If you find your iPhone 14 randomly closing apps or restarting, there are a few potential causes and solutions you can try. The sudden closing of apps on your iPhone is most commonly caused by outdated software, low storage space, app crashes, or system conflicts. With some troubleshooting steps, you can typically fix the issue and prevent apps from spontaneously shutting down.
Update to the Latest iOS Version
One of the most common reasons an iPhone 14 may be closing apps is because your iOS software is out of date. Apple regularly releases software updates to fix bugs, improve performance, and address issues that can cause apps to crash or phone glitches. If you have not updated your iPhone 14 in a while, you likely need to install the latest iOS version.
You can update your iPhone software by going to Settings > General > Software Update. This will check for any available updates and allow you to download and install them. Make sure your iPhone is charging and connected to a WiFi network, as software updates can be large files.
Updating to the latest iOS version can fix compatibility issues, memory leaks, and other software bugs that may be causing your apps to unexpectedly close. It is a good first troubleshooting step whenever you experience app crashes or restarts on your iPhone 14.
Check Available Storage Space
Another culprit that can lead to apps shutting down spontaneously is insufficient storage space on your iPhone. When your phone starts running out of storage, it can force apps to close as a way to free up memory and system resources.
Check how much free space you have available by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. This will show a breakdown of used and available space. If you are getting low on space, you will need to clear room for your system and apps to run properly.
Some ways to free up storage space include:
- Offloading unused apps
- Deleting old texts and emails
- Removing photos and videos from your camera roll
- Storing files and media in iCloud or transferring them to a computer
- Unsubscribing from Apple streaming services you don’t use
Aim to have at least 10GB to 20GB of available space on your iPhone 14. This gives your operating system and apps room to work and cache data without bumping up against capacity limits.
Check for App Crashes in Settings
An app that is crashing immediately after opening is another sign that could point to why your iPhone 14 keeps closing apps. When an app crashes, iOS will typically close it and remove it from memory to prevent further issues.
Check the Settings app to see if any apps have recently crashed on your iPhone 14. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > App Analytics & Improvements > Analyze. This will display a list of any apps that have crashed over the past week and how many times.
If you notice a particular app crashing frequently, try uninstalling and reinstalling that application. This can clear out any corrupted files or data that may be causing it to crash repeatedly. Updating the app to the latest version from the App Store can also resolve any bugs leading to crashes.
For reoccurring app crashes with multiple applications, updating your iOS software is recommended as a universal fix for stability issues.
Force Restart Your iPhone 14
Performing a force restart can also help resolve the issue of apps randomly closing on your iPhone 14. This essentially serves as a hard reboot, clearing out any glitches or memory leaks that may have built up and contributed to app instability.
To force restart your iPhone 14, press and hold the Volume Up button and the Side button at the same time until the Apple logo appears on screen. This will abruptly power down and then restart your phone for a clean slate.
Force restarting your device essentially gives your operating system a fresh start and can clear up temporary software issues leading to apps quitting unexpectedly.
Remove and Reinstall Problem Apps
If you notice certain apps consistently shutting down on their own, another troubleshooting step is to uninstall and reinstall those problematic applications. Deleting the app erases any corrupt files or cached data that could be linked to crashes.
To uninstall apps on an iPhone 14 running iOS 16:
- Hold your finger down on the app icon until the menu pops up
- Tap Remove App [app name]
- Tap Delete App to confirm
After uninstalling the app, you can reinstall a fresh version from the App Store. This should replace any damaged files that may have led to the app closing spontaneously.
Turn Off Automatic App Closing
Some iPhone 14 users have reported apps closing in the background even when sufficient storage and memory is available. This can indicate that your device settings are configured to be overly aggressive about suspending apps not currently in use.
You can disable the automatic closing of apps on your iPhone 14 by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and toggling it to the On position. This will allow apps to run actively in the background so iOS does not force them closed.
Additionally, check Settings > Battery > Battery Health > Performance Management. If this is enabled, your iPhone will throttle resources for background apps to preserve battery life. Disabling this feature may prevent active apps from being suspended.
Reset All Settings
Resetting all settings on your iPhone can serve as a last resort troubleshooting step if closing apps persists after trying other solutions. This will clear out any problematic preferences while retaining your data and content.
To reset your iPhone 14 settings:
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone
- Tap Reset > Reset All Settings
- Enter your passcode if prompted
- Tap Reset All to confirm
Resetting all settings will restore other preferences like your wallpaper and notifications. But it often resolves persistent technical issues that standard troubleshooting steps did not address.
Conclusion
Apps randomly closing on your iPhone 14 can usually be resolved through some common troubleshooting techniques. Updating your iOS software, clearing storage space, reinstalling apps, and resetting your device settings are all steps that can prevent apps from shutting down unexpectedly.
Here is a summary of the key solutions covered:
- Update to the latest iOS version
- Check for low storage space on your device
- Look for app crashes in Settings and reinstall apps
- Force restart your iPhone 14
- Turn off automatic app closing in Settings
- Reset all settings to factory defaults
Following this recommended troubleshooting guide should help resolve your iPhone 14 randomly or forcibly closing apps. If the problem persists after trying all of these steps, you may need to back up your device and perform a factory reset as a last resort. In some rare cases hardware issues can also cause app crashes requiring service or replacement.