Can’t validate ArtRage for Android, use it offline or asked to pay again from Google Play Store

Unable to Validate License after downloading from the Google Play Store

If you can’t run ArtRage for Android after purchasing from the Google Play Store, are asked to validate it everytime you open the app, or can only run it when connected to the internet, this is usually because ArtRage or the Play Store app is not properly storing or sending the purchase data. This is usually fairly easy to fix following the steps below. Note: Several things can cause this bug to occur or prevent your changes from fixing the problem, so you may have to try a few different things.

Before trying anything else, try just uninstalling the app and reinstalling it again from the Play Store. If this fails, move onto the troubleshooting steps below.

The steps we have found work most reliably are:

1. Close ArtRage completely in your active processes
2. Clear the ArtRage app data
3. Clear the Play Store cache
4. Open ArtRage and turn on Wifi to get licence data
5. Close ArtRage completely in active processes and turn off Wifi
6. Restart the device

We have found that clearing your ArtRage app data and then connecting to wifi to re-validate your app will usually allow you to use the app properly after that but may still give you the licence validation error on start up. Tap ‘retry’ and it should vanish and allow you to use ArtRage. If this happens, then it usually means that you missed one of the steps above, or something else is going on.

Further Troubleshooting

Find out how to do the individual steps, and other things you can try:

1. Check the Play Store Account

Are you logged in under the same account that you purchased the app under?

To check:

1. Open the Google Play Store app
2. Touch the Menu icon to see which account you’re currently using.
3. To change accounts, touch the dropdown arrow Selector and select a different account.

2. Check Wifi Connection

The Play Store needs an active internet connection to verify your purchase for the first time and every time that the error shows up. Once you have validated your licence, it may work until you restart your device.

To check if the licence validation error is completely fixed, you will need to turn off wifi and restart your device.

3. Clear ArtRage app data

While the problem usually lies in the Play Store app, there is a chance that the ArtRage app data is corrupted and not storing your purchase data properly. We are investigating this issue.

Deleting the app data is basically the same process as for the Play Store app, but note that you’ll lose any current unsaved work.

Go to:
> Settings
> Application Manager
> Choose the ‘All’ tab
> Find and open the ArtRage app
> tap ‘Clear > Data’.
> Reboot the device.

4. Clear Play Store App Data

You may need to clear out some of the existing incorrect data in the Play Store App before it notices that you’ve paid for ArtRage.

Make sure that your device is connected to the internet.

Clearing out your Play Store app data

1. Check that the Play Store app is up to date. If not, install any updates.
2. Clear the cache.
   
   • Go to:
     > Settings
     > Application Manager
     > Choose the ‘All’ tab
     > Find and open the Google Play Store app
     > Tap ‘Clear Cache’.
     
     
   • Restart Google Play
   • Reboot your device, and try running ArtRage again.

If it still doesn’t work Clear data as well (this will remove your saved Play Store settings)

1. Go back into the app following the steps above, then tap ‘Clear > Data’.
   
2. Restart Google Play
3. Reboot your device, and try running ArtRage again.

5. Turn Google Backup Off

If you have the automatic backup enabled, it may be overwriting the licence data whenever you restart the device. Try disabling it temporarily to allow the changes to be saved.

1. Go to your device settings
2. Find the backup and reset options
3. Disable ‘Back up my data’
4. Restart the device (you may need to go online to validate the app one final time)

6. Reinstall ArtRage

Uninstalling and reinstalling ArtRage will clear out all the app data and give you a fresh install. This should also update the licence data.

Go to:
> Settings
> Application Manager
> Choose the ‘All’ tab
> Find and open the ArtRage app
> Uninstall
> Redownload ArtRage from the Play Store (You should not be asked to pay again)

7. Repurchase ArtRage for Android

If you still can’t get it to work, contact us with your order number for a refund. Purchasing ArtRage again gives the Play Store app a second chance at validating the app properly.

(Note: you can get a refund automatically through the Play Store within 15 minutes, if you’re still within that time).