PressPlay needs to stay synchronized with Google Play Console to access your app data, submit experiments, and retrieve results. When sync errors occur, it can prevent you from creating or running tests. This guide helps you identify and resolve synchronization issues.
PressPlay synchronizes with Google Play Console through several mechanisms:
Publisher-level sync: Connects your Google account and retrieves app list
App-level sync: Pulls metadata, current listings, and assets for specific apps
Experiment sync: Pushes tests to Play Console and retrieves impression data
Real-time updates: Monitors changes and keeps data current
Background refresh: Automatic periodic synchronization
Errors can occur at any level, affecting different parts of your PressPlay experience.
The most fundamental: your Google account authentication has issues.
Common symptoms:
"Publisher connection lost" notification
"Authentication expired" error messages
Repeated login prompts when accessing apps
"Unauthorized" errors when attempting actions
Publisher status shows "Disconnected" or "Error"
Causes of authentication errors:
Token expiration: OAuth tokens expire after period of inactivity
Revoked access: You manually revoked PressPlay access in Google settings
Password change: Changing your Google password invalidates tokens
2FA changes: Modifying two-factor authentication settings
Account security actions: Google detected suspicious activity
How to resolve:
Go to PressPlay Settings → Publishers
Find your publisher account
Click "Disconnect" to remove the failed connection
Click "Connect Publisher" to initiate new authentication
Complete the full OAuth flow
Grant all requested permissions
Wait for sync to complete (5-15 minutes)
Verify apps appear in dashboard
Your Google account lacks necessary permissions to perform requested actions.
Common symptoms:
"Insufficient permissions" errors
Some apps visible, others missing
Can view data but cannot create experiments
"Access denied" when attempting to sync specific apps
Required permissions:
View app information: Required to see app metadata
Manage store presence: Needed for creating store listing experiments
View financial data: If analyzing conversion rates
Edit and delete drafts: For managing test variants
How to resolve:
Log into Google Play Console directly
Check your role and permissions for affected apps
Contact your Play Console admin to request elevated permissions
You typically need "Admin" or "Manage store presence" role
After permissions granted, reconnect publisher in PressPlay
Force sync to verify new permissions take effect
Specific apps fail to sync even though publisher connection is healthy.
Common symptoms:
Specific apps show "Sync failed" status
Outdated app information despite sync attempts
Missing store listings or assets
"Unable to retrieve app data" errors
Sync succeeds but some fields empty
Common causes:
App not published: Draft apps may not sync properly
Recently published: Very new apps take time to appear in API
Suspended app: Suspended or removed apps can't sync
API delays: Google's API may not have latest data yet
Incomplete listings: Apps missing required store listing elements
How to resolve:
Verify app is published in Google Play Console
Check app status isn't "Suspended" or "Removed"
If recently published, wait 1-2 hours for API to catch up
Ensure app has complete store listing (title, description, assets)
Try manual sync: click "Sync Now" on app page
If still failing, disconnect and reconnect publisher
Check PressPlay status page for known API issues
Created experiments fail to sync to Google Play Console.
Common symptoms:
Experiment status stuck on "Syncing"
"Failed to create experiment in Play Console" error
Experiment appears in PressPlay but not in Play Console
Test shows "Running" but no data collecting
Common causes:
Conflicting experiments: Another test already running on same elements
Invalid variants: Test configuration doesn't meet Google's requirements
Market restrictions: Target markets don't match app availability
Asset validation: Generated assets failing Google's checks
API rate limits: Too many sync requests in short time
How to resolve:
Check for conflicting experiments in Play Console
Verify all variants passed validation
Confirm target markets match app distribution
Review experiment configuration for errors
Wait 5-10 minutes if rate limited
Try manual sync from experiment page
If persistent, delete and recreate experiment
Can't fetch experiment results or app performance data.
Common symptoms:
Experiment running but no impressions showing
"Unable to retrieve statistics" errors
Stale data, doesn't update
Charts and graphs showing "No data available"
Common causes:
Data delay: Google Play data has 24-48 hour reporting delay
Low traffic: Not enough impressions to generate statistics
API access: Permissions issue for statistics API
Experiment not active: Test not actually running in Play Console
How to resolve:
Wait 48 hours after starting experiment before expecting data
Verify experiment shows "Running" in Google Play Console directly
Check app has sufficient traffic (at least 100 impressions/day)
Confirm your account has "View app information" permission
Try manual data refresh
Look for statistics in Play Console to verify data exists
Google Play Console API enforces rate limits to prevent abuse.
Error indicators:
Error code 429 in logs
"Too many requests" message
Sync succeeds intermittently but fails often
What triggers rate limiting:
Syncing many apps simultaneously
Repeatedly clicking "Sync Now" in rapid succession
Creating many experiments quickly
Multiple PressPlay users on same publisher account
How to avoid:
Wait at least 5 minutes between manual sync requests
Let automatic background sync do its job
Coordinate with team members to space out actions
Don't refresh aggressively when waiting for data
Google's API services occasionally have outages or degraded performance.
Error indicators:
Error codes 500, 502, 503, 504
"Service temporarily unavailable"
Timeouts on sync requests
Widespread failures across multiple apps
How to respond:
Check PressPlay status page for acknowledged issues
Verify Google Play Console itself is accessible
Wait 15-30 minutes for service recovery
Don't repeatedly retry (can worsen rate limiting)
Monitor Google Cloud Status for Play Developer API
The sync request doesn't match API requirements.
Error indicators:
Error code 400 in logs
"Invalid request" or "Malformed request"
Errors mentioning specific fields or parameters
Common causes:
Experiment configuration with invalid values
Trying to update non-existent resource
Attempting action not allowed in current app state
Asset format doesn't match requirements
How to resolve:
Review error message for specific field mentioned
Check experiment configuration matches Google's requirements
Verify asset formats and dimensions
Try simplifying request (fewer variants, simpler config)
Contact support if error message unclear
Company networks may block API requests.
Symptoms:
Sync works from home but not from office
Connection timeouts on corporate network
SSL/TLS errors
Solutions:
Ask IT to allowlist PressPlay and Google Play API domains
Try from different network (mobile hotspot) to confirm
Check if VPN resolves or causes issues
Request proxy exception for API endpoints
Sometimes browser configuration interferes with sync.
Things to try:
Disable browser extensions temporarily
Clear cache and cookies for PressPlay
Try different browser (Chrome, Firefox)
Use incognito/private mode
Ensure JavaScript is enabled
Is publisher connected? (Check Settings → Publishers)
Are apps visible? (Check Apps dashboard)
Is specific app failing? (Look for error badges)
Is experiment sync failing? (Check experiment status)
Is data retrieval failing? (Look for empty charts)
Look for error messages on affected page
Check notification area for sync alerts
Review activity log for error codes
Note exact timestamps of failures
Log into Google Play Console directly
Check your role for affected apps
Verify apps are published and accessible
Confirm no recent permission changes
Check publisher connection status
Try manual sync on a working app
Attempt sync on problematic app
Compare success/failure patterns
Authentication errors → Reconnect publisher
Permission errors → Request elevated access
Rate limiting → Wait and retry
Service errors → Wait for recovery
Configuration errors → Fix experiment setup
Maintain stable authentication: Don't frequently disconnect/reconnect
Keep permissions current: Ensure account access doesn't change
Don't force sync unnecessarily: Let automatic sync work
Publish complete listings: Ensure apps have all required data
Monitor status page: Be aware of known issues
Space out major actions: Don't create 10 experiments simultaneously
Periodically verify publisher connection health
Check that all apps show recent sync timestamps
Review and clean up old/completed experiments
Keep PressPlay team aligned with Play Console access
Reach out to PressPlay support if:
Sync failures persist for over 1 hour
Reconnecting publisher doesn't resolve auth errors
Error messages are cryptic or don't match documented issues
Sync works for some apps but not others despite identical config
You believe permissions are correct but still getting access errors
Information to provide:
Publisher account name/ID
Affected app package names
Exact error messages and codes
Screenshots of error states
Your Google Play Console role/permissions
When issue started
What troubleshooting you've tried
Whether issue affects all apps or specific ones
Most sync errors are temporary or resolve with reconnection. For persistent issues, the activity log and error codes provide clues to the underlying cause. Systematic troubleshooting following this guide resolves the majority of synchronization problems.
