Android 'Google Play Services Has Stopped' — Fix Guide

What it means

'Google Play Services has stopped' (or 'Google Play Services keeps stopping') means the background service that most Google features and many third-party apps depend on has crashed.
It's a noisy error because Play Services is what lets apps sign in with Google, get push notifications, check your location, and update themselves.
The usual causes are a corrupted cache, an out-of-date Play Services, a wrong system clock, or trouble with your Google account on the phone.

Affected Models

All Android phones and tablets with Google services (Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, OnePlus, Motorola, Xiaomi global, Realme, Oppo, Nokia)
Not applicable to Huawei phones sold without Google services, or to most Amazon Fire tablets
Often appears alongside crashes in Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Chrome, and most banking apps

Common Causes

Cached data for Google Play Services is corrupted
Google Play Services or Google Services Framework is out of date
Phone's date/time is wrong, breaking secure Google connections
Google account on the phone has a sign-in problem
Recent Android system update has a known bug — usually patched in the next maintenance release
Phone is on a very old Android version Google no longer fully supports
Permissions for Play Services were revoked

How to Fix It

Restart the phone.

Hold the power button and choose Restart.
This clears stuck Play Services from memory and is the fix for most one-off crashes.
Update Google Play Services.

Open the Play Store, tap your profile, tap Manage apps & device, and update everything pending.
You can also search 'Google Play Services' in the Play Store and tap Update directly.
A version mismatch between Play Services and the apps that use it is a frequent cause.
Clear Play Services cache (and data, if needed).

Settings > Apps > Google Play Services > Storage > Clear cache.
If the crashes keep happening, come back and tap Manage space > Clear all data — you'll be signed out and have to sign back into Google on first launch, but it fixes most stubborn cases.
Do the same for Google Services Framework and Google Play Store.
Fix the system date and time.

Settings > System > Date & time — turn on 'Set automatically' (or 'Use network-provided time').
A wrong clock breaks secure Google handshakes and Play Services crashes hitting them.
This is a known cause that's easy to miss.
Remove and re-add your Google account.

Settings > Accounts > Google > [your account] > Remove account.
Reboot the phone.
Then sign back into the account.
This refreshes the credentials Play Services uses and fixes 'keeps stopping' loops that survive cache clears.
Update Android.

Settings > System > System update.
Play Services crashes are a common thing Google and the phone maker patch — install anything pending, especially after a major Android update where a known bug was the trigger.
Factory reset only if nothing else works.

On a phone where every step above has failed, back up your data (Settings > Google > Backup) and factory reset (Settings > System > Reset).
Set the phone up fresh and add your Google account.
If even a freshly reset phone keeps crashing Play Services, the Android build for that phone has a bug — contact the manufacturer's support and check for a system update that addresses it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Google Play Services keep stopping right after I unlock the phone?

That pattern usually means Play Services is trying to do something secure as soon as the phone is unlocked — sync, location, sign-in — and failing.
The two most common causes are a wrong system clock (turn on automatic date/time) and stale cached data (Settings > Apps > Google Play Services > Storage > Clear cache).
If clearing the cache doesn't help, clear data, then re-sign in to your Google account.
That combination fixes the unlock-then-crash loop in most cases without a factory reset.