If you're using BlueStacks 5, this article might not be relevant. You can view the BlueStacks 5 article for this by clicking here.
How will this help?
If you're facing any issues with app compatibility, like app crashes, black screen, distorted graphics, app stopped working etc. then the workarounds illustrated in this article will help you to resolve them.
Workarounds for app related issues on BlueStacks
1) Issues in downloading applications
You may face issues like downloads are getting stuck, the device is incompatible message on Play Store, the application fails to download with some errors etc.
- Change device profile (Option available from BlueStacks version 4.50.0.1043 onwards)
You may change the existing device profile on BlueStacks to resolve the issue you're facing. Please refer to this link
- Clear Google cache
Please refer to this article and perform the steps carefully to clear Play store cache.
- Install from .apk file
If the app is unavailable in your country you will not be able to install it from the Play Store. You may install the .apk of the app from any third party website and install it on BlueStacks by referring to the fourth and fifth step in this article.
2) App crash, black screen, distorted graphics.
Workarounds:
- Switch the graphics mode of BlueStacks.
You may switch graphics mode from Direct X to Open GL (or vice-versa) and enabling "Compatibility" mode under "Graphics engine" settings as described in this article.
- Change ABI settings (Application Binary Interface) to change BlueStacks interface to ARM for the app which requires ARM libraries to run, as mentioned in this article. (Applicable to BlueStacks version 4.150 and above)
- Update your graphics card drivers
There is a possibility that your graphics card drivers are outdated. You may follow the steps outlined in this article in order to update your graphics card drivers.
- Update BlueStacks version if applicable.
You may check the version of BlueStacks installed on your computer with the help of this article. If the installed version is older than the version available on our official website, please install the latest version.
3) App has stopped working but it was working earlier.
Workarounds.
- Update the app.
Open Google Play from the home screen of BlueStacks. Tap on the Menu and then click on "My apps & games". Apps with available updates are labelled "Update". Tap on the Update button to update the app.
- Force stop the app
To do this, click on the "System apps" icon available on the BlueStacks home screen. Navigate to Android Settings > Apps. Scroll to locate the app from the installed app list. Click on it and select "Force Stop". Lastly, relaunch BlueStacks and launch the app again.
- Clear the app cache
Click on "System apps" icon available on the BlueStacks home screen. Navigate to Android Settings > Apps. Scroll to locate the app from the installed app list. Click on it. Click on "Storage" > "Clear Cache" button. Relaunch BlueStacks and launch the app again.
- Reinstall the app
If the issue persists, try re-installing by first uninstalling it and installing it again.
4) Apps are sluggish, slow and laggy.
Workarounds
- Enable virtualization
Refer to this article for the procedure to turn ON the Virtualization in the BIOS settings of your computer.
- Allocate more CPU cores and memory
Refer to this article in order to allocate more CPU cores and memory.
- Configure antivirus and Internet security
Refer to this article, this article will guide to configure your internet security and antivirus to improve BlueStacks performance.
5) Keyboard controls are not working.
- Create keyboard controls.
Refer to this article, this will guide you through the steps for creating the Keyboard controls of any app installed on your system.
Have some questions?
Q. How can I revert to default keyboard controls after making changes?
A. You can do so by clicking on 'Undo Changes' in the Advanced game controls menu from the Keyboard controls overlay.
Q. My PC is unable to play apps on BlueStacks without it being slow or lagging. Why is this happening?
A. It could be that your computer does not meet the required specs to run these games. Check this guide to find out the minimum and recommended specifications needed.
Q. My problem is not listed here. What do I do?
A. Please report it to the BlueStacks Support team and our team will get right on it. To find out how, refer here
Q. Having issues with my Google login that is interfering with my game play. What to do?
A. Refer to this guide for solutions on fixing this issue.
Q. How can I access a particular game's settings like on mobile?
A. For this, you have to access the App menu located by opening Library>System app (or More apps in older versions)>Android Settings>Apps. Here you can Force Stop, Uninstall, Clear Cache and Data, plus more.
Thank you for choosing BlueStacks! We hope you enjoy using it. If you have any further questions, please contact us at support@bluestacks.com. Happy Gaming!
Last updated on June 23, 2020.