On Saturday evening (PT), many Android users are experiencing issues with the Google app crashing. When they try to search, the app keeps stopping and returns them to the home screen with the message “Google keeps stopping.”
As of around 11:00 PM PT, some users are reporting that the Google app is starting to work again.
Google has officially acknowledged the problem at 11:07 PM PT, saying there is a “service disruption” affecting the app. They are investigating the issue and will provide another update within 12 hours.
Here’s what Google says about the Search App crashes:
15 Sep 2024: The issue with serving has been mitigated and our systems are becoming stable, but we’re still working on a fix. Affected users still experiencing issues on the Google App on Android may try to clear the app cache and the app data through the Settings app. Next update will be within 12 hours.
14 Sep 2024:There’s an ongoing issue with serving in Google Search that’s affecting a large number of users searching on the Google app on Android. We’re working on identifying the root cause. Next update will be within 12 hours.
Here’s what’s happening:
When you try to open the Google app from your home screen, it crashes almost immediately. The Google Search bar widget briefly shows past searches before also crashing. Google Discover, which you find to the left of your home screen, won’t load, and tapping the Voice Search microphone will also crash the app.
Despite this, the Pixel Launcher search bar is still working for looking up device information, but it crashes when you try to enter a search query. Google Assistant, Google Lens, and the Circle to Search feature are functioning, and you can still use google. com through Chrome for Android as a workaround. You can also use the Gemini app.
This problem affects various Android versions (15, 14, and possibly earlier) and devices like Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy. It seems to be specific to the Google app on Android, as other Google services like YouTube, Gmail, and Drive are working fine.
This issue is drawing comparisons to the WebView bug from 2021, but it’s important to note that only the Google app is affected this time. Google Search itself and other first-party services remain functional.
For now, there’s no clear fix, but using google. com in a mobile browser or the Gemini app is a temporary solution. If you’re experiencing this issue, let us know which country you’re in by leaving a comment.