How to Fix a Phone App That Keeps Crashing

Published 2026-10-16 · Marion Phone Repair

You open an app and it immediately closes. Or it works for a few seconds, then freezes and kicks you back to the home screen. Maybe it crashes when you do a specific action — opening settings, loading a feed, or tapping a button. App crashes happen when the app encounters an error it cannot recover from, runs out of available memory, or conflicts with the current version of the operating system. Most app crashes are fixable with straightforward steps.

Force close and reopen

The simplest fix works more often than expected. The app may be stuck in a bad state from a previous session:

Android

1. Open the recent apps view (swipe up and hold, or tap the square navigation button)
2. Find the crashing app and swipe it away to force close it
3. Wait a few seconds, then open the app again from the home screen or app drawer

iPhone

1. Swipe up from the bottom and pause in the middle of the screen to open the app switcher (on iPhones with Face ID) or double-press the Home button (on iPhones with a Home button)
2. Find the crashing app's preview and swipe it up to force close
3. Wait a few seconds, then open the app again

Update the app

App updates frequently fix crashes. Developers receive crash reports and release updates targeting the most common crashes:

• Android: Open Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, Manage apps and device, Updates available. Update the crashing app, or tap Update All
• iPhone: Open the App Store, tap your profile icon at the top. Pull down to refresh the list of available updates. Find and update the crashing app
• If the app recently updated and that is when crashes started, the update itself may have introduced a bug. Check the app's reviews in the store — if many users report the same crash after the update, a fix update is likely coming. In the meantime, you can try clearing the app's data (see below)

Clear app cache and data

Cached data can become corrupted and cause crashes. Clearing it forces the app to start fresh:

Android

1. Settings, Apps (or App Management), find and tap the crashing app
2. Tap Storage
3. Tap Clear Cache first. This removes temporary files without losing your account data or settings. Open the app and test
4. If clearing cache did not help, tap Clear Data (or Clear Storage). This resets the app to its initial state — you will need to log in again and reconfigure settings. All local data (downloaded files, conversation history that is not synced to the cloud) is lost

iPhone

iOS does not have a direct Clear Cache option for most apps. The equivalent is:

1. Delete the app: press and hold the app icon, tap Remove App, Delete App
2. Reinstall from the App Store
3. This clears all cached and local data. You will need to log in again. Cloud-synced data (photos backed up to iCloud, messages synced to a server) is not lost

Check storage space

Apps crash when the phone runs out of available storage. Apps need free space to store temporary files, cache data, and download updates:

• Android: Settings, Storage. If internal storage is more than 90 percent full, apps will begin crashing. Delete old photos and videos, clear cached data for large apps, or move files to cloud storage or a microSD card
• iPhone: Settings, General, iPhone Storage. iOS shows recommendations for freeing space. Apps at the top of the list use the most storage. Offload apps you do not use frequently (this keeps app data but removes the app binary, freeing space)
• Aim to keep at least 2 to 3 GB of free space. Some apps (especially social media, messaging, and camera apps) use significant amounts of cache that grows over time

Restart the phone

A restart clears all running processes and temporary system states. If the app is crashing because of a system-level issue (memory pressure, stuck background services, or temporary OS bugs), a restart resolves it:

• Power off completely, wait 30 seconds, power on. A full power cycle is more thorough than a quick restart for clearing problematic states

Update the operating system

If the app requires a newer version of Android or iOS than what you are running, it may crash on launch or during specific operations:

• Check the app's listing in the app store for minimum OS version requirements
• Update your phone: Android: Settings, System, System Update. iPhone: Settings, General, Software Update
• If your phone is on the latest OS version and the app still crashes, the app may not yet be fully compatible with your OS version. This commonly happens right after a major OS release (new Android or iOS version) — app developers need time to update their apps for compatibility

App-specific fixes

WebView crashes (Android)

Many Android apps use Android System WebView to display web content. If WebView has a bug, multiple apps can crash simultaneously:

1. Open Google Play Store and search for Android System WebView
2. Update it if an update is available
3. If it was recently updated and that is when crashes started, tap Uninstall updates to revert to the factory version. This has resolved widespread app crashes multiple times in the past

Google Play Services (Android)

Google Play Services provides core functionality that many apps depend on. If it is outdated or corrupted:

1. Settings, Apps, show system apps, find Google Play Services
2. Check the version. It should update automatically, but you can force an update from the Play Store
3. Clear its cache (Settings, Apps, Google Play Services, Storage, Clear Cache) if other apps are crashing broadly

Reinstall the app

If clearing cache and data did not fix the crash, a full reinstall ensures you have clean app files:

1. Uninstall the app completely
2. Restart the phone
3. Install the app fresh from the app store
4. Log in and set up the app again

A reinstall replaces all app files, including any that may have become corrupted. This is particularly effective if the app crashes on every launch (preventing you from accessing its settings to clear data).

Check app permissions

Some apps crash when they try to access a feature they do not have permission for:

• Settings, Apps, select the app, Permissions
• If the app needs camera, storage, location, or microphone access and the permission is denied, it may crash when attempting to use that feature instead of gracefully asking for permission
• Grant necessary permissions and test the app

Account and sync issues

If the app crashes during login or while syncing data:

• Log out of the app (if you can access settings before it crashes), then log back in
• Check your internet connection — some apps crash when they cannot reach their servers during startup
• If the app syncs with a Google or Apple account, try removing and re-adding the account in your phone's settings

App crash repair in Marion

If apps on your phone keep crashing and the troubleshooting above did not fix the problem, Marion Phone Repair can check your phone's storage, RAM, software configuration, and system health to diagnose and resolve persistent app crash issues.