How to Fix Play Store Error RPC:S-5:AEC-0
What error RPC:S-5:AEC-0 means
RPC:S-5:AEC-0 looks like alphabet soup, but every part of it tells you something. RPC stands for “remote procedure call” — in plain terms, your phone asked Google's servers to do something on its behalf. That something was retrieving your account information: which apps you own, which updates are pending, which download links apply to your account. S-5:AEC-0 is just the internal tag Google gave this particular failure. The full message you see reads “Error retrieving information from server. [RPC:S-5:AEC-0]”, and it appears at the exact moment an install or update should begin — the progress bar never moves and tapping retry brings the same pop-up back.
This error is closely related to the other “retrieving information from server” codes, but it has its own flavor: it is more tightly tied to your Google account link than to the store app itself. Think of it this way. Every time you open the Play Store's update tab or tap Install, the store does not just download a file — it first has to ask Google's servers who you are and what you are allowed to download. If that question goes unanswered, you get RPC:S-5:AEC-0. The failure can sit anywhere along that path: your phone never reached the servers (a network problem), the servers were having a bad few minutes (a Google-side hiccup), or the account credentials on your phone were stale enough that the server could not answer (a broken account session).
That three-way split is exactly why this error feels unpredictable. It can hit on home Wi-Fi while working fine on mobile data, or strike right after you changed your Google password or had an interrupted sync. And because the failure happens before any download starts, it has nothing to do with the app you were trying to install — no amount of retrying that one app, or freeing storage for it specifically, will help. The fix is to rebuild the conversation between your phone and Google's servers about your account, which is what the steps below do in order of likelihood. Most people are fixed by step 4 or 6.
Common causes
- Short-lived Google server hiccup: when Google's own servers have a bad few minutes, the account-information requests during that window fail the same way.
- Blocked or broken network path: a weak Wi-Fi signal, a router DNS problem, an active VPN, or a restrictive work or school network can stop the store's server traffic cold.
- Corrupted Play Store cache or data: stale or damaged temporary files leave the store app unable to complete its account-information request.
- Stale Google Services Framework data: the background service the Play Store uses to fetch your account info can get stuck in a broken state — especially after a password change or interrupted sync.
- Broken Google account session: a half-synced or outdated login can silently block the store's server requests even when everything else on the phone works fine.
- Wrong date and time on your phone: a clock that is far off breaks the secure certificate checks on the Play Store's server connections.
How to fix error RPC:S-5:AEC-0 — step by step
Work through these fixes in order. Most people are fixed by step 4 or 6.
- Wait a few minutes, retry — and check for a Play Store outage. RPC:S-5:AEC-0 only triggers when you open the store's update or install flows, so if the cause is a short-lived hiccup on Google's side, simply waiting a few minutes and trying again can clear it. Check a site like Downdetector for Play Store outage reports before you change anything on your phone: if other people are reporting failures at the same time, nothing on your phone will help, and your only move is to wait until Google resolves the problem.
- Check your connection and switch networks. This error literally means information couldn't be retrieved from a server, so rule out your own link first. If you're on Wi-Fi, turn Wi-Fi off and retry over mobile data — if that works, your Wi-Fi network (restart your router, or check its DNS settings) is the culprit. If you're on mobile data, try a different Wi-Fi network. While testing, turn off any active VPN and make sure Private DNS is off in Settings > Network & internet, because both can quietly block the Play Store's traffic.
- Clear the Google Play Store's cache and data. Corrupted temporary files are one of the most common causes of RPC:S-5:AEC-0. Open Settings, then go to Apps (or Apps & notifications), then See all apps. Tap Google Play Store, then Force stop, then Storage & cache. Tap Clear cache first, then Clear storage (or Clear data) and confirm. This resets the store app itself without touching your installed apps or your Google account. Reopen the Play Store and try your download again.
- Clear the data of the Google Services Framework and Google Play Services. The Play Store fetches your account information through these background services, so stale state here produces the same “retrieving information” failure. In Settings > Apps > See all apps, find Google Play Services, tap Storage & cache, and clear its cache first (clear the data too if the error persists — you may need to sign in again in some apps afterward). Then tap the three-dot menu, choose Show system apps, find Google Services Framework, and clear its cache and data. Restart your phone and retry.
- Make sure date, time, and storage are correct. A phone clock that is far off — after a fully drained battery, a manual change, or a timezone glitch — breaks the secure certificate checks on the Play Store's server connections, and RPC:S-5:AEC-0 is exactly the kind of error that produces. Go to Settings > System > Date & time and turn on Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically, then retry. Also check Settings > Storage: if internal storage is nearly full, installs can fail in odd ways, so free up space before trying again.
- Remove and re-add your Google account. RPC:S-5:AEC-0 is closely tied to your account link, so a stale or half-broken account session is one of its most reliable triggers — and one of the most reliable fixes. Go to Settings > Passwords & accounts, tap your Google account, then Remove account (confirm with your device lock code if asked). Restart the phone, go back to Settings > Passwords & accounts, tap Add account > Google, and sign in again with the same account. Open the Play Store and try your download — this rebuilds the exact account link the store uses for every server request.
Did this fix it? Quick checklist
- The app installs or updates without the RPC:S-5:AEC-0 pop-up
- The Play Store's update tab loads your pending updates normally
- No “Error retrieving information from server” message on retry
- Downloads complete over both Wi-Fi and mobile data
If RPC:S-5:AEC-0 still appears after all six steps, try a different network one more time — some workplace and school networks quietly block Play Store traffic — and as a final measure, back up your data and consider a factory reset (Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data).
Frequently asked questions
What does Play Store error RPC:S-5:AEC-0 mean?
RPC:S-5:AEC-0 means the Play Store asked Google's servers for your account information — which apps you own, which updates are available — and the request failed. You see “Error retrieving information from server. [RPC:S-5:AEC-0]” instead of the update or install starting. It points to a breakdown in the account link between the store app and Google's servers, not to a problem with the app you were trying to install.
Is RPC:S-5:AEC-0 an account problem or a network problem?
It can be either, which is why the fix order tests both. The RPC (remote procedure call) part of the name means the store called Google's servers and didn't get a usable answer — so a blocked network, an active VPN, or a Google-side hiccup can all cause it. But because the request is specifically about your account information, a stale account session is a very common root cause, which is why removing and re-adding your Google account is such an effective fix.
Will removing my Google account delete my data?
No. Removing the account from your phone only ends the login session — your installed apps, photos, files, and contacts stay exactly where they are, and anything synced to Google's cloud (Gmail, Drive, Photos) comes back when you sign in again. The one thing to check is unsynced app data on older apps, so it's worth confirming your important data is backed up first.
Why does clearing the Google Services Framework's data help?
The Google Services Framework is the background service the Play Store uses to fetch your account information from Google's servers. When its stored data gets stale or corrupted — after a Google account password change, an interrupted sync, or a bad update — every request the store makes through it fails. Clearing its data forces a clean state so the store can rebuild the account link from scratch.
Do I need a factory reset to fix RPC:S-5:AEC-0?
Almost never. Working through the steps above — network checks, clearing the store's and framework's data, fixing date and time, and re-adding your Google account — resolves RPC:S-5:AEC-0 in nearly every case. A factory reset is only worth considering if every step has failed, and you should back up all your data first.