Fix: Chrome and Android System Webview is not getting updated

For Android smartphones, Google added an Android System WebView app. It is a lite browser engine attached to Google Chrome, which is an essential part of it. This app lets third-party apps (like Gmail, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) display web content without leaving the app altogether.

Simply put, when you open any link on a third-party app like Instagram, Facebook, etc., it will not open in the Chrome browser but within the app itself. It is because of the Webview. Of course, you can open the links in Chrome from there, but that is another thing.

Recently, when I got a notification update, I tried updating my Chrome browser but failed. After several tries, I learned that Chrome and the Android System Webview are also not updating. Updating these apps is very important as they get new security features with every update.

First, we will try a few essential solutions as it doesn’t need to happen because of significant issues. If the essential solutions don’t fix the problem, then try the other solutions mentioned below:

Reboot your device

Sometimes a simple reboot fixes the problem, as rebooting the device restarts all of its system processes. This way, if some Android process is causing the error, it will be fixed automatically.

Check your internet connection

It would help if you had good data speed to update all from the Play Store. If you have a good internet connection and still face the issue, use any third-party app to check if any other app uses the data in the background.

Close all other apps that use a data connection and then retry the download, and this should fix the issue.

Stop auto-updating all apps

If you have enabled the update all apps automatically option, this may cause the download issue. To stop this, you need to stop all the apps from updating together and update them manually. Here are the steps to do:

1. Open your Google PlayStore on your Android phone.
2. Click on the profile icon in the top right corner.
   It will bring out a menu.
   
3. Tap on the Manage Apps and Devices option on the menu.
   It will show you all the apps that are updating.
4. Hit the Stop button to stop updating.
5. Now update Chrome and Android System Webview app to fix the download issue.
   

These were essential solutions, and they often fixed the issue; if they didn’t, try the below-mentioned methods.

Clear Google Play Store Cache and Storage

There is a high probability that Play Store data may get corrupted, causing the issue with app updates.

Since we downloaded and updated the Google Chrome and Android System WebView from the Google Play Store, it’s a good idea to clear the cache and storage of the Play Store. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Open your Settings app on your Android Phone.
2. Tap on the Apps and Notifications tab.
3. Select the See all apps link to open the installed apps list.
   
4. Search and open the Google Play Store app.
   
5. Within the Google Play Store app info page, select on Storage & Cache option.
   
6. Hit on Clear Storage command and Clear cache.
   

Relaunch the Google Play Store app and try updating the Chrome and Android System WebView app. Launching the Play Store app might take a while since we have cleared the storage data.

If that doesn’t work, clear the cache and storage of the Google Play services.

Uninstall Android System Webview and Chrome

There is a high chance that the Android System Webview is the main problem, and because of it, Chrome is not updating. To solve this, first of all, uninstall the Android System Webview app.

It is a system app, so you cannot uninstall it entirely but return to the factory version. It means you can uninstall all the previous updates. You cannot uninstall it directly from settings like most devices; there is no such option.

Here are the steps to uninstall:

1. Open the Google play store app.
2. In the search bar and search for the Android System Webview app.
   
3. Proceed and tap on the Uninstall option.
4. It will uninstall the Android System Webview updates.

That’s all. Now retry updating the Google Chrome browser to check whether the problem is fixed. If not, repeat the same process with the Chrome app.

Clear cache and Force stop the app

If an app is running in the background, then it is possible that it won’t update. You can force stop any app from stopping such a background process. After that, if the app has a lot of cache memory, which might prevent it from updating. In such scenarios, you need to clear cache and storage as well.

Here are the steps to force stop the app:

1. Open your Settings app on your Android Phone.
2. After that, scroll down, look for the Apps and Notifications tab, and tap on it.
   
3. In the next window, you will see an option named see all apps; tap on it to open a list of all installed apps.
4. Tap More on the upper right corner to open a menu.
5. Select the ‘Show system’ option to see all the available apps.
   
6. Tap to open the Android System Webview app from the list of apps.
7. Tap on that to Force stop the app.

Now try updating the app; if the issue persists, you must clear the cache and data. Here are steps to clear the cache and data:

1. Repeat the above steps till #6,
2. Click on the Storage option on the app information window.
   It will open a new window with a clear cache and data option.
3. Tap on those options to Clear Storage and Clear Cache
4. Lastly, try to update the Android webview app from Google PlayStore.

If this doesn’t work, repeat the same process with the Chrome and Google Play store apps.

Leave the beta testing program

The google play store has a feature called beta testing. It gives its users early access to any new update before it goes public. This service is for testing the new updates, and there is a high chance that the beta updates have bugs.

If you are also a part of beta testing or opted for it by mistake, you might use a beta update app. Now, this might be the reason behind the downloading issue. You can fix it by leaving the beta testing program:

1. Open the Google PlayStore app.
2. Search for the Android system Webview app.
3. Scroll down until you see the option as shown in the below image.
   
4. Tap the option to Leave the beta program.

After leaving the beta testing program, uninstall the updates like in the third method. It will solve your issue.

Download the updates Manually

This solution will work if you have tried all the methods and none worked for you. You can download and install the latest Android System Webview and Chrome update from third-party APK sites and install it manually.

Here are the steps to manually download the app:

1. Search for Android System Webview on APKmirror.com (direct download link below)
2. Scroll down until you see a list of all versions.
3. Click on the download icon on the right side.
4. Scroll down until you see all the downloadable app variants.
   Choose any variant according to your device.
5. Click on the Variant number to proceed.
   You can use a Google search to find a compatible variant with your device.
6. Click the Download button to download the APK.

If you see a download Waring them, allow it by clicking OK as it is not a threat to your device. Lastly, install the APK file by tapping it, and your work is done.

Download WebView

Bottom Line

To sum up, I have given all the possible solutions for Chrome and Android System Webview is not getting updated issues. These might take some time, but they will surely fix your issue.

Updating the system apps is tricky, so you must be patient. Also, only use trusted APK sites to download the APK file.

You should be cautious using the last method, as a few fake sites can harm your device. APK files from such fake sites may contain malware, so be aware.

Once you can update the google chrome app, it will also update the Android system webview.

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