How to Fix Google Play Store Error 963 "App Could Not Be Downloaded"

By FixMyError · Updated October 14, 2026 · 6 min read

What "Error 963" means

Error 963 is one of the Google Play Store's numbered download failures. You tap Install or Update, the progress bar spins for a moment, and then the Store gives up with the message "App could not be downloaded due to an error. (963)". It can hit a single app or every download on your phone, and it affects updates just as often as fresh installs. The rest of your phone usually behaves perfectly — this is a Play Store plumbing problem, not a dead internet connection or a Google outage.

Under the hood, the Play Store doesn't work alone. It leans on three background services — Google Play Services, the Google Services Framework, and the Download Manager — to fetch and install app files. When any of them (or the Store itself) builds up corrupted cache or data over time, the download pipeline breaks and the Store reports error 963. The other half of the story is storage: if your apps are installed on a microSD card that is failing, corrupted, or seated badly, the Store can't write the app package to it and fails the same way. That's why the fix sequence targets both halves — first the software caches, then the storage layer.

Common causes

• Corrupted Play Store cache or data: the most common trigger — stale or damaged temporary files make the Store fail its own download routine.
• Damaged companion-service data: corrupted cache in Google Play Services, the Google Services Framework, or the Download Manager breaks the install pipeline.
• Faulty or badly seated SD card: a corrupted or loose microSD card that apps are stored on causes the write step to fail.
• Low internal storage: the Store needs scratch space to stage downloads; a nearly full phone can throw error 963.
• Buggy Play Store update: an automatically installed Store update can itself introduce the bug that causes error 963.
• Google account sync glitch: an account whose sync state is wedged can make downloads fail repeatedly with the same code.

How to fix "Error 963" — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. Step 1 takes a minute; most people are fixed by step 2.

1. Clear the Google Play Store's cache and data. Open the Settings app, then go to Apps (or "Apps & notifications," depending on your phone). Tap "See all apps," scroll down and tap "Google Play Store," then tap "Storage & cache." Tap "Clear cache" first, then "Clear storage" or "Clear data," and confirm. This wipes the Store's temporary files and settings — it does not touch your installed apps or your Google account. Restart your phone, open the Play Store, and try the download again.
2. Clear cache and data for Google Play Services, the Google Services Framework, and Download Manager. Error 963 doesn't always live in the Store itself, so repeat the same routine for its helpers. In Settings, then Apps, then "See all apps," find each of these in turn — "Google Play Services," "Google Services Framework," and "Download Manager" — and for each one tap "Storage & cache," then "Clear cache" and "Clear storage." Restart the phone when you've done all three, then try the download again. This combination clears the whole install pipeline at once.
3. Safely unmount your SD card and retry the download. If your phone uses a microSD card — especially if apps are stored on it — the card may be the culprit. Go to Settings, then Storage, and tap the eject icon next to the SD card (or tap the card and choose "Unmount"/"Eject"). Once it's unmounted, open the Play Store and try downloading the app again. If it works with the card out of the picture, the card is at fault. You can remount it afterward from the same Storage screen — but consider replacing the card or moving apps off it.
4. Move apps to internal storage and free up space. Still in storage territory: go to Settings, then Storage, and check how much free space you have. If the phone is nearly full, delete unused apps, clear out your Downloads folder, and back up old photos to free several hundred megabytes. Then, in Settings, then Apps, tap the problematic app (if it's already partially installed), tap "Storage," and if there's a "Change" option, move it to internal storage. SD-installed apps are far more likely to throw error 963 than internally stored ones.
5. Uninstall updates for the Google Play Store. Sometimes the bug arrived with a Store update. Go to Settings, then Apps, then "See all apps," and tap "Google Play Store." Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and choose "Uninstall updates," then confirm. This rolls the Store back to the version that shipped with your phone. Open the Play Store — it will update itself to a current version in the background — and then try your download again. Many people find the error is gone once the Store re-updates itself.
6. Remove and re-add your Google account, then restart. If error 963 survives everything above, the problem may be account-level. Go to Settings, then "Passwords & accounts" (or just "Accounts"), tap your Google account, and choose "Remove account." Restart your phone, go back to Settings, then Accounts, tap "Add account," and sign back in with the same Google credentials. Open the Play Store and retry the download. This resets any wedged sync state tied to your account without touching your apps or files.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• The Play Store downloads and updates apps without the 963 error
• The Play Store, Play Services, and Download Manager caches were all cleared
• If you use an SD card, downloads were tested with the card unmounted
• The phone has a comfortable amount of free internal storage

If you've worked through all six steps and error 963 still appears, the problem is deeper than software: a dying SD card (try a new one), a failing internal storage chip, or a device-specific firmware bug. At that point, back up your data and check whether your phone's manufacturer has a software update or support thread about Play Store 963 errors for your model — some budget devices shipped with firmware that trips this error more easily.