Edit (April 2016): It has been a very long time since I updated this site, and I don't pay much attention to the issue any more. This page could be well out of date, but I've not heard anything about Google addressing the issue.


What Google says


Here are some instances of Google having said something about this problem. There may be more - if you find anything, please let me know.

The Android Market says[Date unknown]:

* Confirm that there is connectivity on your device (contact your mobile service provider if you aren't connected)
* If downloading a paid application, confirm that your credit card information is up to date by logging in your Google Checkout account
* Make sure that your phone is logged into Google Talk by following these steps:
1. Go to your phone’s app launcher, and press the Talk app
2. If you’re already logged into Talk, press Menu, and then touch Sign out
3. Launch Talk again to sign in

If this doesn't work, there's a link for you to tell them about it, and they'll "investigate further".

A Google employee says[2 Nov 2010]:

You may occasionally see downloads get caught up on your phones. However, this is often a temporary connectivity matter. Some troubleshooting tips include activating Google Talk, performing a soft reset or stopping the download and firing it up again.
Looks like Droidfan found success using the "Force Stop" option. Definitely explore this toolkit if you bump into stuck downloads again. We appreciate the reports!

A Google reply (via email from android-market-support@google.com) to a customer complaint says[24 Aug 2011]:

"Download unsuccessful" error messages are generally a temporary issue that occurs when the Market app or the device is in a bad state. It can also occur if there is not enough space on the device for the app to install or if there are other installation problems. Please try all of the following troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue:

* Cancel the download and retry
* Ensure there is enough space on your device for the app to install
* Reboot your device
* Clear your Market cache (> Menu > Settings > Applications > Market > Clear cache)
* Confirm there is strong connectivity on your device, and contact your mobile service provider if you aren't connected
* Uninstall Market updates (> Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications; select "Market" under the "All" tab/filter, and touch "Uninstall updates")
* Unmount and remount the SD card (visit Menu > Settings > Storage > Unmount SD card; then Remount SD card from the same menu, or restart the device if the remount option isn't available)

You may occasionally see downloads get caught up on your phones. However, this is often a temporary connectivity matter. Some troubleshooting tips include activating Google Talk, performing a soft reset or stopping the download and firing it up again.