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Why is Google not working?

ANDROID smartphone users are still reporting problems with app crashes this morning (Wednesday March 24, 2021).

On Tuesday, Android users reported frequent app crashes on popular favourites such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Google browser, with the problem particularly affecting owners of Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

Reuters

Users are frequently reporting apps such as Gmail, Google and Yahoo Mail are crashing[/caption]

Why is Google not working?

The problem plauging smartphones on Tuesday was traced back to the Android System WebView.

System WebView – which is what apps use to display web content such as in-app web browsers – comes pre-installed on all Android phones.

The tech giant said simply updating the software would fix the issue in a statement, adding: “We have resolved the issue with WebView that caused some apps on Android to crash for some users.

“Updating Android System WebView and Google Chrome via Google Play should now resolve the issue.”

But despite the fix, Android userswere still unable to launch a number of popular apps, including Gmail and the Google app.

The issues, which started around 10pm last night, have continued into this morning.

SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett

Google says updating Android WebView should fix the problems plaguing Android Smartphones[/caption]

How do I check if Google isn’t working?

Updating the Android System WebView is the solution to fix the problems for good.

A separate Google Chrome update has also been issued to the Google Play Store.

Android WebView is a system component powered by Chrome that allows Android apps to display web content.

This means running the latest version of Chrome should fix all problems within affected apps

The official Gmail Twitter account has also suggested clearing the cache for the app could help solve the crash bug too. 

Android users need to go to Settings > Applications > Gmail > Storage > Clear Cache.

There are simple steps to take to check if your app has a problem or isn’t working properly by checking in the Google Play Store at your history.

 

Getty

Google have said that they were aware of the issues which first began on Tuesday, March 23 2021[/caption]

Users can open the Google Play Store, tap the hamburger menu in the upper-left corner, then select “My apps & games.” 

Apps that have updates available are listed.

If you see your malfunctioning app on the list, tap Update and then check it again to see if the issue has been resolved.

When else has Google crashed?

Google and many of its most popular services suffered a global outage at 11.30am on December 14, 2020.

Users of YouTube, Gmail, Google Docs and more all reported issues with the services during an hour of chaos.


It meant businesses and individuals around the world were affected by a loss of crucial services.

According to DownDetector’s live outage map, the problems affecting Google impacted people all over the world – with the most problems occurring in Europe.

The tech giant was reportedly aware of the problem but did given a reason for what happened when contacted for comment