Question Can't install or update anything via Google Play

[JakobFel]

I was told to come here after posting about this on Tom's Hardware, so here I am. I'm extremely illiterate when it comes to mobile devices so I apologize if this is something really obvious or easy to fix. I barely use my phone and only really use it as a mobile music player and for 2FA on Star Wars: The Old Republic.

I wanted to try to uninstall Google Chrome and install one of Opera's mobile browsers instead. First of all, I can't figure out how to do that so I figured I'd just try to keep Chrome and grab Opera anyways. I went to the Google Play store and for whatever reason, it refuses to download. It gives me an error message saying:;

"Can't download Opera browser with free VPN
Try again, and if it still doesn't work, see common ways to fix the problem."

I tried all of their suggestions to no avail so I just decided to ignore this. However, I also wanted to switch from Avast's mobile security to Kaspersky's but again, this issue cropped up. So, I decided to start trying to download and install other apps and absolutely none of them are working. I'm honestly not sure what else to do at this point.

This is an older phone, it's an LG Tracfone and it's apparently running Android 4.4. I can't recall the other specifications, it has been several years since I got it. Is there some way I can fix this issue or am I going to need to get a new phone? I've been thinking about doing so but I figure I should hold off until I absolutely need to do so, given how little I use it in the first place.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[puppykicker]

First of all, ditch the 'security ware'.
It is all snake oil, and on a device that old it will boat anchor the performance.

Second, there are a few reasons why PlayStore may not work for you.

If I remember right, PlayStore deprecated support for devices less than 5.0.
There are, however, still apps on there that are able to run on such devices- I don't know if Opera is one of them.
You can check in the app description.

Another thing is the PlayStore app itself.
First, open the app and enter the settings.
Go down to where it states the version of the PlayStore, and tap it.
It may say 'A new version of PlayStore will be installed', or 'PlayStore is up to date'.
Update it if you can.
Then try it again.
Work? If not, then..
you may need to reset it and Google Play Services as well.

Find PlayStore in your apps list
(your device may vary)
Settings
Apps
PlayStore
Storage
Clear cache

and do the same for Google Play Services.

Now try again.
If it does not work, then do the same thing over again for both apps, but also clear all data for both of them.

This will reset the settings in the PlayStore app, and you will need to go through them.

Also, Play Services will take 5-10 minutes to download what it needs to work again.

After all that, try again.

If you continue to have issues, it is often better to just use alternative appstores, as they sre much less hassle.

I currently use four, and none of them is Google.

F-Droid
UpToDown
APKMirror
ApkPure

 

[JakobFel]

First of all, ditch the 'security ware'.
It is all snake oil, and on a device that old it will boat anchor the performance.

Second, there are a few reasons why PlayStore may not work for you.

If I remember right, PlayStore deprecated support for devices less than 5.0.
There are, however, still apps on there that are able to run on such devices- I don't know if Opera is one of them.
You can check in the app description.

Another thing is the PlayStore app itself.
First, open the app and enter the settings.
Go down to where it states the version of the PlayStore, and tap it.
It may say 'A new version of PlayStore will be installed', or 'PlayStore is up to date'.
Update it if you can.
Then try it again.
Work? If not, then..
you may need to reset it and Google Play Services as well.

Find PlayStore in your apps list
(your device may vary)
Settings
Apps
PlayStore
Storage
Clear cache

and do the same for Google Play Services.

Now try again.
If it does not work, then do the same thing over again for both apps, but also clear all data for both of them.

This will reset the settings in the PlayStore app, and you will need to go through them.

Also, Play Services will take 5-10 minutes to download what it needs to work again.

After all that, try again.

If you continue to have issues, it is often better to just use alternative appstores, as they sre much less hassle.

I currently use four, and none of them is Google.

F-Droid
UpToDown
APKMirror
ApkPure

Thank you for your response. I'm thinking it may be that they ended support for my device as I can't seem to update the Play Store at all. I also couldn't seem to find the place to go to clear the cache and such. I'll look into your suggestions, thanks for the recommendations and for the suggestions!