How to Fix Google Play Store Error 406 on Android
What error 406 means
Error 406 shows up right when you expect a download to start. You find an app — or spot an update badge on one you already have — tap Install or Update, and instead of the progress bar a small pop-up appears: 'the app could not be downloaded due to an error (406).' Retry does nothing. The same message appears for app after app, which is the tell: the problem is not any one app, it is the download pipeline on your phone.
In most cases the cause is boring and fixable. The Play Store keeps a local cache of download sessions and queue data, and when that cache corrupts — after a failed download, a phone restart mid-update, or just long use — new downloads fail with 406. The same corruption can sit in Google Play Services, which handles the store's background work. Less often, a half-installed Play Store self-update breaks the pipeline, a wrong system clock invalidates the store's security checks, or a VPN or proxy changes your connection mid-download and the store's session no longer matches. What error 406 almost never means is a bad app or a broken phone.
The good news: every one of those causes is a settings-level fix. No factory reset, no sideloading, no waiting days. The steps below start with the cache reset that fixes error 406 for most people, then move into the update, network, and account resets that catch the stubborn cases. Ten minutes, top to bottom.
Common causes
- Corrupted Play Store cache or data: stale or damaged download-session data makes every new download fail before it starts.
- Corrupted Google Play Services data: Play Services runs the store's background downloads, and corrupted data breaks them at the source.
- Broken Play Store self-update: a half-installed store update corrupts its download pipeline.
- Incorrect date and time: a wrong clock breaks the store's certificate and session checks, surfacing as 406.
- VPN, proxy, or custom DNS: a network change mid-download invalidates the store's session, especially across region boundaries.
How to fix error 406 — step by step
Work through these fixes in order. Step 1 resolves error 406 for most people; steps 2 through 6 catch the cases where the corruption keeps coming back.
- Clear the Play Store and Google Play Services cache and data. Error 406 is most often caused by corrupted cached download data, so this is the fix that resolves it for the majority of people. Go to Settings > Apps > See all apps, open Google Play Store, then tap Storage & cache and hit Clear cache followed by Clear storage (or Clear data) and confirm. Go back, find Google Play Services (tap the three-dot menu > Show system to see it), and clear its cache and data the same way. Restart the phone and retry the download.
- Uninstall updates to the Play Store app. A half-installed Play Store self-update can corrupt its download pipeline and surface as error 406. In Settings > Apps > See all apps, open Google Play Store and tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, then Uninstall updates. This rolls the store back to the factory version that shipped with your phone. Open the Play Store — it will quietly reinstall a fresh update on its own — then wait a few minutes and retry your download.
- Set the date and time to automatic. Go to Settings > System > Date & time and turn on Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically (both toggles). An incorrect clock breaks the Play Store's certificate and download-session checks, which can surface as error 406 when the store tries to validate your download. If both were already on, try turning them off, setting the time manually, restarting the phone, and switching them back on. Then reopen the Play Store and try the download again.
- Turn off your VPN and switch networks. Error 406 sometimes fires when a VPN, proxy, or ad-blocking DNS changes your apparent location mid-download, so the store's download session no longer matches your account's region. Disable any VPN or proxy, then try the download over a different connection — switch from Wi-Fi to mobile data, or from mobile data to Wi-Fi. If you use a custom DNS or a private-DNS setting, switch it back to automatic while you retry.
- Reset app preferences. Corrupted default and permission settings across system apps can break the Play Store's download chain even when the store itself looks healthy. Go to Settings > System > Reset options (on Samsung: Settings > General management > Reset) and tap Reset app preferences, then confirm. This does not delete your apps or data — it only restores default app settings and permissions. Restart the phone and retry the download.
- Remove your Google account and add it back. If the error keeps firing, a stale account token can keep the store's download service rejecting your session. Go to Settings > Passwords & accounts, tap your Google account, then Remove account. Restart the phone, go back to Settings > Passwords & accounts, tap Add account > Google, and sign in again. Open the Play Store and retry the download.
Did this fix it? Quick checklist
- The app's download starts and the progress bar moves without the 406 pop-up
- Other pending app updates in the Play Store complete successfully too
- The fix holds after a phone restart with the VPN still off
- The date and time remain on automatic after the restart
If error 406 still appears after all six steps, the problem is deeper than cache or settings. Open the Play Store, tap your profile icon, and open Help & feedback to contact Google Play support with the exact error code. As a last resort before anything drastic, try creating a second Google account on the phone and downloading with it — if the error vanishes, the original account's token is the problem and support can reset it. A factory reset will not hurt anything, but for error 406 it is the long way around a problem the steps above already target.
Frequently asked questions
What does Google Play Store error 406 mean?
Error 406 means the Play Store started a download or update and then failed it — a pop-up says the app could not be downloaded due to an error (406). In most cases the cause is corrupted cached download data in the Play Store or Google Play Services, a broken Play Store self-update, a wrong system clock, or a network change (like a VPN) that invalidated the download session. It is almost always a local software problem, not a broken app, and the cache-clearing steps fix it within minutes.
Is error 406 caused by the app I am downloading?
Almost never. Error 406 fires the same way for every app once it appears, which is the giveaway that your phone's download pipeline is the problem, not any single app. If the error blocks several different downloads or updates, start with clearing the Play Store and Play Services cache and data. If it blocks only one app, try updating that app's developer page or waiting a few hours — but a single-app 406 is rare.
Why does error 406 keep coming back after I fixed it?
Recurring error 406 usually means the cache corruption has a source that keeps recreating it. The most common culprits are a stale Google account token, a VPN or proxy that changes your connection mid-download, or a half-installed Play Store update that keeps re-applying itself. Work through the account reset and network steps above, not just the cache clear — the cache fix treats the symptom, and one of the deeper steps removes the cause.
Do I need a factory reset to fix error 406?
No — a factory reset is overkill for error 406. Every known cause is fixable with settings changes: clearing the Play Store and Play Services cache and data, uninstalling Play Store updates, correcting the date and time, resetting app preferences, or re-adding your Google account. If you have worked through all six steps and the error still appears, contact Google Play support from the Play Store's Help section rather than wiping the phone.