Sometimes you may find that file downloads from Google Chrome, or app downloads from the Google Play Store, pause halfway through download and cannot be resumed or restarted. In essence, these Android paused downloads have frozen.
To learn how to fix an Android paused download, un-freeze it and be able to access whichever apps, files, photos, videos or songs you like from the internet or app market, follow our simple step-by-step tutorials below.
We recommend trying our methods from #1 to #6 in order. One, if not several, of them should help to fix your paused downloads issue, regardless of whether the issue is with the Play Store or Chrome.
For any other information, or if you have further questions, see our FAQ section at the end of this article.
Note: Make sure your device is running the latest OS update from Android to maximize your phone’s efficiency and capabilities.
Table of Contents
How to fix an Android paused download (Method #1)
If you have a lot of apps running in the background, then this method might solve the problem.
- On your Android device, go to ‘Settings’ by tapping the cog-shaped ‘Settings’ app icon
- Scroll down and find ‘Device Care’
- Open the ‘Device Care’ settings by tapping on this option
- Next, tap ‘Memory’
- Your phone will scan itself to check which apps are running in the background, tap ‘Clean now’ once the scan is complete
- Hopefully, you should now have freed up the memory your phone needs to allow Play Store to run in the background again and thus complete the download
How to fix an Android paused download (Method #2)
If your phone’s storage space is low, then this method might fix your paused download.
- On your Android device, go to ‘Settings’ by tapping the cog-shaped ‘Settings’ app icon
- Scroll down and find ‘Device Care’
- Open the ‘Device Care’ settings by tapping on this option
- Next, tap ‘Storage’
- It’s possible your download paused because you don’t have enough free storage space on your phone for it, thus you’ll need to clear some room
- To do so, tap one of the options in storage: Documents, Images, Videos, Audio, Apps, or Themes
- Your phone will provide you a list of the least frequently used or interacted-with files and apps
- To delete any files or apps, simply tap the empty circle to the left of each of them in turn, and when satisfied with your selection, then tap ‘Delete’ or ‘Uninstall’ at the bottom of your screen
- Your phone should now hopefully have the storage space for the download which paused, and so it should resume automatically (or you can manually resume it and it should now work)
How to fix an Android paused download (Method #3)
If you’re attempting to download files or apps using cellular data, then this method might fix the issue.
- On your Android device, go to ‘Settings’ by tapping the cog-shaped ‘Settings’ app icon
- Scroll down and find ‘Apps’ or ‘Applications’
- Open up the settings for your Apps by tapping on this option
- Scroll down through the list of your installed apps and tap on ‘Chrome’ (if your downloads are pausing through Chrome) or ‘Google Play Store’ (if your downloads are pausing through the app market)
- Next, tap on ‘Mobile data’
- Ensure that ‘Allow background data usage’ is toggled to ON (blue, instead of gray) by tapping the button to the right of this option
- Ensure that ‘Allow app while Data saver on’ is also toggled to ON by tapping this button as well
- If using cellular/mobile data for your downloads, you should find the issue is now resolved
How to fix an Android paused download (Method #4)
If your phone is in battery saver mode, then this method might help to restart those paused downloads for you.
- On your Android device, go to ‘Settings’ by tapping the cog-shaped ‘Settings’ app icon
- Scroll down and find ‘Apps’ or ‘Applications’
- Open up the settings for your Apps by tapping on this option
- Scroll down through the list of your installed apps and tap on ‘Chrome’ (if your downloads are pausing through Chrome) or ‘Google Play Store’ (if your downloads are pausing through the app market)
- Next, tap on ‘Battery’
- Make sure that ‘Allow background activity’ is toggled to ON (blue not gray) by tapping the button to the right of this option
- Next, tap on ‘Optimize battery usage’
- Tap ‘Apps not optimized’ and from the drop-down menu select ‘All’
- Scroll down to ‘Chrome’ and/or ‘Google Play Store’ respectively
- Toggle battery optimization settings for these apps to OFF (gray not blue) by tapping the buttons to the right of them
- Note: This will ensure that when you are in battery saver mode, the functions of these apps will remain unimpeded
- You should now be able to exit out of ‘Settings’ and see that your paused downloads restart even whilst your device is in battery saving mode
How to fix an Android paused download (Method #5)
If your downloads from the Google Chrome browser app are pausing, then try this method.
- On your Android device, go to ‘Settings’ by tapping the cog-shaped ‘Settings’ app icon
- Scroll down and find ‘Apps’ or ‘Applications’
- Open up the settings for your Apps by tapping on this option
- Scroll down through the list of your installed apps and tap on ‘Chrome’
- Next, tap on ‘Storage’
- Finally, tap ‘Clear cache’ at the bottom-right of the screen
- You should now find that your Chrome downloads restart
How to fix Android paused downloads (Method #6)
If all else fails, then we recommend simply restarting your phone by pressing and holding the ‘Power’ button on the side of your device, and then tapping ‘Restart’ from the selection of pop-up options. You should find that when you try to restart your paused Android download once the phone has rebooted it will work just fine.
And there you have 6 distinct methods for fixing an Android paused download. If you have any other queries, or would like more information on the subject, please do check out our FAQs below.
FAQs
Why are my Android downloads not completing?
Android smartphones, like mini pocket-sized computers, offer their users the ability to download anything they like – either apps from the Google Play Store, or files, photos, videos and music from the internet (usually via Google Chrome).
Unfortunately, some users have experienced issues with downloading files to their Android device, in that the download starts, but then pauses halfway and cannot be resumed. There are many potential reasons for why this might happen, and in the tutorials above we’ve attempted to address each of the most likely causes with an easy-to-follow set of instructions.
A few likely reasons why your Android downloads are pausing and not completing include: issues with storage space, limitations on cellular data (AKA mobile data or internet), phone memory, full browser cache, or battery saver settings interfering in downloads.
To learn how to overcome any download-stopping issue, follow our tutorials above.
Is the download problem with my Android phone or Google?
Different users appear to be experiencing different issues with their Android phone when it comes to downloads pausing midway. Some of them report this issue occurring when attempting to download a new app from the Android app market (AKA the Google Play Store), whilst others report the problem arising during downloading from Google Chrome (i.e. downloading files off of the internet).
These users are often concerned as to whether the problem with Android downloads pausing is to do with their actual smartphone, or simply the relevant app (Play Store or Chrome). Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to answer this question. At the end of the day, the root cause of the issue could be due to faults with either the device or the app.
The good news is that you shouldn’t worry too much. If your Android downloads are pausing or not completing, there are lots of methods you can use to attempt to fix the issue. Moreover, whatever the problem is, it most likely won’t pose any greater nuisance to your daily phone usage than hindering downloads.
What is the best method to fix a paused Android download?
There is no set “best” method for fixing an Android paused download, since there could be any number of root causes behind the issue, each of which requires its own technique in order to fix. Instead, we highly recommend that you read our article from the introduction through to the tutorials. It will help to guide you through the various processes you can employ to get your Android back working and downloading files and apps as usual.
