If you’ve also asked the question “Why are my apps not working on my Android phone?” from yourself, you’re not alone. And we have some tips and tricks to help you get rid of the problem.
More than half of Android users globally have reported recently that their apps are crashing, slowing down, or stopping randomly when they open them. The issue was more rampant on Google apps but it affects many other Android apps as well.
If unfortunately, apps are not working on your phone, that’s not the end of the road. You’ll fix the issue in no time after following our guides below.
Why are my apps not working on my android phone?
Apps not working on Android phones could be a result of various issues. However, it is caused by bad updates in most cases.
Apps are updated frequently to introduce new features, improve on the existing ones, fix known issues, and improve security. However, updates can introduce deadly bugs sometimes too, causing the app or your phone to malfunction.
Below are some reasons why your apps are not working on Android:
- Bad app update
- Insufficient memory and phone storage.
- Corrupted cache and app data.
- Bugs and glitches in the app.
- Temporary system errors.
- Outdated app or phone software
- Incompatibility and many more.
How to fix android apps not working
Android apps not working is not the end of the world, and it is what you can fix in a few minutes. Below are our top fixes to try when Android apps are not working properly.
- Reboot your phone
- Update or roll back Android System WebView app
- Check and install Android updates
- Clear the cache and data for the affected app
- Update the affected app.
- Force stop the app
- Uninstall and reinstall the app
- Reset factory settings
1. Reboot your phone
Usually, the first step to take when dealing with Android apps not working is to restart your phone. Just press and hold the Power button for about 10 seconds to force your phone to restart.
If that didn’t do the trick, then you can:
- Long-press the Power button to bring up the device’s power menu.
- From there, tap the Restart/Reboot option. Some devices require you to swipe instead.
- Wait for a few seconds until your phone finish rebooting.
Most times, restarting your phone is the only thing you need to fix app crashing or hanging issues. However, there are many other fixes to try if the issue persists. Try the next solution!
2. Update or rollback the android system webview app
Virtually every Android user in March 2021 faced frustrating issues where many Google and other Android apps stopped working. We learnt that the problem was caused by a faulty update pushed to the Chrome and Android System WebView app.
However, the issue has, since then, been fixed via an update to the apps. So, if your apps are not working on Android, we recommend you update the Android System WebView app now.
Here’s how:
Note: the steps might vary depending on the Play Store app version on your phone.
- Visit the Play Store.
- Click on your profile icon at the upper-right corner.
- Select Manage apps from the options, then tap Updates available.
- Scroll down to search for Android System WebView on the list and tap the Update button to install the latest version.
- Kindly restart your phone again to implement the new update properly.
Try opening your apps to see if the issue is fixed. If not, you can roll back the Android System WebView update since many users reported their apps started working well when they uninstall the updates.
Here’s how.
- Launch your device Settings app and tap Apps & notifications.
- You may need to hit See all apps to view the apps on your phone.
- From there, find the Android System WebView app and select it.
- Look straight to the top-right and tap the 3-dot button.
- Finally, hit Uninstall updates to roll back the app.
- We recommend you restart your phone afterwards.
3. Check and install android updates
I’ve uninstalled updates for the Android System WebView app, but why are my apps not working on my Android phone still? Well, there are more fixes to try. But for now, ensure your phone software is up to date.
If you’ve always swiped away that “System Updates available” notifications on your phone for whatever reason, you need to go back to it by now.
System updates are a way to keep your device free from bugs and glitches in most cases. They come with fixes and stability to keep your apps running smoothly.
If you've missed many updates, nonetheless, that's not the end of the road. Follow the steps below to check if you have pending system updates and install them right away.
- Launch the Settings
- Go to System → System Updates → Online updates.
- From there, Check for updates, and if there's any, download and install them.
4. Clear the cache data for the affected app
Sometimes, the accumulated cache data of an app can cause it to stop working. When such a thing happens, you need to reset the cache data from the device settings.
So, if individual Android apps are not working on your phone, another solution to fix it is by clearing the app's cached data. You can do so by following the steps below:
- Locate the affected app in your app drawer.
- Long-press on the app’s icon, then tap App info or App details
- From there, click on Storage & cache.
- And finally, hit Clear cache to reset the temporary files stored by the app.
5. Update the affected app
Equally important, updating your apps to the latest version can help fix the app not working issue. If an app is faulty, it won't work. But thankfully, what caused the problem might have been fixed in the latest update.
Follow these steps to update the affected apps from the Play Store.
- Open the Play Store
- Tap your profile icon beside the top search bar.
- Tap Manage apps, followed by Updates available.
- Try to find the malfunctioning app on the list. If found, tap the Update button next to it to install the latest version.
- Alternatively, you can tap the Update All button to install all pending updates at once.
6. Force stop the app
The next thing to do if the app is still not functioning well after updating it is to force close it. Apps can crash or stop working unexpectedly if it’s unable to run a required task at a time.
Meanwhile, force-closing an app shuts down the app and its processes, then restart them when you relaunch it. That’s a way to fixing the app not working issues sometimes.
Here’s how:
- Locate the affected app in your app drawer and long-press it.
- Tap App info from the pop-up menu to show the app’s settings.
- From there, hit the Force stop button to close the app.
After that, relaunch the app normally to see if the issue has been fixed. If not, try another solution below.
7. Uninstall and reinstall the app
If an app is still not working properly on your phone after trying all the solutions above, we recommend you reinstall the app. This could fix the problem in most cases if it was caused by a compatibility issue, such as when you didn't install the app from the Play Store initially.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Locate the affected app on your launcher and long-press it.
- Tap the Uninstall button to remove the app from your phone.
- Now, head over to the Play Store to install the app again.
If the problem is still not solved, you can try the next solution below.
8. Reset your device
Usually, the last resort when something goes wrong on your device is to reset it. And now that your apps are not working and none of the tips mentioned above seems to fix it, you may need to reset your phone to factory setting.
But before that, ensure you’ve backed up all your essential data because they’ll be wiped during the process. After that, you can follow the steps below to reset your Android device.
- Launch the Settings app
- Find and select System, then tap Reset options.
- Select erase all data (factory reset).
- Again, tap ERASE ALL DATA and enter your password to confirm the action.
Note: resetting your phone will delete all of the data on your phone so you need to operate cautiously
Your device will reboot after a while. Once the process is completed, set up your phone again and reinstall your apps from the Play Store. That should fix the problem.
Apps not working on your device is usually not a pleasant experience. Nonetheless, you can solve the problem in a few minutes by applying the solutions mentioned in this article.
Related:
How to fix Chrome app not working
What to do if Gmail notification is not working
How to fix Android notifications not working
