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Apps slow to install, even after factory reset and dalvik wipe.

M

musiclover7

Well-Known Member
Just as the topic says, apps are very slow to install. This was true even after going through a factory reset and wiping Dalvik cache. I was having the darndest time just getting any apps to install, when all a sudden it started working well as I sat in my car outside my daughters orthodontist office. I hung until I got most of my apps installed, but after leaving there, the problem is back in spades.

Does not matter if I am on wireless, cell, you name it.

I disabled app security checking in Play store, wiped cache.. none of that works. I mean, if factory reset does not solve, I am inclined to think it's something with my account in general.

Anyways, I am desperate at this point. Last night I tried to install a remote control app for my TV, and it did not finish until 3 hours later. This is brutal. Any help appreciated!!
 
My apologies for the belated reply. I could not figure out for a while which forum I had posted in.

I am using a Galaxy Note 8 on Verizon network. The phone is not rooted.

Additional things I have tried. Changed DNS on my home router to googled 8.8.8.8. Installed DNS changer on my phone, but this did not work either. So I've factory wiped, cleared dalvik, cleared cache and app data in play store app settings, changed DNS settings, essentially every suggestion I could find on Google. None of it works.

Please throw me a line. I am desperate, and am considering giving up on Android, though I know the frustration of Apples caged kingdom all to well. Apps will tend to either stall out downloading, or get to about 99 percent and just sit there for hours. Usually, I notice some time the next day that they have successfully made it to my phone, but this is a rather lame way to live in the year 2019.
 
so this happens on wifi? have you tried rebooting the router? what about trying on just cellular? my note 8 never had this issue.

and just curious, if the phone is not rooted, how are you wiping dalvik cache? in recovery mode, i believe you can only wipe the cache partitions.
 
There's a big disconnect in your phone details in that you often refer to clearing the Dalvik cache, a Java runtime implementation that goes back to KitKat or so and has since been replaced with ART (Android RunTime).
https://software.intel.com/en-us/bl...alvik-introducing-the-new-android-x86-runtime
(note article is dated at 2014)
As @ocnbrze referred to, clearing the Dalvik cache required one to be running a custom Recovery (a stock Recovery can only wipe the system cache partition, it did not include the option to wipe the Dalvik cache). So either this phone is running a very dated version of Android and it's rooted, a requirement to install a custom Recovery, or there are a lot more details that need to be clarified.

As a side note, changing the DNS has no bearing on how the Play Store app works with online Google servers. DNS relates to things like accessing various web sites by different services, Google's app doesn't rely on DNS to identify Google servers.
 
The only location so far where apps loaded quickly was at my daughter's orthodontist office. I have not returned there, but I was on cellular data, not wifi that day. I have tried to install off WiFi since, but have had no luck. Does not seem to matter whether I am on wifi or on cellular, apps are slow to load.

I am probably not wiping dalvik. I am booting into download Or maybe recovery mode with my phone and wiping the cache. I assumed that meant dalvik, but I guess I assumed wrong. Phone is a note 8 running stock, and it has all the latest updates.
 
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All of the things I have tried so far are things I found online. The idea about changing DNS was referenced in a forum somewhere, so I thought I'd give it a go. Heck I will try anything. I also turned off play protect in Google play store.
 
musiclover7 said:
My apologies for the belated reply. I could not figure out for a while which forum I had posted in.
Click to expand...
There's a handy-dandy link on the 'information' tab of your profile page; it lets you see all the threads you've posted:

Screenshot_20191012-151734.png


You can access your profile by clicking your username or avatar.
 
Lol. I mean, I could not figure out which Android forum I posted in. I had not posted here before. Or if I had, it had probably been more than a few years. I was not looking that hard, as this problem has been just annoying... Apps eventually load, it just takes a long while.

Does anyone have some actual advice?
 
Well from your descriptions it sounds like you're trying different things that may or may not be relative to your actual problem. Experimenting with various maintenance tasks without knowing what effect they have on your phone's performance in general 'could' be an issue itself.

Are you also having problems with other apps and services that have issues with slow online access? If so that might be an indicator there is a problem with your phone, or more likely the cellular service connection or WiFi/network problem. Which also brings up the question of did you test if the problem is more or less apparent using just cellular (mobile data) connectivity, or WiFi in general (several WiFi networks like at home, at work, at a friend's, etc.) If it is just cellular, try re-seating the SIM card. If it's just WiFi, please state more details as to which WiFi networks are better or is your phone having a problem with all of them. You might want to go into your Settings menu and do a 'Network settings reset'. Note this wipes everything network relative -- so saved WiFi networks, Bluetooth pairings, any special cellular options you've altered, etc. all get deleted, returning them to the original defaults.

But if online access is pretty good with everything except this app update/install issue, that might be a problem tied just to the Google Play Store app. In this case it probably isn't an issue so no need to do any of the above. Try going into your Settings >> Apps menu, find the entry for the Google Play services app, tap on Force Stop, and then do the same for the Clear Cache option.
Find the entry for the Google Play Store app, tap on Force Stop, and then find Clear Data. This wipes the saved config files and the app's cache. Now try using the Google Play Store app again and see if that makes any difference. (You might have to re-enter your Google account info as using Clear Data returns the app to its first time used state).
 
Just did that, and tried to install a fresh app, no good. It's not my connection. Apps will sometimes download very fast to 99 percent, then stall out. Other times they just sit their scrolling and never begin to download.

Understand, all of the things I have tried, have been tried 1 at a time. I am pretty methodical in my troubleshooting, having a fairly solid IT background. Nothing works.

I am looking for another thread to try to unravel this puzzle, as I am currently out of threads to pull.
 
musiclover7 said:
I mean, I could not figure out which Android forum I posted in.
Click to expand...
Oh, I see. :) From your comment, ‘I could not figure out for a while which forum I had posted in," I took it as it's normally meant here, i.e., not remembering which of our forums/boards you'd posted in.

As for your problem, do you have other devices? Do they exhibit the same behavior? What if you go to the Play Store on a computer, and initiate installing an app from there? Same result?
 
I also own a Galaxy tab s2. Just installed an app on there in under a minute. Seems like the problems are somehow isolated to my note. Browsing the web is fine. Downloading from the web is fine. Problem occurs on both wifi and cellular, excluding one happy day at one specific location. Problem sticks around even after factory reset. Stopping play store app and wiping cache/data no good. Changing DNS, no good. Not my account, as apps seem to load fine on other devices. Any other suggestions?
 
musiclover7 said:
I don't have an Android computer. Should I load up an emulator on one of my windows machines?
Click to expand...
Where did you get the idea you need an Android computer? :thinking:

Did you even try going to the Play Store on -a- computer and installing an app from there? I gave you its link. Go there via browser on any computer, make sure you're signed in, pick an app to install and proceed from there. Post your results.
 
I went there, selected an app not on my phone, hit install, and within a few moments it said installed, but it is not on my phone 5 min later.
 
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