Why does the play store open with an app every time I click on a link the Web browser?

[AC Question]

Starting yesterday, I noticed that when I do a Google search and try to click on a a link, it doesn't take me to the Web page, but to the app for that page. For example I do a search for the TV show Grimm, and it gives me a link to IMDB. I click the link and it opens a new page in the Google play store asking me to install the app for IMDB. Same thing for wikipedia. I don't want the apps I just wanted to go to the oage.

 

[itguyjax8430]

Starting yesterday, I noticed that when I do a Google search and try to click on a a link, it doesn't take me to the Web page, but to the app for that page. For example I do a search for the TV show Grimm, and it gives me a link to IMDB. I click the link and it opens a new page in the Google play store asking me to install the app for IMDB. Same thing for wikipedia. I don't want the apps I just wanted to go to the oage.

Welcome to Android Central!

Try going in to settings, apps, all apps, clear the default for your browser and the Play Store.

 

[tecred]

I'm having the exact same issue and it also just started yesterday for me too. Tried to clear by default but it say i have no defaults set for either the Internet or Play Store. I've noticed this problem happening only when im searching through Google. If i use Yahoo to search, it works correctly. Anymore suggestions

 

[Chris 9]

It is doing it on my new S7 as well. Extremely annoying, doing it for Walmart and Stack Overflow too. Only way to avoid it is to long click the link and select Open. Clicking the link directly opens the Play Store instead of just going to the link. Really stupid, has to be a bug....

 

[lephils]

Might be in the default settings for Google search. ?

 

[Xavier pinales]

Exact same problem...started happening last night...I have a S6 Edge

 

[crflore]

Happening on my lg v10 as well and I hate it.

 

[Chelleybelle77]

I noticed this happening today on my one month old Samsung Note 5. It only seems to happen on the phone's Internet browser. I turned off Javascript under the app's settings and Wikipedia links (and all pages/URLs mentioned above by other users) weren't redirecting to the Google Play store anymore. However, with javascript turned off, pages don't look the way they should.

Chrome browser app works fine. No problems there. Didn't need to mess with the settings. Crossing my fingers that it'll stay that way.

 

[woal]

same problem here
since yesterday as well
any solution so far?
in my case the only thing I made different yesterday was to add a new sdcard and I moved a lot of stuff from the device to the card
I have a samsung A5
any new ideas?
thans

 

[JonT123]

I had the problem the other day. I don't seem to now. The only thing I remember changing is going into application manager, then change system settings, clicking on Internet, and disabling it so it ant adjust system settings. Now, is the what fixed it? I don't know, but after I did that, I'm not having that problem.

 

[themanstan]

Likewise, solved via going to settings>applications manager> internet and clearing all the data.

Once done it stopped jumping to play store when opening wikipedia or imdb.

 

[Chelleybelle77]

I tried to clear data and cache, but unfortunately, it didn't work for me initially. Then I tried to Force Stop the app after clearing data and cache, and this seemed to do the trick for my phone.


My question is, what caused this to happen? It seemed to happen to all of us on the same day. Was there an Android security breach?

 

[themanstan]

If the app was up before you cleared cache and data then it would still have some of the operational services going till it was stopped.
I guess my post could have been clearer in that I'd already shut down the app before clearing the data and cache.

Given that so many of people appear to have this, i would say that it's unlikely to be a breach more likely to be a feature of an update.
In a breach you would expect to see internet taking you to pay apps, rather than free useful apps, i would rate both wiki and imdb as reputable