SUMMARY
- iPhone app crashes can be caused by problems with apps or iOS itself.
- Troubleshoot iPhone app crashes by killing unresponsive apps, checking for updates, reinstalling problem apps, seeking alternatives, checking app permissions, and ensuring you have free space on your device.
- System crashes can be fixed by restarting or force restarting, or updating iOS.
Are you launching your favorite app or game on your iPhone only to find that it keeps crashing no matter how many times you try? Or perhaps you and some friends already have your selfie poses ready, but your favorite camera app keeps crashing on your iPhone.
So, why do apps keep crashing on iPhone? There are many reasons why this may happen. Because of this, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for fixing crashing iPhone apps. However, with a bit of troubleshooting, you’ll be able to get back to your favorite apps and games no time. Let’s look at the solutions you can apply when apps keep closing on your iPhone.
1. Check Your Internet Connection
If your app requires an internet connection to function, poor Wi-Fi or hotspot connection may cause app to crash on your iPhone repeatedly. You can test whether your internet is functional with a simple Google search on the Safari app and loading some web pages.
To solve internet connection problems on your iPhone, try to restart your router, connect to a different Wi-Fi network, or apply these solutions if your iPhone’s hotspot isn’t working.
2. Charge Your iPhone
If you’re playing a multiplayer game with high-quality graphics, yet there’s only a battery level of 10 percent left on your iPhone, your app might close abruptly because your device is struggling to provide enough power to support it.
If it’s an urgent case, quickly plugging in your iPhone to charge it may temporarily prevent the app from crashing again. However, it’s not advisable to frequently charge your iPhone this way.
Heavy usage of your iPhone while charging will likely result in overheating. This might cause your iPhone to lag and close apps. It’s also bad practice if you want to maintain your iPhone’s battery health.
3. Close and Relaunch the App
The first thing you should do to fix crashing apps on an iPhone is to close and reopen the app. Even if an app closes abruptly on your iPhone, it may still be open in the background, albeit unresponsive. When you re-open the app from the App Switcher, it may only display a blank screen and crash once more.
In this case, try exiting the app completely before relaunching it. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to launch the App Switcher, swipe left or right to find the opened app, and swipe up to close it. Then, head to your Home Screen to relaunch the app.
4. Update the App
Developers often release app updates to fix bugs and patch other performance issues. When your iPhone app keeps crashing, updating it may just be the trick to solving the problem.
To quickly check whether a specific app has an update, go to the App Store and search for the app. If an update is available, you’ll see an Update button instead of the usual Open button. Tap on Update button to update the app.
5. Update Your iPhone
Another possible reason why your iPhone apps keep crashing is that your iPhone software may be out of date. This is especially true if native iOS app is crashing, or when
all apps keep crashing on your iPhone. Simply update your iPhone’s software to fix the problem.
Go to Settings > General > Software Update to see if an update is available for your device. If there is a pending update, tap Update Now and follow the onscreen instructions.
6. Restart Your iPhone
The next fix to try when your iPhone apps keep crashing is to reboot your phone. It’s easy to do: just press and hold the side button and either volume button until Slide To Power Off appears.
Drag the Slide To Power Off slider from left to right to turn off your iPhone. Wait 15 seconds or so, until your iPhone has shut all the way off, and then turn your iPhone back on by holding the side button down until the Apple logo appears on the screen. Try opening an app once your iPhone has fully restarted.
If your iPhone is completely unresponsive or appears to be frozen, you’ll need to force a reset by holding some buttons. This differs depending on which iPhone model you’re using:
If your iPhone doesn’t have a Home button, you can do this by pressing and releasing Volume Up, pressing and releasing Volume Down, and then pressing and holding the "Side" (lock) button until the Apple logo appears. You’ll need to be quick, so you might have to try multiple times to get this working.
For the iPhone 7, press and hold Volume Up and the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears.
For iPhone models with a Home button, you’ll need to press and hold the Home button and "Sleep" (lock) button until you see an Apple logo.
7. Remove and Reinstall the App
If only one or two of your iPhone apps keep crashing, your next course of action is to reinstall the problematic iPhone apps. In-short, the process involves deleting and re-downloading the crashing applications from the App Store.
To delete an app, find its icon on the Home screen or App Library. Press and hold the app icon until the menu appears. Tap Remove App > Delete App > Delete to uninstall the app on your iPhone.
To reinstall, open the App Store app and search for the application you just deleted. Once you’ve found it, tap the Cloud icon to the right of its name. The app will then be reinstalled on your iPhone and appear on the Home screen.
8. Check Your App Permissions
Sometimes, privacy settings can wreak havoc with your apps. For example, if a mapping app can’t fetch your location, you need to make sure it has access to that information.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security and check any relevant categories, like Location Services, Camera, or Microphone. Any apps that require your permission to access services or information will be listed here.
9. Check Your iPhone’s Storage
Low storage space may affect your iPhone performance and cause your apps to keep crashing. This is particularly true of apps that require free space to function, like camera apps, audio recorders, and so on. You might also encounter a general operating system slowdown. If your iPhone storage is indeed nearly full, it’s best to start creating free space on iOS.
To check the available storage space on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Here you’ll see remaining storage space on your iPhone and an overview of the apps taking up the most storage space. And if you see any apps you don’t use, make sure to remove them.
10. Reset All Settings
If your iPhone apps are still crashing, the next step is to reset all settings on your phone. This procedure restores all your iPhone’s settings to their default or factory state. Go to Settings > General, scroll all the way to the bottom of the page, and tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone. Select Reset and choose Reset All Settings.
Your iPhone won’t delete any data as long as you don’t accidentally choose to Erase All Content and Settings.
iPhone Apps Still Keep Crashing? Your Device May Not Be the Problem
If you have tried all the above solutions, the issue may be the app itself when it keeps closing. Although this is beyond your control, there are still some steps you can take.
Check if an App Update Is in Development
An iPhone app that keeps crashing for many users is no small issue. Visit the app’s official website or social media pages. Here, developers may announce that they are aware of the issue and are working on a hotfix or update to fix it.
This way, you will know whether or not the developers plan to fix the crashing issue in a future update. And if they are, all you need to do is wait for its release.
Provide Feedback to the App Developer
In case you didn’t spot any announcements, you can provide feedback to the developers via email or other designated channels. Sometimes, only users of a particular platform or device will experience frequent app crashes, and developers may be unaware of the extent of the issue, especially if it’s an indie app with a smaller customer base.
While it’s understandably frustrating that your iPhone app keeps crashing when you want to use it, be polite and constructive in your feedback. Remember that app developers are people, too!
Get a Refund
If you’ve downloaded an app that doesn’t work, you can reach out to Apple and request a refund. To request a refund, follow these steps:
- Sign in to reportaproblem.apple.com.
- Tap or click "I’d like to," then choose "Request a refund."
- Choose the reason why you want a refund, then choose Next.
- Choose the app, subscription, or other item, then choose Submit.
Replace With a Similar App
If you notice that the latest version history of the app was a year or two ago, and its social media hasn’t been updated in ages, chances are that the developers are no longer active. So, it’s best to head to the App Store to install another app that serves the same purpose to replace your current one.
Get Your iPhone Apps Working Again
If you’ve had a headache over wondering why apps keep crashing on your iPhone, we hope our list of fixes has helped you resolve the problem.
Focus on finding out if it’s an app-specific issue or whether the root cause is an iPhone. It’s always worth keeping things up-to-date on your iPhone to enjoy the latest features and ensure app compatibility.
