My phone says the app is already installed, but it isn't

Applies to: Android phones using Chrome. iPhones aren’t affected.

On some Android phones, if you remove one of our apps from your home screen and then try to add it again, Chrome says “This app is already installed — Click to open the app instead”. Tapping that shows “Could not open app”.

This is Chrome on the phone, not the website. When an app is removed, Chrome sometimes keeps a note of it, and won’t install it again while that note is there. Your website and your other apps are fine.

To fix it

1. On your phone, open Settings → Apps → Chrome → Storage.
2. Tap Clear data. On some phones this is Manage space, then Clear all data.
3. Open Chrome and go back to the app’s page. You’ll need to sign in again, as clearing Chrome’s data signs you out of websites.
4. Install the app from the page, or from Chrome’s ⋮ menu → Add to Home screen or Install app.

Clearing Chrome’s data also clears its notes about any other web apps you removed, so you can reinstall those now too.

Bon à savoir

• Force-stopping Chrome isn’t enough. You need to clear its data.
• Don’t choose Create shortcut instead. A shortcut opens in a normal Chrome tab, not full screen like the app.
• This only happens when an app is reinstalled. Your customers and staff installing for the first time won’t see it.
• You can have more than one of our apps on the same phone, e.g. the staff app and the customer app. Each is a separate app.