App crashes on Android come in two flavors: one specific app that keeps dying, and multiple apps crashing across the board. These have very different causes and very different fixes â so the first question to answer is which situation you're in.
Step 1 â Is It One App or Many?
One app crashing: The problem is isolated to that app's data, installation, or a bug in that specific version. Work through Fixes 1-4 below.
Multiple apps crashing simultaneously: Something system-level changed. Android WebView updates (Fix 5), insufficient storage (Fix 3), or a recent Android system update is the usual cause. Check those first.
Also: if apps only crash on one specific type of action (like opening a link, taking a photo, or opening a file), there's a shared dependency crashing â often the camera service, WebView, or a shared library. Note the pattern before you start fixing.
Fix 1 â Clear the App's Cache
Go to Settings â Apps â [App Name] â Storage and cache â Clear cache. App caches accumulate data that becomes stale or corrupted â especially after app updates that change the format of cached data. Clearing the cache doesn't remove any personal data or settings â it only deletes temporary files. Try opening the app again immediately after.
If clearing cache doesn't help, try Clear storage (called "Clear data" on some versions). This resets the app to a fresh installation state â your account will be logged out and preferences will reset, but the app often works reliably afterward.
Fix 2 â Update Everything
Open the Play Store, tap your profile icon, and go to Manage apps and device. Update any app marked as needing an update â especially the crashing app itself. Developers frequently push crash fixes as point updates within days of a crash-causing release.
Also check if your Android system update is current: Settings â About phone â System update. Android system updates occasionally fix underlying OS bugs that manifest as app crashes, especially on apps that use camera, Bluetooth, or specific APIs that changed between versions.
Fix 3 â Free Up Storage Space
Android needs free storage space to function properly â not just for saving files, but for app operations, log files, and temp caches. When storage drops below roughly 10%, app crashes and system instability become common. Go to Settings â Storage to see what's taking up space. Move photos and videos to cloud storage (Google Photos backup) and delete locally. Uninstall apps you don't use. Also check for large files in Downloads.
Fix 4 â The Android WebView Fix (For Multiple App Crashes)
Android System WebView is a shared component that powers the in-app browser experience used by almost every app. When a bad update is pushed to WebView, it breaks any app that uses it â which is most of them. This is the most common cause of sudden mass app crashes after an automatic update.
Go to the Play Store, search for Android System WebView, and check whether a recent update is available or whether you can roll back (on some devices). Also update Google Chrome from the Play Store â Chrome and WebView share code on many Android versions, and updating Chrome effectively updates WebView too. After updating, restart your phone and test the apps.
In 2021, a faulty Android System WebView update caused millions of Android phones to crash across Gmail, Google Pay, and dozens of other apps simultaneously. Google fixed it within hours, but until the fix arrived, the only workaround was uninstalling WebView updates. This is a well-documented failure mode worth keeping in mind.
Fix 5 â Uninstall and Reinstall the App
If one specific app keeps crashing despite having a clear cache and updated version, a corrupted installation is likely. Uninstall the app entirely (long-press the icon â Uninstall, or through Settings â Apps). Restart your phone. Then reinstall fresh from the Play Store. This replaces all app files with a clean installation while preserving any cloud-synced data.
Fix 6 â Use Safe Mode to Identify the Culprit
If multiple apps crash and you suspect a third-party app is interfering (some launchers, battery optimizers, and cleaner apps kill processes aggressively), boot into Safe Mode. Hold the power button, then long-press "Power off" when the prompt appears. Select "Safe Mode." In Safe Mode, third-party apps don't run. If crashes stop, a third-party app is the issue â uninstall recently installed apps one by one until crashes return in normal mode, identifying the culprit.
Cache clear + update solves most single-app crashes. WebView update solves most mass app crashes. Storage cleanup prevents recurring crashes. Factory reset is genuinely not necessary in the vast majority of cases â save it as an absolute last resort after all other options are exhausted.