Android devices have numerous preinstalled applications with unique package names whose exact function is not mentioned by device manufacturers. com.android.vending is one such package that keeps stopping and causes app download issues.
com.android.vending is the package name of the Google Play Store app which is an online marketplace for downloading third-party applications, games, movies, TV shows, books, and more on Android devices.
There are some websites claiming that com.android.vending is the package name of the Android installer which tells the exact source from where the app is installed but that’s not true. The package name of the Android Package Installer is com.google.android.packageinstaller whereas com.android.vending is the package name of Google Play Store.
In this article, we’ll explain what is com.android.vending used for, why does it keep stopping, how to fix the stopping issue, and should uninstall this package.
Page Contents
What is com.android.vending Used For?
com.android.vending is the package file of the Google Play Store which is mainly used for downloading apps, games and other content on Android devices but is also required to install applications downloaded from the Play Store, check if an app is supported by the Android device, safe transactions in apps, in-app billing purchases, automatic bill purchases using the linked credit card or debit card.
This package also conducts automated rigorous scanning with the help of powerful AI, generates third-party reports, Signatures, Heuristic and similarity analysis, static analysis and dynamic analysis, identify apps that might be potentially harmful, and is placed on a heatmap for proximity to known PHAs (Potentially Harmful Apps), App signing, and places app permissions to protect the users’ sensitive information.
Google Play Store also has Google Play Protect mobile threat protection service. It scans apps before installation, protects from Potentially Harmful Apps being installed from unknown sources, and also allows users to perform manual scans.
When you use Google Play Store or while it is running in the background, the activity will appear inside Google My Activity as “used com.android.vending.”
com.android.vending has stopped error message?
This is an issue with the Google Play Store application which might stop working suddenly, and leads to error messages like “Unfortunately com.android.vending has stopped” or “com.android.vending has stopped working.” These error messages also occur when this package crashes.
When these error messages occur the Google Play Store app freezes and you cannot download and install apps from there. This literally makes your phone unusable because the error keeps popping up after every few minutes and it also prevents users from updating their applications.
Here are the reasons why com.android.vending might stop working:
1. Corrupted or Overloaded Cache Files – If the app cache isn’t cleared for a long time the cache files become corrupted. The cache file storage folder can store a limited number of files so when the size of the cache files becomes more than what could be stored, the cache files become overloaded which leads to these error messages.
2. Internal App Issue – If there is an internal issue with the Google Play Store app which might happen if the app is compromised in some way then it could lead to such error messages.
3. App is outdated – These error messages could also occur if you are using an outdated version of the Google Play Store app.
4. Firmware issue – The app could also stop working if there are you’re using outdated Firmware or there are issues with your device’s Firmware. It may also happen if you’re using Custom Firmware instead of the Stock Firmware.
How to Fix com.android.vending has stopped error?
You can fix the “com.android.vending” has stopped issue by using the following methods:
(1) Clear Google Play Store App Cache and Data
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps.
- Find Google Play Store and tap on it.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap Clear Cache
- Tap Clear Data.
(2) Force Stop Google Play Store
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps.
- Find Google Play Store and tap on it.
- Tap Force Stop.
(3) Update Google Play Store app
The error messages could also occur if you’re using an outdated version of the Google Play Store app. You can fix this by downloading the most recent version of the Goole Play Store app.
Google Play Store automatically updates itself when a new update is available. If you believe that your Play Store app is not updating then you could manually update the app by searching for new updates on a website like APKMirror.
Check if there is an update for the app. If not then your Play Store is updated to the latest version.
(4) Uninstall the Previous Update
The newest update for the app could also be causing such issues. If you’re getting these errors after the Google Play Store app has downloaded a new update then you have to uninstall this update and revert back to the previous version of the app.
To do this follow these steps:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap on Apps > Google Play Store.
- Tap the Ellipsis icon(three vertical dots) in the upper right corner.
- Tap Uninstall Updates.
(5) Factory Reset Your Device
A Factory Reset erases all the data from your phone and restores your phone to its original state. It can fix the annoying error messages popping up.
Before factory resetting your device, you should backup your data on Google Drive. Once the backup is complete, follow the steps below to Factory Reset your Samsung Android device.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Reset.
- Tap Factory Data Reset.
- Tap Reset and you may need to enter your PIN or password.
- Tap Delete all and your phone will be reset.
(6) Flash Stock ROM(Firmware)
Flashing the Stock ROM(Firmware) reinstalls the system software on your device which can get rid of the app has stopped error messages.
You can flash the Stock Firmware using these two steps:
- Download the Stock Firmware files for your Samsung Android device from a Firmware file downloading website.
- Flash the downloaded Firmware files using a Firmware Flashing tool.
Samsung users can flash Stock ROM using the Samsung Odin flashing tool and other Android users should use the SPFlash tool. Once the stock Firmware is flashed your phone will have the old firmware installed and this will surely get rid of the error messages.
(7) Flash Gapps on your rooted Android device
This method requires you to gain root access to your device. You can use our Android Rooting guide to root your device and once the device is rooted follow the steps below.
- Turn off your Android device.
- Press Power button + Volume up button together to put your device in Recovery mode.
- Download Gapps zip file in your device and flash the file.
- Once it is flashed, turn on your smartphone and you’ll find that the error is gone. You’ll have to sign in to your Google Accounts again.
(8) Delete Google Play Store APK Using Root Explorer And Reinstall It
- Root your Android smartphone using the Rooting guide mentioned above.
- Download and Install the Root Explorer app.
- Open the app and browse to /system/app/GooglePlayStore/GooglePlayStore.apk.
- Delete the GooglePlayStore APK file.
- Reboot your device.
- Download Google Play Store APK file from APKMirror Webiste.
- Install Google Play Store.
This will definitely fix the stopping error messages and it won’t reappear again.
Is com.android.vending a Virus or Is it Safe?
com.android.vending is a totally safe application package. It is not a virus or malware that will cause intentional damage to your device.
It is not Spyware that spies on your data and sells it to third parties. It is also not Bloatware that consumes system resources without performing an important function.
This is an important app without which you cannot download apps from the Play Store and get the benefits of Google Play Protect or make billing purchases on Google Play Store.
com.android.vending cpu usage
com.android.vending has high CPU usage because this package continuously runs in the background to check for Google Play Store updates and check for automatic app updates. It also runs while you’re using the Google Play Store app, downloading apps from Play Store, updating apps, and when Google Play Protect runs to keep your apps safe.
This package not only has high CPU usage, but it also consumes your cellular data which is why you will see high battery consumption and even battery draining.
com.android.vending delete
It is possible to delete com.android.vending but we highly suggest that you don’t do it. This is because if you delete this package your Google Play Store app will stop working and you won’t be able to install apps or download updates from the Google Play Store.
If you do delete/uninstall this package you’ll have to download apps from external app websites like APKMirror. You won’t face any problems while installing downloaded apps from such websites.
Here are two ways to uninstall com.android.vending.
1. Uninstall Using Android Debug Bridge(ADB)
ADB allows you to bring up a Unix shell so you can issue commands directly on the Android device. You’ll need a Windows PC to use ADB.
Step 1 – Go to Settings > System > About phone.
Step 2 – Tap on the Build number 7 times to activate Developer Options.
Step 3 – Go back to the main Settings menu and tap on Developer Options to open it.
Step 4 – Enable USB debugging by tapping on it.
Step 5 – Download ADB on your PC.
Step 6 – Extract the ZIP file into a folder.
Step 7 – After extracting the ZIP file, open that folder.
Step 8 – Press and hold the shift button and right-click in a blank area.
Step 9 – Click on “Open Powershell window here.”
Step 10 – Enter the command adb devices
Step 11 – Connect your Android device to the PC using a USB data cable.
Step 12 – Run the command adb shell pm uninstall –user 0 com.android.vending and wait for a few seconds till you notice the app has been uninstalled from your device.
2. Uninstall Using System App Remover
This method requires you to gain root access to your device. If you don’t know how to root your Android device then check our Android Rooting guide. After gaining root access follow the steps below to uninstall this system app.
- Download and install the System App Remover application.
- Launch the application, search for Google Play Store and select this app by tapping on it.
- Tap the “Uninstall” button to completely remove the app from your device.
com.android.vending.billing
com.android.vending.billing contains your saved billing information in the Google Play Store app. If you have added a credit card or debit card to make purchases from Google Play Store then this package file will contain your saved billing information.
It is also responsible for making billing purchases on paid applications and in-app billing purchases to make in-app purchases in certain applications and purchase game items inside freemium games via in-app purchases.
What Permissions Does com.android.vending Require?
com.android.vending requires the following permissions to function properly:
- SMS
- Storage
- Telephone
- Contacts
- Location