Google Play Store is the ultimate go-to place for most of the Android users to download and update all their favorite applications. Google Play Store is often flawless, however, it does run into issues every now and then. One such major issue is the Authentication is required. You need to sign in to your Google Account issue. Though the error clearly says you need to sign in to your account, it can occur even if you are signed in. So, what exactly is the reason? Well, there could be many reasons why this error could be happening and we are here to tell you all about it today.
In this article, we have explained in detail how you can easily figure out what exactly is causing the Authentication is required. You need to sign in to your Google Account issue. We also have detailed all the possible solutions that you can try to fix this issue of yours. You can try each s0lution one by one. We are sure you are going to have an answer to your queries so super soon! So what are you waiting for? Let’s dive straight in, shall we?
Note: We have used Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite device with Android OS Version 12, to explain the steps in this article. However, the screens are all similar in all Android devices. Should you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us through the comments section.
Solution 1: Perform a Force Stop on Google Play Store
In this solution, we are going to force-stop your Google Play Store. There is nothing to worry about, the action will not erase any data, it will just temporarily stop the application.
Step 1: The first step would be to open the Settings application. For that, click on the Settings icon from the apps drawer.
Step 2: Scroll through the Settings options available, and click on the Apps tile.
Step 3: Scroll all the way down to find and click on the Google Play Store application.
Step 4: Now, on the Google Play Store settings page, click on the button Force stop. That’s it. The app would now be force closed.
Step 5: You can now try relaunching the Play Store application by clicking on its icon. Check if the issue is resolved or not. If not, let’s try the next solution in the queue.
Solution 2: Sync your Google Account
Sometimes the issue Authentication is required. You need to sign in to your Google Account occurs if the Google account using which you have signed into the Play Store is not in sync. In such cases, a simple account sync operation can solve the problem readily.
Step 1: Once again, launch the Settings application by clicking on its icon.
Step 2: From the Settings screen, locate and click on the option that says Accounts and backup.
Step 3: On the Accounts and backup screen, click on the option Manage accounts.
Step 4: On the screen that follows, you will be able to see all the accounts that are signed in your device. You need to click on the Google account for which you are getting the Authentication is required. You need to sign in to your Google Account issue from the Play Store.
Step 5: As next, simply click on the Sync account tile as shown below.
Step 6: On the Sync account screen, click on the 3 vertical dots icon present at the top right corner.
Step 7: Now click on the Sync now button.
Step 8: Wait while the sync operation runs to completion. Once it is all done, let’s go ahead and launch the Google Play Store application by clicking on its icon. Check if the issue is gone or not.
Don’t worry if the issue is still present. We have checked and covered only the basic cases. Let’s try out the next solution now.
Solution 3: Clear Google Play Store Cache and Data
There is another huge possibility that nothing is wrong with your device or account settings, but you might have a corrupted Google Play Store cache. In that case, we can do a quick wipe clean of your Google Play Store app data and cache. Let’s see how this is done in the coming steps.
Step 1: As always, launch the Settings application first by clicking on its icon.
Step 2: On the Settings screen, scroll down and click on Apps.
Step 3: From the list of Apps, click on Google Play Store.
Step 4: On the Google Play Store settings screen, scroll down and click on Storage tile.
Step 5: When the Storage screen opens before you, click on Clear data button first. Then click on Clear cache button.
That’s it. Your issue should now be mostly fixed. If it’s still not, please head onto the next solution.
Solution 4: Enable Unrestricted Data for Google Play Store
In this solution, we will remove the data restriction policies applied on your Google Play Store, if there are any. Let’s see how this can be done in the steps below.
Step 1: Click on the Settings icon from the apps drawer to launch the Settings application.
Step 2: Click on the Apps tile from the list of Settings options.
Step 3: On the Apps screen, scroll down and click on Google Play Store.
Step 5: When the Google Play Store screen opens before you, scroll down and then click on the Mobile data option.
Step 6: Now on the screen that follows, at the bottom, you will see a toggle button associated with the option Allow data usage while Data saver is on. Turn this toggle button to the ON state.
That’s it. You can now try and check whether your issue is resolved or not.
Solution 5: Remove Google Play Store Updates
A buggy Play Store update might be the root cause of all your issues. In this solution, let’s uninstall all the updates installed on your Play Store.
Let’s try and check if the issue is fixed after it. Once the issue is fixed, we will update your Play Store to the latest version available.
Step 1: Click on the Settings application from the apps drawer.
Step 2: On the Settings screen, scroll down and click on Apps.
Step 3: As next, locate and click on the application Google Play Store.
Step 4: On the App info screen for Google Play Store, click on the 3 vertical dots icon present at the top right corner of the screen.
Step 5: From the little context menu that expands out, click on the option Uninstall updates.
Step 6: You will now get a warning dialog box that says all your Play Store updates will be uninstalled with the action you are performing. It also warns you that the application will be replaced with its factory version. All the app data will be erased as well.
Hit the OK button to proceed.
Step 7: Your Play store should now be in its factory version. Let’s try and check if your issue is resolved or not by launching the Play Store application.
To launch Play Store, simply click on its icon.
You can now check whether you are getting the Authentication is required. You need to sign in to your Google Account issue. Mostly it would be resolved.
Let’s now update your Play Store to the latest version available.
Step 8: Make sure you are signed into a Google account. Once you are signed in, on the Play Store app screen, at the top right corner, you will be able to view your profile picture. Click on the profile icon to proceed.
Step 9: As next, click on the Settings option.
Step 10: On the Settings screen, scroll down and expand the About section by clicking on the down arrow associated with it.
Step 11: Now under the section Play Store version, click on the Update Play Store link to update your Play Store to the latest version available.
Solution 6: Remove Google Account and Re-add it
Another solution that can fix the issue is removing the Google account that has the issue and then adding it back. This is a simple process and can be done very easily with the help of the following steps.
Step 1: Launch the Settings application by clicking on its icon.
Step 2: On the Settings screen, click on Accounts and backup option.
Step 3: Now on the Accounts and backup screen, click on the Manage accounts tile.
Step 4: As next, click on the Google account that has the issue. We will remove this account in the steps below.
Step 5: On the account’s screen, click on the Remove account button at the botton.
If asked for confirmation, give the approval.
Once the account is removed, click on the Back button at the top to get back to the Manage accounts screen.
Step 6: On the Manage accounts screen, scroll down and click on the Add account button at the bottom.
Step 7: As next, click on the Google tile to add the Google account. You can now follow the on-screen instructions to add your Google account back to your device. You can even try adding a different Google account to check if the issue is present or not.
If your issue is still not resolved, please try out the next solution.
Solution 7: Disable Authentication for Play Store Purchases
If you have enabled purchase authentication for Play Store, then the issue Authentication is required. You need to sign in to your Google Account can occur sometimes. Let’s now disable the Play Store purchase authentication and check if that’s the reason why we are in trouble.
Step 1: Launch the Play Store application by clicking on its icon.
Step 2: Make sure you are signed into a Google account. Click on the Profile icon at the top right corner of the screen.
Step 3: As next, click on the Settings option.
Step 4: Now expand the section named Authentication by clicking on it.
Step 5: Now under the Authentication section, click on the option Require authentication for purchases.
Step 6: As next, on the Purchase authentication window, click on the radio button associated with the option Never.
Step 7: You will now be asked to confirm the password of the Google account with which you have logged into the Play Store. Type the password and then hit the OK button at the bottom right corner. That’s it. You can check whether your issue is gone or not now.
Solution 8: Install the Application with its APK File
If none of the above solutions work and you so badly need the application, that you are trying to install, to be installed, then there is a workaround solution as well. You just need to open the Google search engine on any of the web browsers and then type in the app’s name followed by the keyword APK.
Eg: Snapchat APK (Open Google and search in this pattern to find the APK file of the application you need)
There are many safe websites from where you can download the APK file of the application that you need. Once the APK is downloaded, you can just click on it to install the application. Since this method doesn’t involve Play Store, you will not face the issue Authentication is required. You need to sign in to your Google Account when you install an application using this method.
We are so excited to hear which method did the trick for you. Please tell us all about it in the comments section.
Stay tuned for more and more amazing articles right here at The Geek Page! Happy Geeking!