Apps that crash when you launch them or randomly crash when you are using them can be very frustrating. This could be because of a bug in the app or a problem with your device.

Here are five quick fixes that can help you solve this problem and put an end to your crashing apps.

Force close the problem app and re-launch it

The quickest and easiest tip to try when an app is crashing is to clear it from your iPhone or iPad’s memory by force closing or quitting the app and re-launching it.

• To access the multitasking tray or app switcher, quickly press your device’s Home button two times. If you are an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus owner then you can switch to the multitasking view with a firm press on the left edge of your device’s screen.
• Locate the problem app.
• Close the app by swiping up on the app’s preview.
• Press your device’s Home screen and re-launch the app.

If the app is still giving issues, move on to the one of the next tips.

Force reboot your device

To try fix the problem of crashing apps you can force reboot your iPhone or iPad, which will clear the RAM (memory) and kill any apps. If you just restart your device, the RAM is written to the disk and when your device restarts it gets loaded into the RAM again.

To force reboot your iPhone or iPad, follow these steps:

• Press and hold the Home and Power buttons.
• The slide to turn off the device will appear, ignore it and continue to hold both buttons down.
• Keep holding the buttons, the screen will go blank and then the device will reboot when the Apple logo appears on the screen.

Once you perform the reboot, open the app and see whether you have solved your problem.

Check for an updated version of the app

If you launch the app and it crashes immediately, the problem could be down to compatibility issues or the app could have a bug. If this is the case, the app’s developer could have released a new version of the app to fix these issues. If the app does not update automatically then check the App Store for updates.

• Open the App Store > tap on the Updates tab > if your problem app appears under Pending Updates, then press the Update button and install the latest version.

Once the update is complete, open the app and see if the update has stopped the app from crashing.

Delete the crashing app and reinstall it

While deleting and reinstalling the app could solve the problem, it does mean that you will also delete any app related data collected since the original install. However, reinstalling the app will also clear the app cache and free up storage space on your device.

• Go to your device’s Home screen > tap and hold the app icon for a few seconds until it starts to jiggle > tap the ‘x’ on the app icon > tap Delete.
• For iPhone 6s and 6s Plus owners when selecting the app icon, make sure you avoid triggering the 3D Touch Quick Actions. To select the app icon that you want to delete, only lightly place your finger on the app icon.

Once you have deleted the crashing app, open the App Store > tap on Search in the bottom tab bar > search for your app > press Install.

Install the latest version of iOS on your iPhone or iPad

As a last resort, you may want to look at installing the latest operating system on your device, if you are currently using an older version, even though the majority of apps are compatible with older versions of iOS.

• If you are going to update your device to the latest iOS make sure you have created a backup of your iPhone or iPad. If you are unsure of how to do this, follow our steps to create a backup in iCloud or in iTunes.
• Connect your device to a Wi-Fi network.
• Open the Settings app > General > Software Update > iOS will check for available updates > tap Download and Install for the latest version of iOS.

Alternatively, if you do not want to update via a Wi-Fi network, you can also update via iTunes.

• Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed. In iTunes, click on the Help menu > Check for Updates > update if necessary.
• Connect your iPhone or iPad to iTunes, a message will appear that there is a software update available. If the message does not automatically appear, click on the Devices list > click on your iOS device > Check for Update.
• Follow the onscreen prompts and install the latest iOS.

Once the install is complete, your iPhone or iPad will reboot in the latest version of iOS. Launch the app and see if you have finally solved your app crashing problem.

If you have worked your way through the list and you are still having issues, you can contact the app’s developer and report the issue. Alternatively, with over 1.5 million apps available in the App Store there is likely going to be another app that you can use as an alternative.

Image credit: Kenny Louie; Flickr