As Android users, we do many things with Google apps because of their flexibility and top-notch services. But like any other app/service, Google apps are only exciting when they're working. If your account synchronization has been acting up, perhaps you received a message saying "Sync is currently experiencing a problem", don't panic. We'll tell you how to fix Google Sync error on Android right here!
What is Syncing error?
All the Google apps you use – Gmail, Play Store, Fit, Calendar, Contacts, Drive, Photos, Play Books, you name it – rely on your Google Account to work. One benefit of that is that once you make changes on your Android phone, it also appears on all your devices connected to Google, running the same app.
However, the “Syncing Error” is when your Google Account won’t synchronize with your device. That means you won’t be able to send or receive new mails, keep your files updated on Drive, even your new Photos won't show on other devices.
There are a couple of things that could cause this problem. Nonetheless, you can fix it. And here’s how to solve Google Account sync errors on your Android phone.
How to fix Google Sync Error on Android
We recommend you try all these fixes sequentially. If one didn't work, move to the next till you get your Google Account to synchronize!
Ensure you have an active internet connection
One of the first things that trigger the "Sync is currently experiencing problem" notification on Android is a poor internet connection. Your phone needs an active internet connection to sync information across your accounts. So, synchronization won’t work if your internet is down.
Before you continue learning how to fix Google sync error on Android, kindly confirm if your internet is working. A quick way to do a simple surf in your internet browser. If you could open a couple of web pages without issues, the internet isn't the problem.
If it’s the other way round, learn how to fix internet issues on your phone.
Reboot your phone
Sometimes, the only thing you need to fix account sync issues on your phone is rebooting it. Your phone processes lots of data at a go and sometimes may run into issues unexpectedly. Nevertheless, that's where a simple reboot comes in handy.
- Locate, then press & hold the Power button on your phone until you see a menu.
- Initiate Shutdown from the menu.
- Wait for 30 seconds after your phone shuts down.
- Now, press & hold the power button to restart your phone.
Rebooting your phone has a high chance of fixing temporary system glitches like the Google Account sync error. If the issue recurs, move to the next solution below.
Hint: How to Reboot a Phone Easily in Several Quick Steps
Sync your Google Account manually
Trust me, most synchronization issues are temporary and likely to get fixed after a few minutes. However, if you're dying to receive or send an email, for instance, you could force sync your account. Doing so would kick your phone to sync with your Google Account instantly and deliver your message in time.
Follow these troubleshooting steps to sync your Google Account manually.
- Open the device’s Settings app
- Scroll to Accounts and tap it
- Pick your Google Account from the list (ensure to select the affected one if you have many accounts)
- Click on Account sync.
- You’ll see a couple of Google apps/services there. Ensure everything (or the ones you use) are active. If not, flip the toggle.
- Now, tap the 3-dot button in the top right, then select Sync now to force your account to synchronize.
Your account should sync manually in the next few minutes if your internet is working and nothing is wrong with the system.
Confirm that auto-sync in on
Continually, you’ll want to check auto-sync in on. That ensures you don’t have to sync your apps manually all the time.
Here's how to auto-sync Android with your Google Account:
- Open the phone Settings
- Tap on Accounts
- Scroll to the bottom.
- Ensure that "Automatically sync app data" or something similar is active. Otherwise, flip the switch!
Install app & system updates
As far as it’s concerned, most of the solutions here won’t work if your Google app or the phone software has issues. You're likely to have sync problems if you’re running a buggy build of an app or the software itself. It's even more rampant if you're missing some critical updates.
So, to fix your Google Account synchronization problem, ensure your apps (mostly Google) and phone software are up to date.
First, we recommend updating core Google apps like
- Google Play Services,
- Chrome,
- Android System Web View,
- And the main app faces sync issues, such as Gmail, Contacts, etc.
You can update most of these apps from the Google Play Store, following these steps:
- Launch the Play Store
- Tap your account icon in the top right
- Select Manage apps & device
- Tap Updates available to view all pending updates.
- Simply update the apps one after the other or tap the “Update all”
After that, we recommend you visit the device’s Settings to check and install Android updates.
Here’s how:
- Open the Settings
- Scroll down and select
- Tap System Updates.
- Follow the on-screen guide to check and install the latest updates.
- Restart your phone after that to apply the updates.
Remove and re-add your Google Account.
If none of the solutions on how to fix Google sync error on Android mentioned above has helped so far, you could have issues with your Google Account.
If you've recently changed your password on another device or Google has issues authenticating your account, they would pause synchronization for a while.
A quick way to get out of that is to remove and re-add your Google Account.
- Go to Settings → Accounts
- Pick the affected Google Account from the list
- Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT, then confirm it to sign out.
Now, restart your phone to clear the system cache
- Go back to Settings → Accounts
- Tap Add account below the screen
- Select Google from the list and log in with your details.
If you now have a problem logging in, you could have problems with your Google account. Try signing in using a web browser to see what’s happening. Perhaps you may need to retrieve your passwords.
Reset the affected app
Still, if nothing works, our last solution on how to fix Google Sync error on Android is to reset the affected app. It's not much work to do; you only need to clear the app's cache and data.
Resetting the affected could help mostly if the sync problem persists only in certain Google apps like Gmail. If other apps work fine, you only need to fix the problematic one.
However, resetting an app means you’ll lose all your saved preferences, but not important data.
Here’s how to fix Google sync error on Android by resetting the affected app. We’ll use Gmail here.
- Launch the Settings app
- Tap the Apps & notifications
- Select the option to see all apps.
- Find Gmail (or the affected app) on the list and select it.
- Click on Storage (& cache)
- Tap Clear data to reset the app
You can now open the app, and hopefully, it syncs now.
How to sync your apps with your Google Account
- Launch your device’s Settings
- Scroll to Accounts and open it
- Select the Google Account you want to sync your apps with
- Click on Account Sync
- You’ll see all the apps/services currently synced with your Google Account.
- Flip the toggle to either enable to remove an app/service you want.
How to sync passwords across your devices
Similarly, you can offer to save your passwords with your Google Account so you can access them on all your devices. Here's how to set it up.
- Go to the device Settings app
- Tap Google
- Select Autofill, then tap Autofill with Google
- Enable “Use Autofill with Google”
- Now, click on Passwords
- If you've ever used Google Password Manager (or saved a password on Chrome), you’ll see a list of apps/websites with saved passwords.
- Tap the settings icon in the top right.
- Enable “Offer to save passwords” to allow Google to ask if you want to save passwords in your apps and on Chrome.
- Enable “Auto sign-in” to sign in to any app/website – with saved password – automatically.
- Enable "Password alerts" if you want Google to notify you if your saved password appears online.
That's it, your saved passwords will synchronize across your devices, and you can log in via Chrome or apps.
Wrap up
Google synchronization problems occur at the most unrealistic times. By then, most of your Google apps, including Contacts, Gmail, Play Books, Fit, and others, won't synchronize across your devices. Not just that, you could lose yet-to-backup data during that time.
Nonetheless, Google sync problems are just temporary and liable to resolve within a few minutes. Whenever you need to troubleshoot a synchronization problem on your phone, our guide on how to fix the Google Sync error on Android comes in handy!
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