Need urgent help with google play store.

[vampirefo.]

I found a solution to this problem. Now everything Works Again, and my daughter can play Dragonvale Again. This is what I did. I downloaded Root Explorer to my pc and put it over on the tablet. I opened Root Explorer, found a file named "etc", clicked it, mounted R/O, opened the file "hosts" with text editor, put "#" in front of the second IP, saved the file, rebooted my tablet..... AND IT WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!! YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!

I am glad you found a solution to your problem. Would you be willing to post your hosts file?

I would love to see the entry you commented out in the hosts file, cause this isn't how a hosts file works. Had the hosts file been the problem you couldn't have browsed to google playstore via browser, there is no such thing as selective blocking in a hosts file, meaning you can't use a hosts file to prevent one app from going to an address while at the same time allowing another app to go to that site.

 

[Mrhelper]

I am glad you found a solution to your problem. Would you be willing to post your hosts file?

I would love to see the entry you commented out in the hosts file, cause this isn't how a hosts file works. Had the hosts file been the problem you couldn't have browsed to google playstore via browser, there is no such thing as selective blocking in a hosts file, meaning you can't use a hosts file to prevent one app from going to an address while at the same time allowing another app to go to that site.

You seem to be assuming that the Play Store app uses the same URL or name as someone using a browser. That's apparently not the case.

 

[vampirefo.]

You seem to be assuming that the Play Store app uses the same URL or name as someone using a browser. That's apparently not the case.

Can you post the hosts file entry?

By the way they both use the same URL eg address.

Sent from my IdeaTabA2109A using Android Tablet

 

[vampirefo.]

This will help a lot of people, I personally know some parent's that want market access blocked, yet let browser's navigate to playstore, this way they can control what their child downloads and at the same time view the playstore.

Sent from my IdeaTabA2109A using Android Tablet

 

[vampirefo.]

This is how I plan on using this, I am going to make an update.zip that the parents flash through stock recovery, what it does it is replace hosts files, the tablets aren't rooted so no way child can change the hosts file back. Once the parent decides the app is ok they will flash another zip that restores the hosts files, once app is downloaded they will flash the first zip again disabling market access then remove sdcard from tablet.

 

[Mrhelper]

Can you post the hosts file entry?

By the way they both use the same URL eg address.

Sent from my IdeaTabA2109A using Android Tablet

I never saw the hosts file, but I'm guessing that it contained this name: play.googleapis.com

I captured it for you using a packet sniffer. It is the first lookup made by the play store app when it is opened. There are subsequent lookups for image servers, etc., but this is probably the primary. Enjoy!

 

[vampirefo.]

Thanks, but doesn't work for me.

Sent from my Coby MID7065 using Android Tablet

 

[vampirefo.]

I need an entry that blocks playstore access from playstore app at the same time allowing browser to access playstore..
Dose this entry work for you?

Sent from my Coby MID7065 using Android Tablet

 

[Mrhelper]

I need an entry that blocks playstore access from playstore app at the same time allowing browser to access playstore..
Dose this entry work for you?

Sent from my Coby MID7065 using Android Tablet

You could block android.clients.google.com, but that may block more than you want.

 

[vampirefo.]

No, I just want the entry for hosts file, if it does work would be very simple and easy to add and remove entry. I can't duplicate it, I have used hosts files for years on my Linux and have never been able to selectively block a program with them.

I really can't wait to see the hosts file, I have Google, ran packet sniffers, firewalls, router logs all show browser and playstore app using same address.

Sent from my Coby MID7065 using Android Tablet

 

[Mrhelper]

No, I just want the entry for hosts file, if it does work would be very simple and easy to add and remove entry. I can't duplicate it, I have used hosts files for years on my Linux and have never been able to selectively block a program with them.

I really can't wait to see the hosts file, I have Google, ran packet sniffers, firewalls, router logs all show browser and playstore app using same address.

Sent from my Coby MID7065 using Android Tablet

His hosts file was not preferring one app over another, and you are absolutely correct about that.

You still seem to be overlooking key differences between the web version vs. the app version of Play Store. To access it via web, you use play.google.com in the URL. When you use the app though, the first connection is to play.googleapis.com, followed by android.clients.google.com. Note that the OP said he could connect to play.google.com and browse, but not download. His hosts entry probably contained an obsolete IP address for android.clients.google.com, preventing downloads scheduled by both the browser and the app. The OP did not get play store to download any apps requested via the web browser or the app. Keep in mind, when you select an app for download via the browser, the play store app and associated download service download the app, just as if you had used the app instead of the browser for the entire transaction. That's done partly in the background, and is why you would also see the googleapis and android.clients address when scheduling a download from the HTML/web version of the play store GUI. Again, the OP's hosts file was not preferring one app over another. The hosts file is used by the system IP implementation as a substitute and override for DNS. It is used by all software running on the system for name/address lookups and checked prior to DNS lookups.

Update: just tested blocking android.client.google.com and duplicated the OP's problem -- i.e., perfect web, Play Store app broke, no play store downloads from app or web. I can logon to the web version and request download, but the download never starts.

 

[vampirefo.]

Double post by me.

 

[vampirefo.]

Didn't work for me, I tried on several tablets. Anyway thanks for trying I was able to talk with a tech from http://www.denver-electronics.com/denver-tac-97032/ He told me the tablet only had one entry in the hosts same as my hosts files has. He pointed out the OP had working playstore before factory reset.
So what he believed happened during reset the same entry was written again and the hosts file became corrupt, so the permissions on hosts file was wrong, once OP edited and saved hosts file, permissions were then set correctly and playstore started working.

Sent from my IdeaTabA2109A using Android Tablet

 

[Mrhelper]

That tech was mistaken, and did not appear to understand the problem, or how the hosts file is used. The OP clearly had an entry in the hosts file that only affected google services until he commented that out by placing a # sign in front of it, leaving "localhost" as the only active entry in the file. The scenario described by the tech makes no sense because if the hosts file was inaccessible, the OS would have already been using DNS for IP name/address translation for Google services, just as it obviously was for most web addresses. Remember, the OP was able to browse the web the entire time. The only things not working for him were some Google client services, which is why the 2nd entry in the OP's host file was likely android.client.google.com.

How the obsolete IP address translation for the Google service address got in the file, and how the tablet was rooted without his knowledge is a mystery though. Maybe he bought it used, or installed some malware that cracked the OS, or an associate rooted it for him. We may never know.

 

[vampirefo.]

I don't know, just relaying what tech thought might of happened. I do like the malware theory, I remember reading a long time ago about viruses that would block users from anti virus site, so perhaps same thing happened here.

I can't duplicate it though, perhaps I am missing something.