Google Play Store crashing upon tapping Search button? You aren't alone

It looks like Android phone users are experiencing crashes when using the Google Play Store app. Reports surfacing online indicate that as soon as the search button inside the Play Store is tapped, the app crashes. From Samsung Galaxy users to those with Motorola, OnePlus, and even Pixel phones, everyone seems to be experiencing the problem.

To give you a clear idea, the following discussion thread on Reddit contains a video of what’s happening. Take a look:

Some reports from X:

I also tried reproducing the same scenario on my Pixel 8 Pro, but I didn’t experience any crashes while using the Search functionality.

Delving further into the online discussions, I realized it’s a new update that might be causing the problem. And it’s only the app that’s crashing – accessing through a web browser seems perfectly fine.

Of course, uninstalling the update is one way to get rid of the crash, but that’s not an ideal or even permanent solution. Some users also tried clearing the cache, but that doesn’t stick around as well.

I was able to fix it briefly by clearing the data and cache for the Google Play Store and Google Play services (via the apps, storage section)
Unfortunately, after I opened the store a second time (where it gave me the welcome message and prompts) it broke again. (Source)

However, I did come across a couple of comments wherein users said they resorted to doing a Google Search for whatever they were trying to search on the Play Store, and that seems to have worked for them, making it their preferred workaround for now.

Another user shared an even stranger potential workaround, which involves enabling unrestricted mobile data access for the Play Store.

This Play Store crash problem appears to have started in the past 24 hours, but doesn’t seem widespread – I currently only see a few Reddit threads and a couple of discussions on Google’s own support forums (you can find all the source links at the end of the article).

This could be due to a couple of factors. Firstly, the crash seems to be limited to the Search feature inside the app. Secondly, the bug seems to be tied to a new Google Play Store update, which everyone may not have right now (as updates are usually rolled out in phases).

Here’s hoping Google fixes this Play Store crash issue as soon as possible. Meanwhile, I am still looking for useful information on the matter and will update the article as and when I stumble upon anything worth sharing here. Meanwhile, do let us know your thoughts on the matter and how you are dealing with the situation, in case you have the new Google Play update and are experiencing these crashes.

Links to all reports I could find: Reddit (1,2,3,4) & Google Support Forums (1, 2)