How to Restore Accidentally Deleted Google Play Store
Google Play Store comes with a preinstalled app and is a marketplace that allows you to download apps to Android phones. Besides being an official support to update apps, it also scans apps for any malicious activity using its Play Protect feature.
Let's see how to bring back the accidentally deleted Google Play Store to Android phones. But before that, let's find the answer to an important question – can you uninstall Play Store?
Can the Google Play Store be uninstalled?
Let's be clear: Google Play Store cannot be uninstalled on the phones and tablets that pre-installed it. Only in certain countries like China where Play Store is blocked, you can uninstall it.
So what's going on? Where did your Play Store go? There are many answers to this, as you may have disabled or hidden it. Whatever the reason for your missing Play Store, let's see how to get it back in different ways.
1. Switch from the applications drawer to the home screen
It is very likely that you have only removed the Play Store from your home screen. For the uninitiated, apps on Android phones are present in two places – app drawer and home screen. Although the app drawer houses all of the installed apps, you can keep the apps you like on the home screen.
To bring the app back to the home screen, open the app drawer. It is usually accessible by swiping the home screen or by tapping the app drawer icon.
Look for the Google Play Store icon. Press and hold it and drag it to the home screen. If it is not available, long press it and then select Add to home screen.
2. Check for hidden apps
Another reason why your Play Store is missing on your phone may be because you accidentally hid it. So you need to check the hidden apps on your phone.
The hide apps option is usually available in your launcher settings. Open the launcher installed on your phone and access its settings. You will find Hide apps. Tap it. Then deselect the apps you don't want to hide. In this case, the Google Play Store.
3. Activate in the settings
As mentioned earlier, the Google Play Store cannot be uninstalled, but it can be disabled. And when that happens, its icon will disappear from your phone and you won't be able to access it. Therefore, you need to activate it.
For that, proceed as following:
Step 1: Open Settings on your phone or tablet and go to Apps & Notifications / Application Manager / Installed Apps depending on what your phone calls it.
2nd step: On some phones, you will find all the installed applications directly. If not, go to All apps.
Step 3: Once you see the list of apps, search for Google Play Store. Tap it.
If you can't find it, tap the three dots icon at the top – select Show System or Show System Applications. Then find the Play Store.
Step 4: If the app has been disabled, you will see the Activate option. Tap it to bring it back.
Point: After activating the Play Store, wait 5 minutes before you start using it. This is done to allow the Play Store to update to the latest version in the background.
4. Install from APK
If you previously installed Play Store using the APK file (in China and elsewhere) and uninstalled it later, you need to reinstall it using the APK file.
To do this, download the APK from the Google Play Store from a reliable source such as APKMirror.com. After downloading the file, tap on it to start installing it. You will be asked to grant security clearance to install apps from unknown sources. Grant it. Once successfully installed, the Play Store will be back on your phone. This method can also be used to update Play Store manually. Find out how.
Play Store Not Woes
Google Play Store requires Google Play services for optimal operation. If Google Play services no longer work on your phone, you need to update it manually. Sometimes even the Play Store stops working and returns errors like download pending, download is not possible, etc. Learn how to correct these errors.
Restore other apps
Even though we focused on restoring the Google Play Store in this article, the above methods also apply to other apps. So, in case other installed apps disappear on your phone, you can get them back using the methods mentioned above.
Then: Who doesn't like tips and tricks? Check out some great tips for using the Google Play Store effectively from the link below.