Gmail DOWN: Google's email app still CRASHING as Android users can't access messages
SOME Gmail users are continuing to face a frustrating time with the popular email app crashing on Android devices. Here's the latest on Google's current issues.
Gmail services go down for users across UK and Europe
It's not been a good few hours if you were hoping to catch up on some emails. Thousands of Gmail users continue to report that they are having issues with the popular app with many confirming that it crashes every time it's opened on Android devices such as the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones. The problems began at around 9pm last night with the gremlins still ongoing this morning. An fix has been posted online and you can find full details here.
Independent tracking website Down Detector, which monitors mentions across social media to track when web services are offline, is suggesting that hundreds of Gmail users are currently experiencing the outage. In fact, at the time of writing, there are some 500 complaints every minute that users can't access the app.
Speaking on Down Detector's forum page one Gmail user said: "Gmail app opens then immediately closes. Phone restarted and also turned off then back on. App was also stopped and restarted. None of these were a fix."
Whilst another added: "Same here! Gmail app opens then immediately closes!"
READ MORE: Android apps keep crashing: Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Google app issues reported
Luckily, Google has now officially confirmed that things are fixed but there are a few things you'll need to do to get back up and running
It seems the bug is due to a problem with something called WebView which is pre-installed on all Android devices. WebView is a system component powered by Chrome that allows Android apps to display web content. To get your Gmail working again you simply need to download the latest version from the Google Play Store.
Here are full instructions to get things fixed:
• To update Android System WebView and Google Chrome via Google Play:
• Navigate to Play Store app
• Search for Android System WebView (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.webview&hl=en_AU&gl=US)
• Select the "Update" option
To anyone out there experiencing application crashes on their #android phone: uninstall 'Android System Webview' via
— Stéphane Franiatte (@CTZStef) March 22, 2021
the Google Play Store - it did the trick for me, at least for now... @Google #gmail
In a statement sent to Express.co.uk, a Google spokesperson said: "We have resolved the issue with WebView that caused some apps on Android to crash for some users. Updating Android System WebView and Google Chrome via Google Play should now resolve the issue.”
Along with Gmail, this glitch also hit users of Google, Amazon and Yahoo! apps.
Once you have installed the latest update from the Play Store things should return to normal. Hooray!