Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones periodically face an unpleasant situation when a pop-up suddenly appears on the screen with the message “There was an error in the Google Play services app.” This problem can occur at the most inopportune moment: during the installation of an important update, when you launch your favorite game or even in the background. The MIUI shell system or the new HyperOS blocks further actions, requiring immediate user intervention to restore the normal operation of the Android operating system.
The causes of the failure can be very different: from banal overflow of cache to serious conflicts of versions of system components. Often the problem lies in the desynchronization of system time or incorrect operation of the Google account after changing the password. In some cases, the culprit is the shell of Xiaomi, which aggressively manages background processes to save battery power, mistakenly “killing” vital services of the search giant.
Don't panic and take the device to the service center, because 95% of the time, you can solve the problem yourself in a few minutes. In this article, we'll look at all the current methods for fixing the bug, from simple reboots to deeper system settings. It's important to follow the steps consistently to pinpoint the source of the conflict and fix it without losing personal data.
Basic activities and resetting of services
The first thing to do when an error notification appears is to perform the standard but often ignored reboot procedure. Many users simply close the error window, not realizing that the Google Play Services background process may have got stuck in a cyclical state.A full reboot of the Xiaomi smartphone clears RAM and forcibly restarts all system services, often eliminating temporary software glitches.
If a normal reboot didn’t work, check for updates for the app store and its services. Sometimes the error occurs because the version of the Google Play Store does not match the version of the system libraries. To do this, go to the store settings, find the About section and click on the update button. If the system offers to update Google Play Services, be sure to agree, since this component is responsible for authorization and operation of most applications.
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Before performing any reset actions, make sure your Google account is synced to avoid losing contacts and notes.
Also worth paying attention to is the stability of the Internet connection: Google services require a constant and stable connection to servers. If you use mobile Internet, try switching to Wi-Fi or vice versa. DNS-The provider’s servers can also block the connection of Google services to authorization servers, causing an error on the screen.
Cleaning up cache and data of Google services
The most effective way to solve the problem is to force the cleaning of accumulated temporary files. Over time, the cache of Google Play applications can become corrupted, contain broken code fragments or conflict with new system updates. To perform this procedure, you will need access to the application management menu in the settings of your Xiaomi.
You need to find Google Play Services (often indicated by the gear icon) in the app menu, select Storage. Here you will see the two main buttons: Clear cache and Clear all data. Start by clearing the cache, then restart the device. If persists error, repeat the path and select the complete data cleanup. This action will reset the Google services settings to factory, but will not delete your personal photos, contacts or files.
☑️ Checklist of cleaning services
Once the data is cleaned, the system can load the data again for a while, so it can put a lot of stress on the processor in the first few minutes. Don't worry if the phone starts to heat up a little, which is a normal process of indexing and restoring services. In most cases, this is the step that completely eliminates the intrusive error message.
Managing a Google Account
Often the root of the problem lies in the login plane: If you recently changed your Google account password, enabled two-factor authentication, or added a new device, an old Xiaomi smartphone could have a conflict of access tokens. Google's security system blocks access services, believing the current connection to be suspicious, which causes an error on the screen.
To do this, you need to completely delete your account from the system and add it again. Go to your smartphone settings, find the Accounts and Sync section (or simply Accounts depending on the version of MIUI). Select your Google account and click the Delete Account button. After that, reboot your phone and re-energize with your login and password. This action will force you to update your encryption and access keys.
In some cases, deleting and re-additioning an account even without changing your password helps, which allows you to reset local sync errors that may have accumulated over a long period of time using the device, and make sure that after logging in, you have given all the necessary permissions for the store and services to operate.
Setting up date, time and certificates
One of the most insidious but easily correctable causes of error is the wrong date or time. SSL/TLS security protocols used to securely connect to Google servers require a precise match between the time on the device and the server. If your Xiaomi time is behind or in a hurry even for a few minutes, the security server rejects the connection, and Google Play services give an error.
Check the date and time settings in the "Advanced" or "System settings" menu. Make sure the "Use Network Time" option (automatic determination) is enabled. If it's already on, try turning it off, manually set the correct date, and then turn on automatic synchronization again, which will restart the system time checker.
It’s also worth checking for up-to-date security certificates. In rare cases, especially on custom firmware or after a reset, root certificates may fly out, and make sure the security settings don’t have questionable user certificates that can intercept traffic and be blocked by Google’s security system.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Where to find out. | Influence on error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Automatically (over the network) | Settings → Additional → Date and time | Critical: no coincidence of time SSL-connection |
| Language of the region | Appropriate SIM-map | Settings → Advanced settings → Language and input | Medium: May affect the performance of some local services |
| DNS | Automatically or 8.8.8.8 | Wi-Fi settings → Your network → DNS | High: DNS blocking by provider causes error |
| Android version | Last available | Settings → About the phone | Older versions may not support newer protocols |
MIUI shell conflicts and energy saving
The MIUI and HyperOS shells are known for their aggressive energy saving policies, which can automatically shut down background processes that it considers inactive, including Google Play services, which causes them to be “killed” by the system when an application tries to access services, causing an error message.
To prevent this, you need to configure exceptions for Google services. Go to the Apps menu» → «App management, go to Google Play Services and Google Play Store, and in Energy Saving, select No Limits mode, which will prevent the system from forcibly shutting down these processes.
Hidden Developer Settings
Also check if you have a third-party antivirus or memory cleaner installed, which often conflicts with Xiaomi’s built-in security system and can block Google’s system components.
Removing updates and resetting settings
If the problem occurs after another automatic update, the new version may contain bugs, in which case the effective method is to roll back to the factory version of services. Go to the menu of the Google Play Services app, click on the three dots in the upper corner and select "Delete Updates." After that, the system will return to the base version built into the firmware and try to re-upgrade to the stable version.
In extreme cases, if nothing helps, you can consider a complete reset of your smartphone settings. Wipe Data removes all information from the device, so be sure to back up important data before starting the procedure. Reset is done through the Recovery and Reset menu in the settings or through Recovery Mode.
After resetting and initial setup, re-enter Google.A clean system with no accumulated debris and conflicting settings is most often stable.If the error returns even on a clean system immediately after reset, it may indicate a deeper firmware problem or hardware malfunction of the communication module.
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Removing Google Play service updates is a safe procedure that often resolves problems that arise after an unsuccessful automatic update.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is it safe to delete Google Play data?
Why does the error only appear when Wi-Fi is turned on?
Could the error be due to viruses?
What if your phone freezes when you try to correct the error?
⚠️ Note: If after all the manipulations, the error “In the application Google Play services there was an error” on Xiaomi does not disappear, perhaps the problem lies in the incompatibility of the installed version of the firmware».
⚠️ Note: When using modified firmware or root rights, access to Google Play system files may be compromised, in which case standard methods may not work without restoring the original system files.