android 5 (lollipop) will not accept updates to google apps

[Android Central Question]

this problem started at the end of october/ beginning of november 2018.
my tablet running android 5 stopped allowing google apps (docs, gmail, youtube and youtube tv) to update. Ive tried every site and every remedy on the web (many, many times each) then I came across this article;
https://www.androidcentral.com/google-play-updates-2018
Is this causing my issues?
the list of apps no longer updating is now growing and I have had to resort to october apk file installs to keep some of them functioning at all (playstore, drive).
Ideas?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Which tablet do you have? See this similar thread for a suggestion: https://forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/930254-google-apps-only-not-updating.html#post6424030

I don't think the issue in that article applies to you, since all of those apps are from Google.

 

[George_R_Young]

I have the same problem with an Acer ICONIA ONE 7 B1-770-K476 Android 5.0.1 tablet. Started late November/early December depending on the app. So far applies to Drive, Maps, Calendar, Gmail and Google. Apps seem to download from PlayStore, then try to install for 10 - 15 minutes, then fail with either error -504 or 910. Installation also fails for side-loading the same apk.

Contacted Google Support but they said to contact Acer, even though the problem is only with Google apps, and only the latest versions. I didn't find that either smart or helpful.

 

[B. Diddy]

Is Google Play Services up to date? I'm currently on 14.7.99.

 

[George_R_Young]

Google Play Services same version.

 

[B. Diddy]

Ok, and you already tried clearing the cache and data from both Google Play Store and Google Play Services (as mentioned in my previous linked thread)?

 

[Akshayshinde]

Just change the device. I mean the pie is out still using Lollipop.

 

[George_R_Young]

Ok, and you already tried clearing the cache and data from both Google Play Store and Google Play Services (as mentioned in my previous linked thread)?

Yes, plus factory reset (twice) plus re-flash with the stock rom. Older versions of Google apps install, newest ones do not. For example, side-loading Google Drive 2.18.462 works, but 2.18.482 will not install, either from Google Play or via side-loading.

 

[Rukbat]

A lot of newer versions depend on things in newer APIs in Android, and with an older version of Android, they just won't install.

 

[B. Diddy]

That was my thought as well, although I thought the sunsetting APIs were for Jellybean and possibly KitKat.

 

[George_R_Young]

Great news! Google Maps 10.6.2 installed. Previously 10.5.1 installed, 10.5.2 and 10.6.1 would not.

Isn't Android wonderful.

FYI, all 5 of these apps have a claimed minimum API of Android 5 or lower.

 

[Rukbat]

That was my thought as well, although I thought the sunsetting APIs were for Jellybean and possibly KitKat.

Actually, if an app is written with a max API level of 27, it won't even work on Pie (it will on Oreo). If it's written with a minimum API level of 28, it won't run on anything older than Pie. (The last version of Android Studio seemed to have a problem with that - it wasn't always showing everything dragged and dropped to it - exactly the same as my analog clock widget on Pie (which worked on Oreo). The icon is there, but it's invisible. (Old song title, sung to eerie music - "Strange Things are Happening".)

 

[George_R_Young]

Arghh, now Maps 10.7.1 won't update. I guess 10.6.2 was a fluke.

 

[George_R_Young]

Interesting, I downloaded maps 10.7.1 for Android 4.4 (minimum) and it installed fine.

 

[rstex]

hello, I am the original poster of this question.

as you can see its been months of trying to solve this problem.
2 days ago I seemed to have hit upon something. I unmounted the sd card. then I removed the bitdefender app that i used to scan the storage with. all the google apps updated from the playstore instantly. prior to doing these 2 things only playstore apps NOT from google would update. Google apps would download, signal they were installing then fail.

I remounted the sd card and have had several apps update with it back in place too. I am not sure if it was the card, or bitdefender or a wicked combo of both, but updates are back to normal now. i had bitdefender on this notebook for over a year w/o problems, unfortunately I cant recall if it had been updated prior to this situation. it is no longer installed.

I hope this can help someone else.

 

[George_R_Young]

Thank you rstex. I don't have bitdefender but I do have an SD card. There were also 3 google apps begging for updates, Maps, Google and Android System Webview, which would refuse to install.

I unmounted and removed the SD card and then Maps and Google installed successfully. Android System Webview still refused to install.

I'd love to hear any theories as to why this works.

Edit: Spoke too soon, Maps now refuses to update, regardless of SD card state.