It seems that Google has released a new update for the Google Discover or Feed app and some users aren’t able to open any article links on the cards. Some users have also reported that the Google app keeps crashing randomly which is really frustrating. Plenty of users have reported the same on multiple online forums. If you’re also facing the Google Discover (or feed) Not Working or Crashing on Android Phone, follow this guide to fix it.
The Google Discover or Google Feed is a kind of home screen widget that appears on the extreme left sidebar once the user swipes from left to right to get the latest news from which category they choose. So, it works like a news application rather than installing any dedicated news app on your mobile. But the recent update to Google Discover breaks it to some devices and users can’t open any news link by tapping on it from the cards.
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Google Discover (or feed) Crashing and Can’t Open Articles, How to Fix?
You can check out some of the recent reports by affected Google Discover or Feed users who’re complaining about the not working or Google app crashing issue.
Anyone else have issues with Google Discover feed? from GooglePixel
@madebygoogle My Google Discover feed on my Pixel 4XL is not working. When I click on an article nothing happens, however, if I share the article with myself and click the link, I can read the article. This started today.
— Nick Rao (@nickrao1972) May 7, 2021
Some users have also tried performing the factory reset to their handset but it didn’t work at all.
Thanks man, greatly appreciate it. The workaround works…but none the less very annoying
— Jeffrey Mac (@JeffyMac88) May 11, 2021
Luckily, there are a couple of possible workarounds mentioned below that have been shared with multiple affected users which might work for you temporarily. Yes! Until the problem has been fixed by Google, you can follow this guide to at least open article links or prevent crashing issues whatsoever. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into it.
1. Leave Google Beta Program
If in case, you’re an active Google app beta program user then make sure to leave or exit the beta program right now to avoid stability issues as well as bugs that you may receive in the latest update. Just head over to the Google Play Store app > Search for Google app > Tap on it to get into the preview app page > Scroll down to the bottom of the page until you ‘You’re a beta tester’. Simply Leave it and restart your device.
It looks like beta users are having on the V 12.17.7.23.arm64 or V 12.17.7.29.arm64 build which may cause several issues. Just try updating the app version by following the method below or simply uninstall and reinstall the app to avoid random crashes.
2. Update Google App
Try checking for the latest Google app update on your handset from the Google Play Store application. Just open the Play Store app > Tap on the hamburger icon menu from the top right corner of the screen > Go to My Apps & Games > Tap on Update next to the Google app (if available). It should fix the possible glitches or bugs by installing the latest update. If there is no update available, follow the next method.
3. Clear Google App Cache and Data
It seems that by clearing the Google app cache and data on your device, you’ll be able to run the Google app or its article links temporarily once again. To do so:
- Go to Google App Settings page (App Info) > Tap on Storage and Cache.
- Tap on Clear both the cache and storage data one by one.
- Go back to Google Discover and give it some time to load completely.
- Once done, you can tap on any article links, and it should work fine. But keep in mind that it’s a temporary solution and may not work all the time.
Similarly, try clearing cache for the Google Play Services app too.
4. Delete Google App Search Data and Cache
Well, another thing you can do is to simply delete the Google App Search Data & Cache on your device. It should fix the app crashing or article links not opening issue completely. This method has worked for plenty of affected users. So, you can also try it out.
5. Open Google App Settings and Go Back
As you can see in the above tweet, some users have tried opening the Google App Settings menu on their device by tapping on the user icon in the top right corner to force a crash. Then re-open the Google app and tap on the user icon again to open the Google app Settings menu.
Next, going back to the app interface and tapping on the articles have fixed the issue. Make sure to keep trying the process multiple times to check if that works or not. If this method didn’t help you, try following the next one.
6. Enable Discover in Google App
If you use the Discover Feed in the Google app then ensure that the Discover is enabled in the Google App. If somehow it turned off, you won’t be able to see Discover. To do so:
- Open the Google app on your phone > Tap on the More section.
- Tap on Settings > Go to General.
- Tap on the toggle next to Discover (Feed) to enable it. [If it’s already enabled, just turn it off and turn it on again to refresh the system]
- You can also try rebooting your handset to check for the issue.
7. Uninstall the Google App Updates
Since the Google app comes pre-installed on your Android handset and can install the latest update automatically in the background in most scenarios, you should try uninstalling the Google app updates from the App Info page. To do so:
- Tap on hold the Google app icon > Go to App Info.
- Tap on the three dots icon from the top right corner > Tap on Uninstall Updates.
- If prompted, confirm the task, and restart your device to apply changes.
It should temporarily fix the issue if anything is causing it due to the latest app update.
8. Set app preferences
Make sure to set the app preferences on your Android device to normally function your Google app. It’ll basically reset the app settings or manually configured preferences which can fix the issue. It won’t delete any data, so don’t worry. To do this:
- Go to the device Settings menu > Tap on Apps (Apps and Notifications / Application Manager).
- Tap on Default Apps (System Apps) > Go to Google app page.
- Now, tap on the three-dots icon from the top left/right corner of the screen.
- Make sure to select Set App Preferences to reset it to the default.
- Once done, reboot your device, and check for the issue again.
9. Turn On Background Data Usage
Finally, you can try turning on the background data usage option for the Google app on your handset if in case it’s turned off for the mobile data or Wi-Fi. It basically allows the system to run the app properly using the Wi-Fi or mobile data whatever you use. in the background always. To do so:
- Go to the device Settings menu > Tap on Apps.
- Select Google from the default apps list or just search for it.
- Now, go to Data usage > Turn ON the ‘Background data’ toggle.
- Make sure that mobile data or Wi-Fi isn’t disabled for the app.
Some device models may offer you to do the same steps directly from the Settings > Network & Connectivity > Mobile Data > Background Data Usage for mobile data.
This is how you can be able to temporarily fix the Google discover or feed crashing or not working issue. However, we’ll recommend you to keep updating your Google app to get it fixed completely.
That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.