Fix problems using Google Play Books

Use this page to troubleshoot if you:

• Can’t find an ebook or audiobook in your library
• Have trouble to read or listen to an ebook or audiobook
• Have trouble to read in a yellow screen display

If your book won’t load or open, try the troubleshooting steps in Fix problems loading a book.

Important: If you use a Google account associated with an institution like work or school, some features might not work. Contact your organization's technical staff for more information. Learn how to turn on Google services.

Find a book in your library

Find an ebook or audiobook you've purchased but isn't appearing in your library.

Step 1: Make sure you're signed in to the right account

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Play Books app .
2. To find the account you're using, at the bottom tap Home Profile.
3. Select the account you used to buy the e-book or audiobook. If you don’t see your account, you’ll need to add it to your device.

Step 2: Check whether you bought the book

1. On your Android phone or tablet, go to the Play Store.
2. Search for the ebook or audiobook.
3. Tap the cover.
4. Find the blue button.
   • If it says "Read," you already own it.
   • If it says "Buy," you'll need to buy the ebook or audiobook to read or listen to it.

Fix problems with textbook rentals

If the textbook you rented hasn’t appeared in your library:

1. Make sure you’re signed in to the Google Account you used to rent the book.
2. Make sure you’ve updated the Google Play Books app to the latest version.

If neither of these fix the problem, try these troubleshooting steps.

Fix "device limit reached" problem

Most books limit how many devices you can download them on at the same time. Remove the ebook or audiobook from one of your devices and download it on another, or turn off Books syncing on devices you don't use often.

Remove a downloaded book

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Play Books app .
2. Find the ebook or audiobook you want to remove.
3. Tap Offline  Remove.

Turn off syncing for Books on Android

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Settings app.
2. Tap Accounts Google.
3. Turn off Google Play Books off. 

Fix problems playing audiobooks

Step 1: Check the sound settings on your device

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Settings app.
2. Tap Sounds.
3. Make sure the media volume is not muted. 

Step 2: Check your device storage

 If your audiobook stops playing abruptly, you may not have enough space on your device. 

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Settings app.
2. Tap Storage  Free Up Space.
3. Re-download the audiobook.

Step 3:  Disconnect from a Bluetooth or Chromecast device

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Settings app.
2. Tap Connected devices and choose an option:
   • To disconnect from a Bluetooth device, tap Bluetooth, then disconnect from the paired device.
   • To disconnect from a Chromecast device, tap Cast , then disconnect from the paired device.

 Fix missing or wrong page numbers

Most ebooks on Google Play Books adjust to fit your screen when you change page features like font size or line spacing. This means:

• The same page number can appear on more than one page
• The page count you see might be different than the page count on the book’s details page.

Fix problems with missing pages

1. The ebook may not have downloaded correctly. You can remove and then download the ebook again.
2. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Play Books app .
3. On the cover of the ebook that isn’t working, tap Remove download  OK.
4. Make sure you’re connected to a Wi-Fi or mobile network.
5. Tap the cover of the ebook to re-download.

Fix problems with yellow screen display

Turn off Play Books Reading Night Light:

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Play Books app .
2. Open a book.
3. Tap the top of the screen Display options Lighting.
4. Turn off Reading Night Light.

If your Android phone or tablet has Night Light or Dark theme on, try to turn it off:

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Settings app.
2. Tap Display.
3. Turn off Night Light or Dark theme.

If you have a Samsung device, Play Books may appear to have a yellow screen display. To check if Night Light is enabled:

1. Open the Quick settings panel.
2. From the top of the screen, swipe down with 2 fingers.
3. Tap the Dark mode or Night mode icon.
   • When the mode is enabled, the icon will glow.
4. To turn the mode off, tap the icon again.

If that doesn’t work, find Blue light filter, Adaptive display, or Reading mode and check if it’s enabled in Samsung device system settings.

1. On your Samsung phone or tablet, open the Settings app.
2. Tap Display.

• For Blue light filter: Toggle to turn off.
  Tip: If you wish to keep it on, change the opacity.

• For Reading mode: Under “Display,” remove “Play Books” as an application.
• For Adaptive display: Change the display settings from “Vivid” to “Natural.”