The Play Store may still indicate that there is an update available for the Google Play Games app even if you have upgraded it to the most recent version.
The Google Play Games app has been trapped in an update cycle since last month, according to multiple user reports. While the glitch hasn’t stopped the program from working, it is making an annoying “update available” notification appear under pending downloads.
Although no patch has been released as of yet, Google acknowledged the problem as early as mid-October and stated that it is looking into it. It then formally included the update flaw in its list of known problems, indicating that a patch is being developed. “We’re aware of an issue where Google Play Games is incorrectly indicating that an update is available. We’re working on a fix and will update this post when the issue is resolved,” reads Google’s community post.
The app is displayed under ‘Manage apps & device’ under the Pending downloads area, as can be seen in the brief GIF below. The most recent version of the app can be downloaded from the Play Store by tapping the update button next to the app’s name. An update is still available, as evidenced by the sudden return to the previous screen of the program listing in pending downloads after a brief pause.
Importantly, customers who experience the problem also mention that the ‘Update’ button is only available in the ‘Manage applications & device’ part of the app’s Play Store listing, and only the ‘Uninstall’ and ‘Open’ buttons are available. This shows that the most recent version of the app is already installed. As previously said, the bug hasn’t stopped the app from working and doesn’t appear to have negatively impacted performance in any way. However, given that the option is only accessible until all of the apps on the device have been updated, it is undoubtedly blocking users from being able to manually “Check for updates.”
In other places, users have attempted to reinstall the Google Play Games app and clean their cache and app data for both, but to no avail. Even after deleting the app and installing the most recent version from third-party app stores like APKMirror, users continue to receive notifications from the Play Store indicating that an update is available. People have vented their annoyance on Reddit, Google’s help page, and even the app’s listing. For comparison, the app had a 4.2 rating in September, according to Web Archive. The app currently has a rating of 3.9.
The typical fixes don’t seem to work here
“The same problem, clearing the cache of google play, google play games does not help. I deleted and reinstalled google play games, did not help. When I deleted gp games, the update disappeared. When I reinstalled gp games, the update returned and continues to hang,” wrote user Zastfazer, replying to a different Reddit user facing the same issue. Another user described the issue as a “nightmare,” highlighting the inconvenience that was caused while trying to troubleshoot the issue.
It is recommended that users wait for a formal Google remedy. Uninstalling the app until Google releases a fix could potentially be a smart move if your main worry is not being able to manually “Check for updates” and Play Games isn’t a major part of your daily Android usage.