Google Play Store when roaming?

[csin82]

I'm on the Vodafone 20Gb for £20 they were selling in October 2016. This comes with 2Gb of European data. This is working fine for web, messaging etc but I can't seem to download apps or updates from the Google Play Store. It gets stuck on 'downloading' but never starts. I have to find wi-fi to get them to work.

I can download over 4G fine in the UK. I've checked my phone settings and it is set to allow app updates over 4G. Anyone else have this problem and know of a solution?

Thanks.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi

Most phones have settings to restrict downloading apps and updates via mobile data as they can sometimes be quite large. 

I understand you've checked settings in your phone.

Have you also checked any preference settings on your playstore by accessing it online and not necessarily through the playstore app. 

[Annie_N]

@csin82

I encountered a slightly different problem, when I found that my phone was busily updating apps over wifi in a situation in which that wasn't a permitted use of the wifi connection.

As a result, I found that there were settings in multiple places, which might affect the behaviour of my phone. In my case, the setting I needed was within the Play Store app, rather than the phone's settings.

Could this be the answer for you as well? Within the settings for the app is one to control auto-update of apps. The alternatives are 

Do not auto-update

Auto-update at any time

Auto-update over wifi only

In my case I moved temporarily to the first one. Perhaps you need the middle one?

[Retired-Tom]

@csin82 Try going to settings > apps > all, select Google Play Store, clear cache/clear data and then force stop. Do the same for Download Manager then try downloading the updates again.

[hrym]

---

@Annie_N wrote:

The alternatives are 

Do not auto-update

Auto-update at any time

Auto-update over wifi only

---

Ah,have Google finally added auto update on wifi only?   The last time I checked, it only had an on/off toggle.  They've had it for Docs, Photos, etc for ages.

[Annie_N]

I'm not sure how long the 3 options have been available - I'd have said it was a fair while, since I had entirely forgotten about the control when I realised I was breaching the wifi rules on East Coast Trains.

I spent a while looking in my phone's settings rather than the app, then gave up and turned off wifi rather than risk "trouble". I believe it was you, @hrym, who pointed me in the direction of the app for some additional controls?

Current screen:

Certainly the "wifi only" setting is the useful one around here, as updating anything above a very small app would be a slow process over mobile data.

[hrym]

It was.   At the time, I think I said it was either on or off.  As a result of what you said earlier, I've revisited it and found the "only over wifi" option, the lack of which has been a minor grumble for a while.   I'm not sure whether I prefer to do it manually when I'm ready, rather than have it kick in when I maybe don't want it (on wifi for short period, a slow network or doing something else), but I'm giving it a go.

The only time I've done updates over mobile data was when a new device seemed to be on Auto by default, but it was quite quick - didn't try on 2G but did as soon as I got 3G and had finished before I could work out how to stop it :smileyembarrassed:.   It's my limited data allowance that stops me doing it regularly.

[csin82]

Thanks for the tips - none seemed to have worked but I managed to download the app I wanted over wi-fi. Given I'm not roaming that often in not going to worry about it too much. Could be a problem with the local French operator for all I know.