How to Fix an App That Keeps Crashing on iPhone and Android in the US

An app that closes the moment you open it is annoying, but it is rarely a sign that your phone is broken. Most crashes come from a small list of causes: a bad update, a full cache, not enough free storage, or a conflict with your phone's software version. Working through the fixes in order, from the quickest to the most disruptive, saves you from reinstalling everything when a simple restart would have done the job.

Start by checking whether the problem is just one app or many. If every app crashes, the trouble is more likely your phone's storage or software, so skip ahead to the storage and update steps. If only one app crashes, the app itself is the prime suspect.

Step 1: Close the app fully and restart your phone

On iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle to open the app switcher, then swipe the app's card up and away. On a phone with a Home button, double-press the button and swipe the card up. On Android, open the recent apps view and swipe the app away, or tap the app icon, choose App info, and tap Force stop.

Then restart the phone. A restart clears temporary glitches in memory that build up over days of use. After the phone comes back, open the app again before opening anything else. If it runs fine, you are done, and the crash was probably a one-off memory hiccup.

Step 2: Check for an app update and a system update

Open the App Store on iPhone or Google Play on Android, search for the app, and see if an update is waiting. Developers often ship a fix within days of a crashing bug, and the update may already be sitting there. Turn on automatic updates afterward so you do not get caught by the same bug twice.

While you are there, check for a phone software update too. On iPhone, go to Settings, General, Software Update. On Android, go to Settings, System, Software update, though the exact path varies by brand. A mismatch between a new app version and an old phone version is a classic crash cause, and updating both sides closes that gap.

Step 3: Free up storage space

Phones need breathing room to run apps. When storage gets very low, apps can crash on launch, fail to save data, or refuse to update. On iPhone, check Settings, General, iPhone Storage. On Android, check Settings, Storage. If you are down to your last gigabyte or two, delete large videos you have backed up, remove apps you never use, and clear downloaded files you no longer need.

Aim to keep at least a few gigabytes free. You do not need to empty the phone, but a phone running on fumes will keep finding new ways to misbehave. After freeing space, restart the phone once more and test the app again.

Step 4: Clear the cache on Android, or offload on iPhone

On Android, you can clear an app's temporary cache without losing your login or settings. Go to Settings, Apps, tap the app, then Storage, and tap Clear cache. Do not tap Clear data or Clear storage at this stage, since that wipes your login and saved settings inside the app. Clearing just the cache removes corrupted temporary files, which is a common crash fix.

iPhone does not offer a per-app cache button in most cases. Instead, you can offload the app: go to Settings, General, iPhone Storage, tap the app, and choose Offload App. This removes the app itself but keeps its documents and data. Then tap Reinstall App from the same screen. If offloading is not offered for that app, delete it and reinstall it from the App Store, but only after you know your login details and that your data is backed up or synced to an account.

Step 5: Reinstall the app cleanly

If the crash survives a restart, updates, and a cache clear, a clean reinstall is the next step. Delete the app from your phone, restart the phone, then install it fresh from the App Store or Google Play. A fresh install replaces any corrupted app files that updates cannot repair.

Before you delete, make sure you can sign back in. Check that you know the password or have passkey access, and confirm the app syncs your data to an account or a backup. For banking, messaging, or authenticator apps, take extra care: an authenticator app in particular may need its own backup or transfer step before you remove it, or you could lock yourself out of other accounts.

Step 6: Check permissions, and report the crash if it persists

A crash can also come from a permission the app needs but does not have, or from a conflict with another app. On both iPhone and Android, open the app's settings page and confirm it has the permissions it genuinely needs for the feature that crashes. If the crash started right after you installed a VPN, an ad blocker, or a new security app, try disabling that app temporarily to see if the crash stops.

If nothing works, check the app's page in the store for recent reviews mentioning crashes. A wave of similar reports usually means the developer broke something and a fix is coming. Report the crash through the app's help section, noting your phone model and software version. Then use the app's website version if one exists while you wait.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing an app's cache delete my photos or messages?
Clearing the cache on Android removes temporary files only, not your account, photos, or messages stored in the app. Clearing data or storage is different: that resets the app as if freshly installed, so only use it when you are ready to sign in again.

Why does only one app crash while the rest work fine?
A single-app crash usually points at that app's own code, its latest update, or its stored data. System-wide crashes point at storage, software, or hardware instead. That is why the app-specific steps, like cache clearing and reinstalling, come before phone-wide steps.

Should I factory reset my phone to fix a crashing app?
No, not as a first resort. A factory reset erases everything and should be the last step, only if many apps crash and updates plus free storage have not helped. For one crashing app, a reinstall almost always fixes what a reset would, without the risk of losing data.