google play service might hinder your journey to utilize Android apps, games, and other tools.

Hopefully, this article will help you understand errors better, and with the help of the above-mentioned solutions, you can easily resolve the issue. However, you can also contact the team for technical support. If you can not solve the error, they will assist you and fix bugs, if any.