Like the title says, I've noticed since updating to 7.1.2 at least 2-3 times a day I am thrown a notification for "updating Instant Apps" but it never tells me if it was updated or installed. I tried going to Settings -> Google -> Instant Apps and it is disabled yet these apps are auto-downloading and installing in the background. I have auto-updates off on the play store but this still occurs.
Is there anything I can do to disable or at least cripple the instant apps? I'm reading the purpose of instant apps is so you can try an application without installing it, I do not want to test drive apps like Buzzfeed so however I can disable it would be great
fatapia said:
Like the title says, I've noticed since updating to 7.1.2 at least 2-3 times a day I am thrown a notification for "updating Instant Apps" but it never tells me if it was updated or installed. I tried going to Settings -> Google -> Instant Apps and it is disabled yet these apps are auto-downloading and installing in the background. I have auto-updates off on the play store but this still occurs.
Is there anything I can do to disable or at least cripple the instant apps? I'm reading the purpose of instant apps is so you can try an application without installing it, I do not want to test drive apps like Buzzfeed so however I can disable it would be great
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, using Titanium Backup I couldn't find the package com.google.android.instantapps.supervisor but using a root explorer I found the application in /data/app/com.google.android.instantapps.supervisor-2
I also found saved data in /data/data/com.google.android.apps.instantapps.supervisor
I have no idea if this will prevent the service from auto-updating as it has been without permission but I know where it is now...
Update: Deleting both folders causing settings to crash when you go to Settings -> Google -> Instant apps, so it might be deleted off my phone entirely. I will update if I see the application re-install itself
Instant apps are temporary apps. So you can't uninstall them or disable it. It's a feature built into Android that is not going away. Your only option is to install a rom without Gapps. Otherwise deal with it.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
superchilpil said:
Instant apps are temporary apps. So you can't uninstall them or disable it. It's a feature built into Android that is not going away. Your only option is to install a rom without Gapps. Otherwise deal with it.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
deleting those two files seemed to have broken that feature.
My issue was that I disabled that service through settings as suggested by one of the google support pages but it would still download and install "Instant Apps" the service throughout the day, not the actual temporary apps themselves. So it's been dealt with lol
oh man, when i saw this i thought i had a virus on my phone.
especially when i couldn't find anything named "instant apps" in the app drawer
I am hoping that this will work for me as well. The first time I saw the instant apps pop up I just connected to a free wifi in Mexico and freaked out. This seriously bothers me. I uninstalled it and it came back update after update. I also will not be using any instant apps, so this is something I want to break.
speedee12 said:
I am hoping that this will work for me as well. The first time I saw the instant apps pop up I just connected to a free wifi in Mexico and freaked out. This seriously bothers me. I uninstalled it and it came back update after update. I also will not be using any instant apps, so this is something I want to break.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
some how it was pushed back on to my phone. this is not a permanent solution...
so I'm trying to disable this through other means now and I found something interesting? I need someone with more experience to chime in as far as what these* lines* do*.. and where I found it...
so in /data/data/com.google.android.apps.instantapps.supervisor/shared_prefs/phenotypeConfigurations.xml there are these three lines:
<boolean name="Supervisor__enable_instant_apps" value="true" />
<boolean name="Supervisor__disable_url_resolution" value="false" />
<boolean name="TestFeature__enable_test" value="true" />
I flipped the value of these three entries to see if this will disable it. I find it odd that for the first line it was set for "true" when the settings say it's off. I will update again if I see this come back. My coworker had suggested that this may be built in to the Google app itself? Let's see...
so I had to unroot my phone because I forgot to log into snapchat, then re-root after, and Instant Apps was back yet again. The changes I made to the XML file persisted but the app was back.
I think I found a way to remove it entirely. I used Root Explorer, idk what other applications would work for this. So I navigated back to /data/app/com.google.android.instantapps.supervisor-1 and I clicked the base.apk and I had an option to uninstall, I did this then rebooted my phone to see if reboots are why it fixes itself except the entry for Instant Apps has been removed from settings. This appears to permanently remove this feature.
every time I think I fix this it keeps coming back lol, I finally called Google Support and this is the first they are hearing of it. The application re-installed itself at 430-some Mountain Time on it's own, other times it re-installs upon reboot. I'm going to find a way to cripple it if google cant
I recommend calling support to let them know that Instant Apps is enabled even though the switch says it is disabled.
fatapia said:
every time I think I fix this it keeps coming back lol, I finally called Google Support and this is the first they are hearing of it. The application re-installed itself at 430-some Mountain Time on it's own, other times it re-installs upon reboot. I'm going to find a way to cripple it if google cant
I recommend calling support to let them know that Instant Apps is enabled even though the switch says it is disabled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same annoyances, "Installig Instant apps" notification appears randomly during the last month, and reading in the logcat they are updates/patches to the new feature, managed by finsky app (Play Store). The most scaring thing is that one time it appeared also during mobile data connection, which is not acceptable (and 800kb background data from Play Store). Google is being too aggressive with it. Why not simply integrate it and update it along with Play Services like the other 1000 google APIs ? !on WIFI!
Thank you for your tests, unfortunately the update process seems to be triggered by Google Play services itself or by Google play store.
I searched for related alarms/wakelocks in Amplify and could only found one wakelock coming from com.google.android.apps.instantapps.supervisor itself: .ExperimentUpdateService. I decided to keep it as this probably isn't the trigger.
ninestarkoko said:
I have the same annoyances, "Installig Instant apps" notification appears randomly during the last month, and reading in the logcat they are updates/patches to the new feature, managed by finsky app (Play Store). The most scaring thing is that one time it appeared also during mobile data connection, which is not acceptable (and 800kb background data from Play Store). Google is being too aggressive with it. Why not simply integrate it and update it along with Play Services like the other 1000 google APIs ? !on WIFI!
Thank you for your tests, unfortunately the update process seems to be triggered by Google Play services itself or by Google play store.
I searched for related alarms/wakelocks in Amplify and could only found one wakelock coming from com.google.android.apps.instantapps.supervisor itself: .ExperimentUpdateService. I decided to keep it as this probably isn't the trigger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah that's now my only worrisome complaint is that it ignores the play store settings and will download over any network connection. You can try submitting feedback through settings and suggest they fix this part so that it updates as you said. Thanks for the additional info, I'll try disabling that and report back if it makes any difference. I doubt that's the source of the problem though so I uninstall the apk so something else must be initiating it.
Thank you guys for this thread! I have the regular Pixel and have been seeing this happen... "Instant Apps" was disabled but somehow still updating either itself or something else, and I wondered if there was an additional switch somewhere to disable it. Looks like the answer is no. ?
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
So I noticed every time the play store found an update, magically Instant Apps was back. I began to notice that this may be a service built into Play Store and not the Google app itself. So I had an idea, I went into Settings for Android and turned off background data for Play services. Obviously this will affect quite a bit, but honestly I am at that point from fighting this feature that I'd gladly give that up. So far after 2 days I have not seen the application re-install itself. It has been more permanent that the other solutions I've had so far.
There's an article from XDA in Analysis and Opinion talking about Instant Apps and Play Store 7.8.15, apparently this issue is affecting people all the way down to the Samsung S5... although people are hesistant to believe this issue exists for whatever reason.
You can cripple it by restricting its access to internet via firewall. Unfortunately this method also drives up battery consumption as the firewall does jujitsu with "Google Play services for Instant Apps" - I am actively fantasizing about taking my baby sledge to this thing and going back to a "dumb"-phone that doesn't have all this drama constantly! I'm using an S5 right now. This is definitely a google thing. They have a similar self-install-without-asking "feature" on windows via their chrome browser. Just look up "SwReporter" in that program's directory. It self-populates with an executable as you use chrome normally and there is no option in the program for it to not do that. You can safely make a shortcut to that directory and empty it out regularly to restrict its functionality which is presumably for keeping an eye on you. I am also trying an alternate method of changing security to prevent write access to that directory. I have no idea how to do that on an unrooted android. Any ideas? And does anybody know how to cripple "instant apps" malware/spyware backdoor "feature" on an unrooted device without eating battery like crazy?
Today I noticed that Instant Apps was installing without my permission. When I clicked on that notification, it brought me to the Google Play Store. (In Google Play Store, I have auto updates disabled.) I have an unrooted Galaxy Note 4 and I can't even find the settings for Instant Apps under the Google settings. Why aren't the settings there? I found the app in the Apps settings called "Google Play services for Instant Apps" (thank you G1A). I cleared it's the cache and data and then uninstalled it. So I'm assuming it will not come back but you never know.
EDIT: Well the "Google Play services for Instant Apps" reinstalled itself AGAIN WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. Getting sick of tired of Google's POMPOUS business ethics.
If it reinstalled itself.... then his would require root privileges in order to disable.
yeah this issue is annoying, it seems to initiate the download upon every reboot and each time it checks the play store for updates for any of your apps.
I found a way to disable it but it required freezing the app through Titanium Backup. I have NO CLUE why I couldn't see Instant Apps before in this list but it is listed as "Google Play Services for Instant Apps." It does not re-install or try to even download, does not show in Settings under Google, but if you look at the app itself in settings you will see it does still run. I am not sure to what extent but yeeeaahhh at least it doesnt seem like it can run anything
No problem As an update, changing security permissions (specifically for writing) for chrome's target folder Definitely (in windows 10) serves as an effective measure to blockade its ability to regenerate itself. This same method also works for microsoft edge located in the C-Windows-SystemApps folder. I presume that the programming methods would be analogous with android on google's end. Anybody know how to restrict write access to a folder on android? So long as it checks for a folder existing and it does exist (multi-decade programming approach) then it attempts to write to that folder. However, because it's already running in stealth mode (aka background) then it will never show an error message when it fails to execute, and it won't report back either, as that functionality depends on the contents of the targeted folder it is denied access to. It should be effectively crippled without excessive CPU consumption if you can just restrict its ability to write to the default folder that it installs itself in. Any ideas how to execute this kind of blockade?
UPDATE: As a way to cripple not Instant Apps specifically, but an entire host of functionality on the android platform, something called "Power Saving Mode" seems to knock out a key background runtime required for this pest to run. Unfortunately it doesn't let you pick and choose what it shuts off, so other useful apps may lose their functionality too. Post if anybody finds a more app-specific method!
Does this crap have its own separate package? If so, you could uninstall it and make a dummy APK having the same package name. This could prevent "updates" due to signing key conflicts, but might also break things...
Related
Hi everybody - Searched all over, haven't seen any info on this issue. I apologize if I missed something
Recently, some apps I disabled on my Verizon Galaxy Nexus have begun to automatically reenable themselves after every reboot. The specific apps are Google Books, Google Earth, and Videos.
This did not used to happen. Further, my other disabled apps (the VZ apps, News and Weather, Movie Studio, etc.) stay disabled just like they are supposed to.
I'm not sure exactly when it started happening, so I can't pinpoint any changes or apps that might have caused the issue. If it matters, I'm not rooted.
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated - the ability to disable unused apps was one of the reasons I got the phone. Thank you!
Update
Quick update. After I found my device would not complete a factory reset successfully, I contacted Verizon for a replacement. The replacement device factory resets successfully, unlike my first.
However, after setting up the new device I found that it too has the exact same problem with disabled apps. Google Books, Google Earth, and Videos (but no other disabled apps) all reenable themselves after every reboot. I noticed this before installing any apps or tweaking any settings. It seems there is a problem with these particular apps or in the way the are treated by ICS.
Either way, it's a shame that this major advertising point for the device does not function as advertised.
Interesting. I was wondering why I was seeing updates available for Earth and Video in the Market, seeing as how I had disabled them...
fyi I suspect it's a Verizon thing - I have both disabled and they're staying that way.
Thanks Clancy_s for the info. That's an interesting possibility.
It's also interesting to me that I haven't been able to find much chatter about this. I've posted the issue here, on the Google Mobile help forum, and on the Android Project Issues list (after searching each for previous mentions), and haven't heard much back.
I'm wondering how sporadic the issue might be, or if it might be connected to certain types of accounts since I've seen it on two phones now. I realize it's not a critical issue, but I've certainly seen a lot more concern on Android forums for less.
Just received my 3rd device (original plus 2 replacements, first 2 sent back due to other problems besides this one). The same problem with disabled apps reenabling themselves after a reboot persists. And this is after a factory reset, without adding any apps, changing any settings, without being backed up to my google account, without location services on. Same apps - Google Books, Google Earth, Videos. No other apps affected.
I'm having this problem as well. I disabled Google+, but it becomes enabled again after a reboot. VZ Backup Assistant and Google Talk stay disabled as they should.
Google earth did this for me also, so I just deleted the app. Of course you need root to do it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Same problem with Maps
Title says it all. Really annoying.
Sigh... you're not alone. I disabled the Google search bar and after awhile the phone will automatically reenable anything that was disabled.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
I just booted my brand new 2014 note and when the home screen finally showed up the notification bar was full of warning sign/exclamation marks each mentioning a different app saying "<app name>" could not be downloaded due to an error (920)".
I've bought well over a dozen Android devices through the years and they've all downloaded my set of apps just fine. Some of the apps that get downloaded cannot be found on the app store any more as the developer packed up and left, but they still download when I get a new device.
But, this error essentially means that none of my initial download of apps (which is the only way I get some of my legacy apps) didn't happen.
Any thoughts on troubleshooting this? I didn't find any references to the problem in the Note2014 forums.
Also, if I can get the downloads to work, any thoughts on triggering it to do the "brand new device download" again?
FWIW, I did try a factory reset once the new system update downloaded to see if it would download the apps with the new OTA version of the play store, but the same thing happened all over again...
Note that the standard solutions you find on the web include removing your Google account and adding it back and force stopping the Google Play Store and then clearing its data and cache.
I recreated the account about 4 times and cleared the data and cache about 15 or so times and one of those times it managed to download just updates for the pre-installed apps, leaving me with none of the 100 or so apps I usually have. I then tried recreating the account and clearing the data again a few times, but it stubbornly refused to believe it had any more work to do.
Then I did another Factory Reset after all of that, hoping that the gremlins were asleep, but it came back up to the notification list full of hundreds of 920 errors. I also found a thread on the web about someone asking about retriggering the initial download of all of the apps and nobody could find a solution - they eventually gave up and just manually reinstalled all of the apps. That isn't really a good solution for the hundreds of apps that I typically carry and isn't even possible for the 5 or 6 that are no longer searchable on the Play Store (they must be downloaded in that initial download or they won't appear. I can get their 920 notification errors, but I can't use that to trigger another download of the original app...
I've had the same issue. Usually, I just turn the device off for a bit, turn it back on and it's fine. It seems to be an odd issue. If it lasts longer than a day I'd try the factory reset, not right away however.
The problem is you have more than 5 devices attached to your android play store account. Go into google play and remove some of your older devices.
skyline23 said:
The problem is you have more than 5 devices attached to your android play store account. Go into google play and remove some of your older devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds like the most knowledgeable advice so far, but I'm not sure how to follow it. I found where my devices are listed in the play store (play.google.com => gear icon => settings) and I do have more than 5 devices (8 currently listed including the new 2014 Note) on the account, but...
- there is no way to remove them. All I can do is hide them (visibility).
- There were only 4 total that weren't hidden, including the new Note.
So, if this is an issue of more than 5 visible devices, I didn't even have 5 visible with the new tablet. If it's an issue of deleting them from the account, there is no option for that (only changing their name and a checkbox for visibility).
All of them have a "last used" date within the last couple of years. Perhaps there is a 2 year timeout?
I just did a factory reset after updating the visibilities in my Google Play account. Unfortunately, I think Google has shifted from "downloading the apps from your old devices" to "Oh, hey, we recognize that device - it was the one you didn't download any apps to, right?" and so now I'll never be able to get that factory fresh download unless someone knows the magic to make Google treat it like a brand new device.
Sorry I wasnt clear. If you make then not visible, thats the same as deleting it. If you make the note not visible, then google should see it as a new device. Are you sure you're checking the auto reload option when you are setting up the note?
flarbear said:
I just did a factory reset after updating the visibilities in my Google Play account. Unfortunately, I think Google has shifted from "downloading the apps from your old devices" to "Oh, hey, we recognize that device - it was the one you didn't download any apps to, right?" and so now I'll never be able to get that factory fresh download unless someone knows the magic to make Google treat it like a brand new device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
skyline23 said:
Sorry I wasnt clear. If you make then not visible, thats the same as deleting it. If you make the note not visible, then google should see it as a new device. Are you sure you're checking the auto reload option when you are setting up the note?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had downloaded a bunch of apps last night (I was up to the F's by scanning the app list on my old tablet), but this was worth an experiment to try.
I had already unchecked all of the devices other than my Notes and my phone, so I unchecked the tick mark next to the new unnamed device and factory reset my 2014 Note. It came back up and managed to start installing apps without errors - woohoo!
But, it only reinstalled the apps that I had been busy downloading last night. Perhaps I mucked it up when I started downloading apps and so now it remembers my device even if it was unchecked?
I found a few apps that aren't "searchable" by going to the "All" tab in the list of "My Apps" in Google Play Store. One of them worked, but another (the Doodle Android app for the Doodle.com service) refuses to install. That may be due to the fact that they have modified the app to be "not compatible with any of your devices". The version installed on my old Note gets an error on startup, so they may have manually sabotaged it (and given that they now have a $3 pay app, I can imagine why). If I remember my device install history I seem to recall that the initial app install could install older versions of apps that aren't accessible from the Play Store (and I relied on that in the past to avoid updates that broke things when I got a new device) so it might have been able to install the version that I last installed on my old Note, but in this case it probably wouldn't have worked out of the box.
Still, at least some of the withdrawn apps are still visible in the "All apps" tab...
Probably just version conflicts. I have a lot of apps I paid for that wont show up and install on my note 10.1. Even some apps that work on my note3 wont be compatible with the 10.1. Your 'all apps' should always show you the apps you paid for and workable. As for pulled or discontinued apps, try finding the apk and side loading them.
skyline23 said:
Probably just version conflicts. I have a lot of apps I paid for that wont show up and install on my note 10.1. Even some apps that work on my note3 wont be compatible with the 10.1. Your 'all apps' should always show you the apps you paid for and workable. As for pulled or discontinued apps, try finding the apk and side loading them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you are referring to my example of the Doodle app that won't install?
The apps that failed to download when I did my most recent factory reset are the ones that I didn't manually install last night. It was 1:1 as far as downloading only those apps (A-F) that I had downloaded last night and none of the others. It looks like the system has permanently remembered the app set for my new device whether or not I uncheck it from my list of active Google Play devices...
I see.. I guess you'll just have to go to 'my apps' and install manually one by one. Have fun with your note. It's an amazing device!
skyline23 said:
I see.. I guess you'll just have to go to 'my apps' and install manually one by one. Have fun with your note. It's an amazing device!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
grrr. many of my games, including crystal defenders and need for speed most wanted are telling me i have to buy the app or the device isn't authorized for this game. never had this problem before, just using my google play account as usual. advice?
Google playstore probably detected that you had too many devices using the same play account. Dont think theres a work around
I had this on my first one..
Then it filled up the memory with hardly any app installed and kept boot-looping. Same results after restoring so I returned it and bought a new one. No more issues! I didn't restore backups from Google though.
For me Method 1 worked
Here are couple of fixes for the infamous error 920 or “App could not be downloaded due to an error 920” :
Method 1:
Turn your wi-fi off
Turn your wi-fi on
Run Google Play Store and install or update the app
Method 2:
Go to settings>>Accounts>> Delete your Google account synced with Google Play.
Restart Phone and add your Google account back in the settings. Alternately, add a different Google account.
Run Google Play Store and download your app.
Method 3:
Go to settings >> Apps >> Open “All” tab
Find and click Google Play Store >>Clear Cache and Clear Data
Now from the same tab uninstall Google Play Store Updates
Restart your phone, open Google Play Store and install the app
What worked for me
1.First Remove your google account from the device
Settings -- Accounts -- Google -- (select your email account) -- Remove
2.Then clean cache and data of Google Play store
Settings -- Application Manager -- Google play store -- remove cache, remove data, force stop (in that order)
3.Then turn off for 15 seconds
4.Add your account again on Google accounts
Settings -- Accounts -- Google -- (sign in with your account)
It worked well after that!
And I tried many other options before without it working.
As quick commercial if anyone is having problems with the stupid google update that makes the tablet not access properly the SD Card, I just found an app that amazingly fixed it with one click. Only for rooted users:
NextApp SDfix
Works fast and after a reboot you can use your SD card again!
Whenever I try to download apps from Google Play, it freezes in certain percentage. Then I clear cache in Google play app and Google services framework, it works good. Is there any solution to download without any interruptions?
I am getting the same problems, along with texts sticking at "sending" and after clearing data and messing with these two apps I can get them to work right. Have you disabled any apps or made any mods? I am rooted and have only disabled VZ apps like Message+, Cloud, Support & Protection. And modified the xml file to give write access to the external sdcard.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
shag_on_e said:
I am getting the same problems, along with texts sticking at "sending" and after clearing data and messing with these two apps I can get them to work right. Have you disabled any apps or made any mods? I am rooted and have only disabled VZ apps like Message+, Cloud, Support & Protection. And modified the xml file to give write access to the external sdcard.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is probably something interfering. I had this com.tmobile.pr.adapt just screwing with everything to where i couldn't even download titanium to freeze it. If you have su installed try to disable su in app and see if your getting those errors. If not just re enable su.
I didn't rooted my mobile and not disabled any apps. How to solve it.
shag_on_e said:
I am getting the same problems, along with texts sticking at "sending" and after clearing data and messing with these two apps I can get them to work right. Have you disabled any apps or made any mods? I am rooted and have only disabled VZ apps like Message+, Cloud, Support & Protection. And modified the xml file to give write access to the external sdcard.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tpanneer said:
Whenever I try to download apps from Google Play, it freezes in certain percentage. Then I clear cache in Google play app and Google services framework, it works good. Is there any solution to download without any interruptions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am having these same issues. I have a Verizon G4, running stock Android 5.1. No mods, just disabled a few apps (Caller Name ID, Music, Music, NFL Mobile, Slacker Radio, and ThinkFree Viewer)
Whenever I try to update an app, it stops at a certain point, and the downloading arrow notification icon disappears, too. If i open up the "recent apps" window and swipe away Google Play store, the download arrow notification icon reappears and the app usually finishes downloading. Can't find any other fix for this
Also, I have been getting the issue with my text messages just STOPPING. a few times a day, it I just stop getting any and I can't send any. If I reboot, they usually start up again about 10 minutes later, but then will stop at some point as well. It's really frustrating. And, this seems to almost always happen at my home only. I took 2 trips out of town recently and texts worked fine both times. Within 5 minutes of stepping into my house, texts stop again. Verizon is looking into this, but I don't have much faith in them
i have the same problem, but it looks like when uninstalling xposed play store works normally again.
this is strange because the same setup was working for several days without any troubles.
also my alarm app "Alarm Clock Xtreme" stopped ringing and i had to use another alarm app.
maybe the new greenify beta update is the reason? the problems began somewhere around this update.
Not sure what has happened (there haven't been any OTA updates), but my device crashes anytime I open things like Phone, Messenger, Contacts, and a few apps that integrate with those services and some that do not. I am on official with no root and changed nothing since my last time using it. Is anyone else having these random issues? Really not wanting to factory reset this thing.
My Fire Phone has the same issue. It start doing it a few weeks ago. It seemed like it was only apps that have some relationship to Contact data. WhatsApp, all contact apps, all phone apps, dialer apps, etc.
I ended up reseting the phone and starting from scratch. The issue seemed to be fixed. Today I use the phone in the morning, and it was fine. I pick it up to use some hours later, and the default launcher (Arrow Launcher) would crash every two seconds. I had to uninstall it from the OS Settings, and then pick another launcher. The other launchers are fine, but it was back to the same old story... opening any app that has a relationship to contacts data crashes.
Did you ever find a solution or a cause?
I never found a solution. My phone is sitting on my desk waiting to be used again. I thought that I would for sure be able to reinstall a non-damaged APK for the contacts application on the fire phone, but I haven't found a way. There has to be a way of fixing this issue without doing a clean install.
How to fix Crashing System Apps on your Amazon Fire Phone
I figured out how to fix this issue with the help of the amazon customer support team. I created a short video on youtube which should be able to help. Video can be found by googling "How to fix Crashing System Apps on your Amazon Fire Phone" or by copying and pasting the following link without quotes "bit.ly/2vSKcYn"
AndroidWelcome said:
My Fire Phone has the same issue. It start doing it a few weeks ago. It seemed like it was only apps that have some relationship to Contact data. WhatsApp, all contact apps, all phone apps, dialer apps, etc.
I ended up reseting the phone and starting from scratch. The issue seemed to be fixed. Today I use the phone in the morning, and it was fine. I pick it up to use some hours later, and the default launcher (Arrow Launcher) would crash every two seconds. I had to uninstall it from the OS Settings, and then pick another launcher. The other launchers are fine, but it was back to the same old story... opening any app that has a relationship to contacts data crashes.
Did you ever find a solution or a cause?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured out how to fix this issue with the help of the amazon customer support team. I created a short video on youtube which should be able to help. Video can be found by googling "How to fix Crashing System Apps on your Amazon Fire Phone" or by copying and pasting the following link without quotes "bit.ly/2vSKcYn"
In the settings menu in manage applications switch to all applications and look for content management services application. Open ot and clear the cache and the data. I think the problem will be solved.
Found a solution ??
Ztcc said:
Not sure what has happened (there haven't been any OTA updates), but my device crashes anytime I open things like Phone, Messenger, Contacts, and a few apps that integrate with those services and some that do not. I am on official with no root and changed nothing since my last time using it. Is anyone else having these random issues? Really not wanting to factory reset this thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear... I had same issue....
But finally I have found a crazy solution.... that is "uninstall all Fire Phone Updates" and at the end clear and clear data and force stop " content management services"
Hold power button for at least 40 sec.... after rebooting you phone gonna be fixed...
Sorry for bad English....?
100% smoothly working... let's kick the problems???
Doesn't work. I'm having the exact same issue. Tried all solutions here but they did not work. On the last solution though, how do you uninstall all fire phone updates?? Thanks!
Anyhuman86 said:
Doesn't work. I'm having the exact same issue. Tried all solutions here but they did not work. On the last solution though, how do you uninstall all fire phone updates?? Thanks!
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Dude.. Simply go the settings . Click on application then manage applications, select filter "downloaded".. then you will see system downloaded applications... click on every single system app nd uninstall updates... After all, being system uninstalled updates, again chose filter to "All" then search for "content management services" click on it... do clear cache, clear data, and force stop... now hold power+vol down button for at least 40 seconds... problem fixed
That fix didn't work for me. Anyone else have any ideas?
Maybe it is DIGITS? or iCloud sync?
I had the same problem, and the instructions above did not fix the situation for me, either, at least after just a couple of tries. However, I have 2 Fire Phones, and the other one was fine when I booted it from a month-long (or more) slumber. Then I did a few things to update it a bit and then it was also not fine, so something recent is causing the problem. But I do not know which of the "few things" messed up the 2nd phone. Maybe just being connected to the internet for a few minutes after a new boot from having been off for a while. I did not try to fix Phone 2 because clearing the data for Content Management Service will mess up all my app organization, removing them from folders, which is a huge pain to reorganize (well over 100 apps).
UPDATE: I shortened my long post. I had suspected either T-Mobile DIGITS or iCloud CardDav sync issue, or some other process that writes to the content management cache/data with each boot (since those processes launch with each boot), which I thought was why the fix did not immediately work on my phone. But now I think I figured it out. I made a new post since I can't edit the title of this one. But neither DIGITS nor iCloud was causing the issue. Sorry for so many "trouble-shooting" posts. I was thinking maybe others with crashes are using the same apps I suspected.
Android bug is the issue; need to delete a few apps
I think I figured out one issue which can cause this problem, which is not really a Fire Phone problem but an Android problem, at least with older version of Android and its Fire OS derivative. If you google the issue without restricting to Fire Phone, you'll see this is a common problem.
The issue is having too many apps installed -- even if you have plenty of space for them. I'm going from memory (too lazy to search again) but it seems android has a numbering system for the services within apps, but the numbering system has finite available numbers, so if you have too many apps (say, over 100 like I did), especially ones that use numerous services (and therefore numerous spots within the numbering system), then the OS can't handle that. So the solution is to delete some of your apps. Some apps will have a bigger impact than others.
So, this was the reason why one of the earlier posters said it fixed the issue when deleting "updates" to system apps. These updates are usually new installs that are used instead of the app that came with the phone which is "inactivated," so they take up spots within the numbering system just like any new install. But it actually does not matter which particular app you delete, so just delete ones you don't use.
Also, this was the reason why my Fire Phone 2, like my Fire Phone 1, went bad shortly after I booted it and did some stuff to it. That stuff was to "sync" my setup with Fire Phone 1, since I keep the two almost the same. I install almost the same apps and organize them the same way, so if a phone breaks or I don't have time to charge the battery, I can just swap in my SIM to a working phone and it is up-to-date and ready to go. Perfect backup system. But this means they were both similarly maxed out with apps, and when I added a few more to Phone 2, it developed the same issue. I believe I updated Outlook from Amazon App Store, and OneDrive from Google Play Store (I think I had installed OneDrive from Amazon store but it is no longer available there). And I added a couple of other apps in addition, like Microsoft Translator; nothing with contact links. So, not major changes.
Problem is, even if you uninstall a bunch of software, you'll still need to clear the data from Content Management Services, following the instructions in the YouTube vid posted earlier. Which is a pain if you have a lot of apps, because you have to organize them fresh.
UPDATE: My issue was not yet really fixed. While trouble shooting, I disabled Contacts Storage, and that actually prevents crashes even before deleting the excess apps. (It then seems to disappear from the list of apps but actually it is there: Need to scroll to the very bottom of the long applications list.) Re-enabling Contacts Storage brings back the crashes. But then I cleared its cash/data and force quit, and cleared just the cache (not data) in Content Management Services, and did the long press on the power button. Now it seems to be fixed.
So, it seems Contacts Storage was an important culprit.
I still love the Fire Phone but I'm stunned at how buggy Android is (or was, back in 4.4).
Maybe a Telegram or Vonage update initiated the problem
I was able to fix my 2nd Fire Phone without clearing data from Content Management Services (I did clear cache and force quit, then long press power). And before that I also cleared Contacts Storage and force quit. This was super nice because I did not have to organize all my apps from scratch.
However, my first try of the above did not fix. I then deleted Telegram and Vonage, and then repeated the above procedures, and now my 2nd phone is fixed too.
I had also deleted Telegram and Vonage from Fire 1 when I was culling apps, so now I'm wondering if one of those was the issue that messed things up. I've had them on my phones for a long time but did recent updates on Google Play Store. I do not use these apps but have them just in case an acquaintance prefers them for messaging, but maybe an initial launch and setup has some associated process launch on each boot.
So now I'm not sure what caused my problem; an app update or too many apps or a combination of the two??
I'm thinking it is not a good idea to install calling apps on the Fire. It had its own version of Skype and so maybe calling apps need to be somehow adjusted for Fire OS. (And Skype on Fire Phone is no longer officially supported, even though Android 4.4 is.)
UPDATE: Reinstalling Telegram does not reproduce the issue. And in addition to Telegram and Vonage, I had removed some other apps. I did not retest with Vonage but Telegram is definitely NOT the issue. At least the version that's in Play Store as of this Edit, which is July 8 2018.
It is Microsoft OneDrive that's causing the issue
I figured out the issue, at least in my case. The newest version of Microsoft OneDrive from Google Play Store is causing the problem. It is version 4.15, from Sept 2017, but I take a while to update apps from Play Store sometimes, and so it wasn't causing an issue until I recently updated it. I can reproduce the issue. The app has other weird problems like its icon disappearing. Also, the version from Amazon App Store no longer shows up (but it tries to "update" my Google Play version since the version numbers don't match). That version now fails to install, so it is probably missing from Amazon servers. Anyway, if I download latest from Google Play, it does not cause the issue until I launch and sign in. Then Contacts and Phone will crash. Then when I first clear all its data and then uninstall, the Phone and Contacts no longer crash. OneDrive permissions includes contacts, so it does something to contacts data that causes Contacts and stuff using it to crash. I hope Microsoft will fix this and put OneDrive back in Amazon Store, because OneNote needs it. I had both OneNote and OneDrive from Play Store because the Amazon App Store versions were both older. But both are now missing when I search the Amazon App Store with my phone. So these Microsoft apps are no good on Fire Phone (and maybe other Fire OS?) for the time being.
It' enough to disable Contact Storage app to stop Dialer from crashing. So now we have dialer with no contacts and history I Hope someone will resolve this issue.
Luca7007 said:
It' enough to disable Contact Storage app to stop Dialer from crashing. So now we have dialer with no contacts and history I Hope someone will resolve this issue.
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I think the issue is in part too many apps for this version of Android, especially bigger ones with numerous processes. AND communication apps from Google Play Store that launch automatically upon reboot and write to contacts.
I finally have both phones working nicely. I just backed up and then deleted a bunch of apps that I was not using. But that alone may not have been my biggest issue. It seems that at least the newest versions of communication apps from Google Play Store cause this problem, even after I had culled my apps. For example Signal seems to have caused the problem, but for some reason only if I was using the CardDav-sync app (to sync my iCloud contacts). Once I uninstalled Signal, all is working fine. I have my contacts synced from iCloud now, and nothing is crashing. So it is not simply a high app count issue, though maybe it is a combination of problems.
Anyway, you do not have to disable Contacts Storage to use your phone. I did not even need to long-press (soft reset) or clear cache for Content Management Services. I just uninstalled Signal, then cleared cache and data for Contacts Storage and then did a regular restart, and the Phone app and Contacts are no longer crashing.
Hi, pixel 6 pro here and I am having issues with my apps auto-updating.
1. I went to settings>auto updates at anytime is selected.
2.google play store>app info>battery>unrestricted
3. I have forced stopped>clear data>disabled> reboot>enabled
Nothing is working and I have to click manage apps>update all.
Double-check one of the particular apps that don't auto-update. On the app's page in the Play Store in the upper right corner click the 3-dot menu button. Is "Enable auto update" checked?
I just checked one of my apps at random and it wasn't checked. The app in question, at one time I didn't want it to auto-update because they were making changes I didn't like, and the setting was saved by Google across many phones and I just didn't notice. I may have other apps that I don't have set to auto-update, but I don't think there's a way to explicitly display them all (and not display ones you already have set to auto-update). I just looked at my "Pending downloads" in the Play Store and the first app listed was also set to not auto-update, so I'll just have to remember to go through each app for a while when there are apps listed here. It's definitely showing ones not updated yet that are set to auto-update as well - they just hadn't yet.
Edit: Found 3-4 more apps that were set to not auto-update including one that I don't even particularly remember using, but I might've tried a very long time ago and I definitely only recently reinstalled it. Shame you have to individually go into each one to find out how I have it set.
Went to store now, auto update still not working. I checked three dots for the app and enable auto update was already updated but not updating itself
Does everyone else's auto update apps for the play store work?
Just to be clear, I don't think that apps ever auto-update just as soon as it's available. For an example like you gave, does it go for over 24 hours without auto-updating any apps?
What about the two Play Store settings "App download preference" and " Auto-update apps" below it?
roirraW edor ehT said:
Just to be clear, I don't think that apps ever auto-update just as soon as it's available. For an example like you gave, does it go for over 24 hours without auto-updating any apps?
What about the two Play Store settings "App download preference" and " Auto-update apps" below it?
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Yes mine is the same. Also was not aware apps don't update immediately. I'll wait 24hrs and see what happens then. Ty for the response and hope u having a good weekend.
breakfrecell said:
Yes mine is the same. Also was not aware apps don't update immediately. I'll wait 24hrs and see what happens then. Ty for the response and hope u having a good weekend.
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Cool. I assume they don't update immediately in case the developer pulls the update due to bugs. I have no idea what the particular logic is of when it how often is. Hopefully whatever apps are listed available for auto-update tomorrow at the same time aren't necessarily the same apps listed for you now.
You're welcome, looking forward to hearing. You're welcome and your too!
Does not tend to poll these app updates once you're actually plugged in charging and usually on Wi-Fi, but you can set for other networks?
Apps have been Auto updating past 48hrs, as mentioned above takes about 24hrs
Hi, so over the last 48hrs apps have NOT been updating automatically. Can anyone help me with setting to auto update apps in play store?
My apps are automatically update and I don't want to. I only have the settings because I had absolutely no notifications that there are updates available. I had to check manually and it was a nightmare.
breakfrecell said:
Does everyone else's auto update apps for the play store work?
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I dont think mine ever have to be honest and when i am sorting out phones for elderly relatives they always have about 2 million apps that need updating.