How do I switch my Android (Google Play) device to use a different Google account?

(Note: The two most common reasons you'd need to do this are: A) if you previously purchased something under a different account and need to restore it following a major event (such as reinstalling the game); or B) if the account coming up when you're trying to make a purchase is not an account you want to use for making purchases (e.g., a work account). Since most such questions currently involve restoring purchases in Triple Town, I've written the article to address this particular case. If you need to do this for a different game, replace any references to Triple Town with the actions appropriate to your game.)

There are two ways to make your device use a different Google account. Unfortunately, one will probably involve temporarily deleting Google accounts off your device (you can re-add them afterwards!) and the other involves deleting and reinstalling Triple Town (which has consequences you can read about here). It is up to you which way you want to go.

The way that probably involves temporarily deleting accounts off your device

The general idea is roughly the same in all cases, but since each Android version is a bit different we'll list a few different ways and hopefully one of them is close enough for you to follow along and fill in the blanks.

Android 2.2

1. Go into Android's "Settings" area. (On my particular device, this is done by starting from the Home Screen--where you can see all the little icons for launching various apps--and pressing the device's physical Menu button, then the Settings button that pops up onscreen.)
2. Choose "Accounts & Sync".
3. You should see something that says "Manage Accounts." This screen lets you add and remove accounts. If it's not already in the list, add the account that you originally used to make the purchase. If it lets you pick what your default account is (most devices will not), pick the account that you originally used to make the purchase.
4. Re-launch the game and do whatever it was that you were trying to do (e.g., make/restore a purchase). Hopefully it works!
5. If that doesn't work, return to Step 3 and temporarily delete your other Google accounts so that the only remaining account is the one that you originally used to make the purchase. Then do Step 4. (Unfortunately, sometimes Google Play continues to use the wrong account and this is the only way we know of to force it to use a particular account.)
6. Assuming that things are now working, undo the changes you made in Step 3.

Android 4.3

1. Launch the "Settings" app. *NOT* the "Google Settings" app--there is another one named "Settings".
   
   
2. Look for the "Accounts" section and click Google.
   
3. All of the Google accounts currently on the device are listed. If the account you want to use is not listed, go back to the screenshot in Step 2 and click the "Add account" option to add the account. Proceed to the next step when done.
   
4. Re-launch the game and do whatever it was that you were trying to do (e.g., make/restore a purchase). Hopefully it works!
5. If that doesn't work, temporarily delete your other Google accounts so that the only remaining account is the one that you want to use. (Unfortunately, sometimes Google Play continues to use the wrong account and this is the only way we know of to force it to use a particular account.) The following steps show you how.
1. Click the account that you wish to remove.
   
2. Click the "..." icon to reveal some options, including "Remove account".
   
3. Click "Remove account". If a confirmation screen comes up, confirm the decision.
   
6. Do Step 4 to restore your purchase.
7. Assuming that things are now working, undo the changes you made in Step 5.

The way that involves deleting and reinstalling the game

1. Please make sure that you're aware of the consequences of deleting and reinstalling Triple Town.
2. Go into Android's "Settings" area. (On my particular device, this is done by starting from the Home Screen--where you can see all the little icons for launching various apps--and pressing the device's physical Menu button, then the Settings button that pops up onscreen.)
3. Choose "Accounts & Sync".
4. You should see something that says "Manage Accounts." This screen lets you add and remove accounts. If it's not already in the list, add the account that you originally used to make the purchase. If it lets you pick what your default account is (most devices will not), pick the account that you originally used to make the purchase.
5. Delete/uninstall Triple Town from your device.
6. Launch the Google Play Store app.
7. Click the Play Store icon in the upper left.
   
8. This should bring up a menu. At the top of the menu there should be an account name. To the right of the name there is a caret or triangle. Click the caret/triangle.
   
9. This should list all the Google accounts on your device. Click the desired account.
   
10. Install Triple Town from the Google Play Store app. Since you are installing with the correct account, purchasing with the correct account should theoretically work as well.
11. Launch Triple Town and play through the tutorial.
12. After the tutorial is finished, follow the instructions here for restoring your purchase (you possibly already came from that page and thus already know how to do it). Hopefully it works and the purchase is restored!
    • Other games have their own instructions for restoring purchases. You can find them by via the Search function on this website, or email support@spryfox.com if you're unable to find the correct article.