An iPhone app that closes immediately or drops back to the Home Screen usually has an outdated build, corrupted install, low storage, temporary background glitch, or a bug the developer needs to fix.
This guide applies to iOS 17 and iOS 18 for one crashing app or many apps crashing at once.
Does This Affect You?
Use this if an app repeatedly crashes on launch, freezes and closes, or several unrelated apps start crashing around the same time.
Force Quit and Restart
- Open the App Switcher by swiping up and pausing, or double-clicking Home on older iPhones.
- Swipe the crashing app off the screen.
- Reopen it.
- If it crashes again, restart the iPhone.
- Open the app again after the restart.
Update the App and iOS
- Open the App Store and tap your profile picture.
- Install the update for the crashing app, or tap Update All.
- Open Settings > General > Software Update.
- Install an available iOS update.
- Check recent App Store reviews for reports of the same crash after a major iOS release.
Delete and Reinstall the App
- Confirm the app syncs data through iCloud or its own account if the data matters.
- Touch and hold the app icon.
- Choose Remove App, then Delete App.
- Restart the iPhone.
- Reinstall the app from the App Store.
- Sign in and test again.
If Many Apps Crash
Check Storage
Apps need free space for temporary files. Open iPhone Storage and free several gigabytes if the device is nearly full.
System-Wide Cause
Several unrelated apps crashing together points to low storage, a recent iOS bug, or a temporary system process rather than one bad app.
Reset All Settings
Use Reset All Settings before erasing the iPhone. It resets preferences and network settings without deleting photos, apps, or files.
Report to the Developer
If only one app still crashes after reinstalling on an updated iPhone, use the app’s feedback option or App Store support link.
Sources
- Apple Support: If an app quits unexpectedly on iPhone or iPad
- Apple Support: Free up storage on iPhone
- Apple Support: Update apps from the App Store