It can be incredibly frustrating when an app on your phone keeps crashing. A crashing app interrupts your workflow, wastes your time, and often results in lost data or progress. But before getting angry and deleting the problematic app in question, it’s worth exploring some of the common reasons apps crash in the first place. Understanding what causes apps to crash can help you troubleshoot the issue or prevent it from happening again.
What causes apps to crash?
There are a few main culprits when it comes to app crashes:
- Buggy app code. All apps have bugs, and some bugs manifest as crashes. App developers do their best to squash bugs before release, but some slip through testing. New bugs also frequently crop up after major operating system updates. The good news is that developers typically issue bug fix updates to address crashing issues.
- Low device memory or storage space. Apps require free RAM and storage space to run smoothly. If your device is low on memory or storage, apps may crash unexpectedly. Closing other apps, deleting unused files, or upgrading to a device with more storage can help.
- Software conflicts. Sometimes apps clash with each other, usually when they try to alter the same settings or files. For example, you may experience crashes if you install security apps from different vendors. Uninstalling one of the conflicting apps usually solves this.
- Problematic device settings. Outdated, unstable, or unusable device settings can also lead to app crashes for some users. Resetting device settings to their defaults may help resolve otherwise unexplained crashing.
- Operating system incompatibility. Apps designed for older versions of an operating system can crash frequently when run on newer versions. Developers try to update apps to maintain compatibility with OS updates, but they don’t always keep up. Updating to a newer version of the app or downgrading your OS version are possible solutions.
- Insufficient device resources. Advanced apps with complex graphics, large file sizes, and real-time features require substantial processing power, RAM, and graphics capability to run well. If your device hardware is underpowered for a resource-intensive app, constant crashing may occur.
- Excessive storage caching. Some apps maintain oversized storage caches to enhance performance. The cache may grow too large over time and essentially choke the app with data. Clearing the app’s cache can get crashes under control.
- Data corruption or loss. If an app’s data becomes corrupted or lost, it may fail to load properly and crash every time you open it. Reinstalling the app or clearing its data and cache are good starting points for troubleshooting.
- Jailbreaking/rooting issues. “Hacking” your device to remove standard usage restrictions is often blamed for app crashes. The modified operating system can become unstable. Reverting back to standard settings or doing a factory reset may help.
Why do some apps crash more than others?
While any app can crash on occasion, some apps are more prone to crashing than others. Here are some reasons why certain apps seem especially crash-happy:
- Complex apps. Apps with intricate capabilities and many moving parts tend to crash more often. Examples include 3D games, video editors, and CAD software.
- Newly updated apps. Major app updates often introduce new bugs that lead to crashes until developers patch them. Newly updated apps may crash frequently.
- Newly released apps. Brand new apps are also ripe with undetected bugs that rear their heads once millions of users start installing them. Crashes are common for the first few weeks after an app’s release.
- Poorly programmed apps. Some apps are simply not coded efficiently and are prone to crashing no matter what. Sloppy programming leads to instability.
- Beta version apps. Beta apps are still in testing and debugging phases. Beta users expect crashes as developers continue working out significant bugs.
- Apps running in the background. Apps with constant background processes and syncing operations are more susceptible to unexpected crashes. If they encounter an OS hiccup, they may get knocked out and crash.
How can I prevent apps from crashing?
While you can’t eliminate app crashes entirely, there are some steps you can take to reduce their frequency:
- Close unused apps. Don’t leave apps running in the background that you aren’t using. Suspended apps take up RAM and other resources that can induce crashing.
- Restart your device regularly. A simple device reboot clears out RAM, closes background apps, and refreshes the operating system.
- Update apps and OS. Install app and system software updates promptly to get the latest bug and performance fixes.
- Delete apps you don’t need. Get rid of extra apps cluttering up your device, especially those you never or rarely use. Less is more when it comes to app stability.
- Monitor available storage. Keep at least 20% of your device storage free at all times. Low storage can wreak havoc with apps.
- Disable background refreshing. If supported by the app, turn off auto background data refreshing to reduce behind-the-scenes crashes you may not notice.
- Report crashes to the developer. Most apps allow you to submit crash reports detailing the issue. Developers rely on crash reports to improve app stability.
- Avoid unstable apps. Delete or avoid installing apps that crash frequently even after updates. Bad code leads to bad performance.
- Reset app data/cache. If an app crashes repeatedly, try clearing its stored data and cache. Corrupted data files can prevent proper launching.
- Check for conflicts. Troubleshoot to see if you have any apps that clash and cause conflicts resulting in crashes.
What should I do when an app crashes?
When an app inevitably does crash on you, here are some tips for dealing with the situation:
- Don’t panic. An occasional crash is annoying but not the end of the world. Stay calm and don’t overreact.
- Note any error messages. Read any on-screen prompts carefully as they may indicate the cause or a solution.
- Force close the app. Fully shut down the misbehaving app via your device’s app manager.
- Check for updates. Visit the app store and install any pending updates for the problem app and your device OS.
- Restart your device. A simple restart or power cycle can clear up transient crashing issues.
- Delete and reinstall the app. Download a fresh copy of the app, which may include stability fixes.
- Reset app data/cache. Wipe out any old cached and data files that could be mucking things up.
- Isolate the variable. Determine if the crash only occurs with that one app or is system-wide.
- Check available storage. Low storage memoryconditions can contribute to app crashes.
- Try an alternate app. If possible, substitute a competing app and see if the crashes persist.
- Report the crash. Use the app’s feedback option to notify the developer of your crashing experience.
When should I uninstall an app that keeps crashing?
At a certain point, an app that continues crashing relentlessly may need to be uninstalled completely. Consider removing a persistently crashing app if:
- It crashes immediately every time you launch it
- It crashes randomly even when not in active use
- It causes other apps or your entire system to crash and lag
- Updates do not improve the stability after several tries
- The developer is unresponsive to your crash reports
- Reviews indicate crashing remains widespread among users
- Troubleshooting steps like reinstalling and data resets have no effect
- You find a suitable alternate app with better stability
- The app requires excessive permissions or resources
- Crashes worsen after OS updates
Uninstalling an app should be a last resort, but is warranted if the app is clearly defective without resolution across multiple versions. At minimum, you should contact the developer first and voice your crashing concerns before taking the drastic measure of removal.
How can I recover data or progress lost due to a crash?
App crashes can sometimes lead to lost or corrupted data that seems impossible to recover. But there are a few strategies you can try to salvage or restore your important app data:
- Cloud syncing services. Apps like Google Drive and Apple iCloud can keep your app data synced across devices. Check your cloud account from another device to view the last saved version of your data.
- Local device backups. Regular local backups through iTunes or Android backup services can store previous versions of your app data that you may be able to restore from.
- SD card data. If your device supports SD cards, you may be able to recover unsynced data stored locally on removable storage.
- App data saver tools. Some third-party utilities like iMazing promise to extract and restore otherwise inaccessible app data.
- Contact developer support. If all else fails, reach out to the developer’s support channels to see if they can pull and restore server-side copies of your data.
Precautions like periodic cloud syncing and local backups are wise to minimize data loss when the inevitable app crash strikes. But even without preventive measures, all hope is not lost if a crash wipes out your app progress.
Conclusion
App crashes can range from a mild annoyance to a serious workflow disruption depending on your reliance on the troubled app. While no app is immune to crashing, you can take proactive measures to stabilize your apps and quickly recover when crashes do occur. Pay close attention to crash patterns, utilize troubleshooting steps, and leverage preventive measures like cloud backup services. With patience and persistence, you can overcome app crashing dilemmas while developers continue striving to deliver glitch-free app experiences.