It can be incredibly frustrating when apps on your phone keep closing or crashing unexpectedly. A misbehaving app disrupts your workflow and wastes your time. While app crashes can happen for various reasons, there are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and hopefully resolve the issue.
Common Reasons Apps Crash
Before diving into troubleshooting, it helps to understand some of the most common culprits behind apps crashing:
Buggy app code
The apps we use are comprised of computer code. Like any software, apps can contain bugs in the code that lead to crashes. App developers do their best to test for and fix bugs, but some slip through the cracks. Bugs that cause crashes are often fixed in app updates, so keeping your apps updated is a good preventative measure.
Compatibility issues
Apps are designed to work with specific operating system and device specifications. An mismatch between the app’s requirements and your OS or hardware can result in crashes. For example, an app designed for Android 12 may have compatibility issues and crash frequently if run on Android 11 or older versions.
Resource intensive apps
Some apps require a lot of processing power, RAM, storage, or internet bandwidth to run properly. If your device lacks sufficient resources, these “heavy” apps can crash or slow down your device. Games and video editing apps tend to be among the most resource intensive.
Too many background apps
Having too many apps running in the background taxes your phone’s available RAM and processor usage. This can cause apps in the foreground to stutter, freeze, or crash as they compete for limited resources. Closing unused apps helps free up system resources.
App conflicts
Rarely, two apps may conflict with and cause each other to crash. For example, some security apps block permissions required by other apps, causing them to force close. Or two apps try to modify the same part of the operating system in incompatible ways.
Operating system issues
Glitches in the OS itself can sometimes cause widespread app crashes. Problems like memory leaks, corrupted files, or settings changes may require rebooting the device or upgrading the OS to fix.
Too much stored data
Apps need free space on your device to run and cache data properly. An app’s cached data and settings can build up over time, eventually leading to crashes if storage space runs too low. Clearing app cache and data can help.
Troubleshooting Steps
With the common culprits in mind, here are some troubleshooting steps to resolve your app crashing issues:
Force stop and clear cache
Sometimes an app just needs a fresh restart to clear any memory issues or glitches. Open your device Settings, select Apps, choose the problematic app, then select Force Stop. Also clear the app’s cache while you’re there. Then restart the app and see if crashes persist.
Uninstall and reinstall the app
If force stopping doesn’t help, try uninstalling and reinstalling the app. This gives you a clean slate removing any corrupt files or cached data. Make sure to back up any app data you want to keep first.
Check for app updates
App developers frequently release updates to fix bugs and improve performance. Open the Play Store or App Store, select the misbehaving app and check if any updates are available. Tap Update to download the latest stable version.
Update your operating system
Similarly, updating your device’s OS can fix stability issues and app crashes. On Android devices, open Settings and select System > System update to check for OS updates. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update. Install the latest iOS or Android OS update.
Restart your device
Give your phone or tablet a fresh restart to clear any memory issues. Closing all apps before restarting helps too. Many random app crashes are fixed with a simple restart.
Check for hardware issues
Damaged or defective device hardware like faulty RAM can lead to app crashes. Try testing the troubled apps on another device if available. Persistent crashes likely indicate a hardware problem if the apps run fine on other devices.
Free up storage space
Delete unneeded files and clear app caches to free up internal storage space. Low storage can contribute to apps crashing. Go to device Settings > Storage to manage and clear space as needed.
Disable battery optimizations
Some devices aggressively optimize battery life by restricting apps running in the background. Disable battery optimizations for apps that need to run continuously without crashing. (Settings > Apps > select app > Battery > Optimize battery use).
Uninstall problematic apps
As a last resort, you may need to uninstall any persistently crashing apps completely. Delete the app then install an alternative version or app with similar functionality instead.
Factory reset device
If you continue experiencing frequent crashes across multiple apps, a factory reset may be necessary. This will wipe your device and install a clean OS, removing any files or settings that could be causing app stability issues.
Preventing App Crashes
While troubleshooting and fixing crashes is important, prevention is ideal. Here are some tips to help avoid app crashes in the first place:
- Close unused apps running in the background
- Update apps and OS whenever new versions are available
- Reboot your device regularly, such as once a week
- Free up storage space by deleting unneeded files
- Avoid unsupported OS modifications like rooting or jailbreaking
- Monitor device temperature and prevent overheating
- Disable battery optimisations for essential apps
When to Seek Technical Support
If you’re unable to resolve app crashes after trying the above troubleshooting, it’s time to seek technical help:
- Contact the app developer/publisher via email or support forums
- Post on technical forums describing the issue in detail
- Search app stores for critical reviews reporting similar crashes
- For hardware problems, visit a device repair shop for further diagnosis
- Use remote assistance tools to grant an expert technical access
- Schedule an appointment with professional IT support
App developers and IT professionals have additional tools at their disposal to identify stubborn crashing issues. They can investigate logs, run debugging tools, test compatibility, and explore other complex solutions. If the problem lies with faulty device hardware or the OS itself, technical support is your best bet for resolving it.
Conclusion
Apps randomly closing is a headache, but troubleshooting the potential causes one by one can often pinpoint the issue. Updating apps and restarting your device are easy first steps. For apps that keep crashing repeatedly, uninstalling and reinstalling the troublesome app may do the trick. But if all else fails, don’t hesitate to seek assistance from technical experts when needed – they have the advanced skills and resources to stop those annoying app crashes for good.