Apps are what make your Android phone or tablet work. You can use them to surf the web, talk to other people, shop online, and even have fun. Of course, that’s only true if these apps work well together. So, what happens when apps stop working or won’t open on your Android?
Most of the time, apps won’t open on Android because of bugs, broken cache data, or an old version of the Android OS. In this post, we’ve put together a list of useful troubleshooting tips to help with the problem. So, let’s take a look.
Fix Apps Would not Open on Android
1. FORCE-STOP APPS
If an app has failed to start correctly or ran into an issue afterward, it may fail to open again. You can fix it by force-stopping the app and starting it up again. This is how.
Step 1: Long-press on the troublesome app and tap on the info icon from the menu that pops up.
Step 2: On the App info page, tap on the Force stop option.
After that, try opening the app again.
2. CLEAR THE APP CACHE AND DATA
Apps on Android tend to store data in the cache to make them run faster. But if that cached data is old or broken, the app might not work right or won’t open at all. To fix it, follow the steps below to clear the app’s cache.
Step 1: Long-press on the troublesome app and tap on the info icon from the resulting menu.
Step 2: Go to Storage and cache and tap on the Clear cache option.
If the problem persists, then you can try clearing that app data. That will delete all the app data that may have been corrupted.
3. REINSTALL WEBVIEW UPDATES
Android WebView is a key part of the system that makes it possible for apps on your phone to show web content. If something goes wrong with WebView, apps that use it (like Chrome, Gmail, etc.) might crash or not open. You can easily fix this by setting WebView back to its original state. This is how.
Step 1: Launch the Google Play Store on your phone and search for Android System Webview.
Step 2: Tap on Uninstall to remove WebView updates from your device.
Try opening the app again to see if the issue is resolved.
4. UPDATE ALL APPS
If you don’t update apps often, they become less useful. That leads to problems with compatibility and apps that shut down suddenly. Follow the steps below to make sure that all of your apps are up-to-date.
Step 1: Launch the Google Play Store on your phone, tap on the profile picture and select Manage apps and device.
Step 2: Tap on ‘Update all’ to install any pending app updates.
5. UPDATE ANDROID SOFTWARE
It’s just as important to keep your Android software up to date. These updates fix bugs and make the Android OS better in many ways.
Open the Settings menu and go to System to see if there are any new updates. Tap on System update to get any software updates that need to be downloaded.
6. TRY SAFE MODE
Safe Mode is a helpful way to fix problems on Android. It lets you use your phone without any apps or services from other companies. This will help figure out if the problem is caused by one of those apps or services running in the background.
Follow the steps below to start your Android in Safe Mode.
Step 1: Press and hold the physical power button on your phone.
Step 2: Long press on the Restart button and a prompt will appear, asking you to enter Safe Mode. Hit OK to proceed.
Once you’re in Safe Mode, see if you can open apps.
7. REMOVE RECENTLY INSTALLED APPS
If apps work fine in Safe Mode, it’s possible that one of the apps you have installed was messing with your Android. Most likely, the problem is caused by apps or games that you just downloaded. Start by taking them out one by one until the problem is gone.
8. PERFORM A FACTORY RESET
Lastly, if none of the above fixes work to get your apps to open, you’ll have to reset your Android to its factory settings. That means you’ll lose all your apps, system settings, media files, and more. Follow the steps below to reset your Android phone to factory settings if you have already backed up your data.
Step 1: Open the Settings app, navigate to System and select Reset options.
Step 2: Select the Delete all data (factory reset) option. Then tap on Erase all data option at the bottom.
WE’RE OPEN!
Apps are what make it fun to use Android. And these problems shouldn’t stop you from using your Android’s favorite apps. Go through all of the above solutions to get Android apps to open again. As always, let us know in the comments below which one worked for you.