It can be incredibly frustrating when an app on your iPhone keeps crashing. A crashing app interrupts your workflow, wastes your time, and impacts your productivity. When an app crashes, it suddenly stops working and closes itself. The screen goes blank, and you are taken back to the iPhone home screen. While occasional app crashes are normal, consistent crashing likely indicates a deeper issue that needs to be addressed.
Common Causes of iPhone App Crashes
There are several common reasons why iPhone apps crash frequently:
- Buggy app code. All apps have bugs, and some bugs can cause crashes. App developers work hard to fix crash-causing bugs, but some slip through testing.
- Outdated app version. Apps are constantly updated to fix bugs and add new features. Using an outdated version of the app makes crashes more likely.
- iOS version incompatibility. New iOS versions often contain changes that make older apps unstable. Make sure the app is optimized for your current iOS.
- Insufficient device memory. If your iPhone’s storage is full, the app may not have enough memory to run smoothly.
- Too many background apps. Leaving too many apps open in the background takes up RAM and can cause other apps to crash.
- Corrupted app data. If the app’s data becomes corrupted, it may crash every time you open it. This often requires reinstalling the app to fix.
- Jailbroken iPhones. Jailbreaking bypasses Apple’s safety checks and can lead to increased app crashes.
- Overheating. Excessive processing demands can cause iPhones to overheat, which forces apps to close unexpectedly.
Troubleshooting Steps to Prevent iPhone App Crashes
If an app is constantly crashing on your iPhone, try these troubleshooting steps:
Close All Background Apps
Double click the Home button and swipe up on all open apps to force close them. This frees up RAM and prevents unstable apps impacting others.
Check for App Updates
Open the App Store and go to the Updates tab. Install any available updates which may contain crash fixes.
Update Your iPhone Software
Ensure your iPhone is running the latest iOS version. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check.
Disable Background App Refresh
Apps that refresh content in the background can be unstable. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and toggle it off.
Restart Your iPhone
Restarting your iPhone clears out any memory issues and starts apps with a clean slate. Just hold down the side button and slide to power off.
Reinstall the App
Deleting and reinstalling the app can clear any corrupted files or settings. Make sure your data is backed up first.
Check iPhone Storage
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to see available space. Free up space or upgrade iCloud storage if your device is full.
Disable Location Services
Constant location tracking can drain resources. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and toggle permission off.
Reset All Settings
Reset all iOS settings back to default by going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. This fixes many crashing issues.
Restore Your iPhone
For stubborn crashing problems, connect to iTunes and restore your device. This wipes your iPhone and reinstalls the iOS firmware.
Preventing App Crashes
Here are some tips to help prevent apps from crashing in the future:
- Close apps when not in use. Don’t leave apps running in the background unnecessarily.
- Update apps and iOS regularly. Set apps to auto-update in the App Store.
- Restart your iPhone weekly. This clears memory and keeps things running smoothly.
- Monitor available storage space. Keep at least 20% of your storage free.
- Avoid unstable app tweaks and jailbreaking which can increase app crashes.
- Disable unnecessary app notifications and location tracking.
- Use reputable apps from recognized developers. They tend to be higher quality.
- Provide feedback to developers about any crashing issues.
When to Restore or Replace Your iPhone
If you’ve tried all troubleshooting steps and apps keep crashing, it may be time for more drastic measures:
- Restore iPhone – Using iTunes to wipe and reinstall iOS often fixes persistent crashing problems.
- Update to Newest iPhone – On very old models, upgraded hardware and efficiency gains prevent crashes.
- Replace iPhone Battery – Worn out batteries can cause freezes and crashes as they can’t meet CPU power demands.
- Factory Reset iPhone – For crashing across multiple apps, a factory reset erases all data but can stabilize iOS.
Best Practices for Reporting App Crashes
Alerting developers to app crashes is vital for getting bugs identified and fixed. Here are some tips on reporting crashes:
- Include the app name and version number.
- Note the iPhone model and iOS version.
- Describe when and how often the crashes occur.
- Explain exactly what you were doing in the app when it crashed.
- Provide any error messages that appeared.
- Include screenshots of the crash if possible.
- Try to reproduce the crash and provide steps.
- Submit crash reports through the App Store or developer site.
Conclusion
App crashes on iPhone can occur for many reasons, but they are often preventable with proper troubleshooting and maintenance. Keeping your iPhone and apps updated, monitoring resource usage, and reporting issues are key. For persistent crashing problems, restoring your iPhone or working with developers generally gets things stable again.