How to Fix an Android App That Isn’t Working
Your device can handle many apps and tools that all do many different things. The problem is that, for one reason or another, apps can stop working. They might crash during use, force close, refuse to open etc etc. It could be that the app used to work but now has suddenly stopped, or it could be that another app is somehow interfering with an existing one.
Whatever the issue might be, try these tips to see if it can fix the problem.
Step One: Good Ol’ Fashioned Reboot
- Restart – The first thing you should always do if you encounter an error is try restarting your device. Simply hold down the power button for a few seconds and tap on “Restart”. If there isn’t an option to do this, just hold down your power button for around 30 seconds until a forced-reboot happens.
- Update The App – Check the Play Store to see if there are any updates available for your app. It could be that a bug has been fixed and updating should solve the issue.
- Update Your Android – Sometimes you may need to update your actual Android software to overcome a problem. To do this, go to “Settings” —> “System” —> “System Updates”. If there are any updates available then you can choose to install them now.
Step Two: Explore The App Options
- Force Close – You might just need to force close the app. Usually your device does all this for you but if you are having issues, go to “Apps” —> “App Info” —> “Your App Name” —> “Force Stop”. This will completely stop and end the app, so you can restart it and see if it has fixed the problem.
- Cache Clearance – Cache is stored from every app you use, and there is a chance that something here might be causing it to stick. Go to the same screen as above but tap on “Clear Cache” instead of Force Stop.
- Erase That Sweet Data – An extreme measure is to completely erase the app data related to the app in question. This is easy enough to do. Go back to the same screen and menu where the option to Force Stop and Clear Cache are located, then tap on “Clear Data”.
- Uninstall – Lastly, try uninstalling the app and reinstalling it again. You can either do this from the screen described above, or find the app in the Play Store and tap uninstall.
Hopefully one of these tips has helped you overcome a problem. You could also try contacting the app developer too however an answer might not be sent for a while, depending on their commitments and availability.
