Update 6/24: The official fix for this problem is installing Google app 12.24, which the company looks to have moved quickly out of beta to resolve the crashes. This new version will be automatically installed by the Play Store, but the company provided some manual steps if you previously disabled the Google app:
- Open the Play Store app.
- Search for “Google app”
- Tap Update.
- If you have disabled the app, you will see the Enable button. Tap it, then tap Update.
- If you don’t see the Update button, please try again in a few hours.
Update 6/22: Google has provided official instructions on how to resolve the problem. The company warns that “this will clear some settings for the Google app” and to “review the settings if you have changed from default.”
- Launch Android Settings app
- Go to Apps & notifications
- Tap “See all apps”
- Find and tap Google from the app list (or you can use the search button on the top right corner to search for “google”)
- Tap Storage & cache
- Tap “Clear storage” or “Manage space”
- Tap CLEAR ALL DATA
And “OK” to confirm
After updating to version 12.23.16.23 of the Google app, users are seeing the application repeatedly crash every few minutes without any input. Since it’s also responsible for Lens, the Discover feed to the left of homescreens, and Podcasts, those experiences similarly “keep closing,” while some are having trouble with Android Auto. Meanwhile, Assistant is also affected by this issue and cannot be launched for voice commands.
Google app 12.23 rolled out to the stable channel on June 21 after entering beta later than usual last week. It was released on Wednesday evening compared to the usual Monday/Tuesday timeframe. That said, beta testers did not encounter these issues earlier and are not affected today.
The Google app 12.24 beta just rolled out a few hours ago, and some users say updating to it provides a fix for the crashes. You can sign up for the Google app beta here (or via the Play Store listing) and check for updates to start downloading.
That beta route might be the least destructive solution as the alternative is uninstalling the bad update and reverting to the Google app version that first came with your device:
Settings > Apps & notifications > See all > [scroll to] Google > overflow menu (in the top-right corner) > Uninstall updates
Be warned that the above process will require you to set up Google Assistant again on your phone and that downloaded episodes in Podcasts will be deleted. If you choose this path, do not update the Google app until a fixed version has been released as you’ll just encounter the same problem all over again.
This Google app crashing issue follows March’s big WebView bug.