Google Play Store Glitch: Seeing the same updates again?

The Google Play Store is a vital part of using an Android phone. It’s where you get most of your apps, making downloading them safer than from random websites. But even the Google Play Store can have its share of problems, like a glitch where it keeps showing you’ve got updates to do, even if you’ve already done them.

These sorts of glitches don’t happen often, but when they do, they can make app downloads fail or drain your phone’s battery. There’s one specific glitch where the Google Play Store tells you to update apps again that are already up to date.

This issue makes the “Downloads” section show updates for apps that should be fully updated. You can spot these false updates because they don’t list how big the update is. Normally, when an app needs updating, you see how much data it will take and when you last updated it. But with this glitch, that information isn’t there.

I looked at my phone to see if I was having this problem, but everything seemed fine. Yet, someone from the 9to5Google team noticed that apps like Gboard, Google Messages, Pocket Casts, and The Athletic were showing they needed updates again. These updates were just small downloads, around 1 to 2 MB, but they didn’t change anything since the apps were already at their latest version.

We’re not sure why this is happening. There were similar issues reported about five years ago, suggesting this might be a recurring problem. Google hasn’t said anything official about it, but it would help if they did explain what’s going on.

So, if you’re seeing the same app updates over and over in your Google Play Store, know you’re not alone, and hopefully, Google will fix this soon.