The short answer
Force close and reopen first, then restart the phone, then clear the app’s cache. If it still crashes, clear its data or reinstall it, which resets the local state entirely. Before you do that, check you know the login details, because a reinstall signs you out.
An app crashing repeatedly usually means its stored local state has become inconsistent, or the app version no longer matches the operating system or the server it talks to. Both are fixable, and the order matters because the early steps are free and the later ones cost you your logins.
The sequence
Force close and reopen
Swipe the app away from recents and open it again. This clears a hung state and costs nothing.
Restart the phone
Which clears shared system state that an individual app cannot fix on its own.
Check for an app update
Crashes on launch frequently follow a server-side change that a newer app version handles. Check the store rather than waiting for automatic updates.
Check for a system update
Apps target current operating systems, and an out-of-date phone eventually falls behind what apps expect.
Clear the cache
On Android, Settings, Apps, the app, Storage, Clear cache. This removes temporary files and keeps your login. On iPhone there is no equivalent, so offload the app instead, which keeps documents and data.
Clear data or reinstall
This resets the app to a fresh install. You will be signed out, so have the credentials ready.
Before clearing data or reinstalling, check whether anything is stored only inside the app. Notes, drafts, downloaded content, two-factor authentication codes and game progress that is not linked to an account are all lost. Authenticator apps in particular must be backed up or transferred first, or you will lock yourself out of other accounts.
If it crashes immediately on launch
This pattern suggests the app is failing during initialisation, which points at stored data or a version mismatch:
- Free up storage. Below about 1GB free, apps fail in unpredictable ways. This is a very common and rarely suspected cause.
- Check the date and time are set automatically. A wrong clock breaks secure connections and causes apps to fail at startup.
- Check permissions. An app denied a permission it assumes it has can crash rather than degrade gracefully.
- Check for a corrupted download. Reinstalling replaces the app files, which fixes a partially downloaded update.
If it crashes during specific actions
An app that runs fine until you open a particular screen has a data problem in that area. Clearing the cache sometimes helps; clearing data almost always does, because it discards the item causing the failure.
If the crash happens when the app uses the camera, microphone or location, check that permission specifically, and test whether another app using the same hardware works.
If several apps crash
Then it is the phone rather than the app:
- Storage nearly full, which is the most common cause by a wide margin.
- An out-of-date system, particularly on a phone that has stopped receiving updates.
- Overheating, which causes apps to be terminated to reduce load.
- A failing update, where a system update partially applied.
- Memory pressure on an older phone with many apps running.
Safe mode on Android loads no third-party apps and is a useful test: if the phone is stable there, something installed is responsible, and removing recently added apps one at a time will find it.
Check whether the app is still supported on your phone. An app may keep working for a while after it stops supporting your operating system version, then break suddenly after a server change. The store listing states the minimum version required, and if your phone is below it, no amount of clearing data will help.
When it is the app’s fault
Sometimes a released version is simply broken, and everyone using it has the same problem. Signs are a crash that started at the same time for many people, a flood of recent one-star reviews mentioning it, and status updates from the developer.
In that case the options are to wait for a fix, or on Android to install an older version from a trusted source, which carries its own risks. Reporting the crash through the app store or the developer’s support channel genuinely helps, because crash reports with device details are what developers use to reproduce it.
Does clearing the cache delete my data?
No. The cache holds temporary files the app can recreate. Clearing data is the one that resets the app and signs you out.
Why do apps crash when my storage is nearly full?
Apps need space to write temporary files, caches and databases. Below roughly 1GB free, those writes fail and apps close rather than handling it gracefully.
How do I clear an app's cache on iPhone?
There is no direct equivalent. Offloading the app removes the app while keeping its documents and data, and reinstalling it achieves much of the same effect.
Will reinstalling lose my progress?
Anything synced to an account comes back. Anything stored only on the device, including some game progress, drafts and authenticator codes, does not. Check before reinstalling.
What if every app crashes?
That points at the phone: check free storage first, then system updates, then test in safe mode to rule out a third-party app affecting the whole system.
The order
Force close, restart the phone, update the app and the system, then clear the cache. Free up storage, because a nearly full phone causes crashes that look like app faults. Clear data or reinstall only after checking what is stored locally, particularly authenticator codes. And if several apps crash, stop troubleshooting the app and look at the phone.
