I still remember the morning I updated my iPhone to a new iOS version, grabbed my coffee, and opened Instagram like I do every single day. The app opened for half a second, showed a flash of white, and then dumped me straight back to my home screen. I tried again. Same thing. I opened Spotify next it froze on the loading logo and then closed itself too.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re going through the exact same thing right now. Your iPhone apps keep crashing after an iOS update, and it’s honestly one of the most annoying things that can happen right after you’ve updated your phone, because you expect things to work better, not worse.
The good news? I’ve dealt with this more times than I can count, both on my own phone and while helping friends and family fix theirs. In almost every case, it’s fixable without losing any data. In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly what’s going on and, more importantly, how to fix it starting with the easiest steps and working up to the more advanced ones.
Why Do iPhone Apps Crash After an iOS Update?
Before jumping into fixes, it helps to understand why this happens in the first place. I’m not going to drown you in technical jargon, but a little context makes the fixes make more sense.
Every time Apple rolls out a big iOS update, it doesn’t just change how things look. It also changes things happening deep inside the system how apps talk to the operating system, how memory is managed, and how app data is stored. When an app hasn’t been updated by its developer to match these changes, or when your phone’s cache and storage get a little messy during the update process, apps can start behaving badly.
Here’s what’s usually going on behind the scenes:
The app itself is outdated. If a developer hasn’t updated their app to work properly with the new iOS version, the app might try to use a feature or process that no longer works the same way. This is one of the most common reasons an app closes immediately on iPhone right after an update.
Your phone’s memory is under pressure. New iOS versions often use more background resources. If your phone is low on available memory, iOS will start shutting down apps to free up space sometimes right as you’re trying to use them.
Cache or app data got corrupted during the update. Apps store little bits of data (login sessions, preferences, temporary files) on your phone. If this data gets mixed up during the update process, the app can crash trying to read it.
Your storage is nearly full. iPhones need a decent amount of free space to run smoothly, especially right after an update when the system is still finishing background tasks like re-indexing photos and rebuilding search data.
Once you understand that it’s usually one of these four things, the fixes below start to make a lot more sense.
Quick Fixes to Try First (Beginner-Friendly)
I always tell people to start simple. Nine times out of ten, one of these basic steps solves the problem completely, and you won’t need to touch anything more advanced.
1. Force Close and Reopen the App
This is always my first move, and it takes about ten seconds. Force closing an app clears whatever went wrong in its memory and gives it a clean slate to start from.
If you have an iPhone with Face ID (iPhone X or newer), swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle until you see your open apps. If your iPhone has a Home Button, just double-click it. Either way, once you see the app cards, swipe up on the one that’s been crashing to close it fully. Wait about ten seconds this matters more than people think, because it gives the system time to actually release the app from memory then reopen it from your home screen.
I’ve lost count of how many times this alone fixed an app that kept closing right after tapping the icon.
2. Update Your Apps
This step gets skipped way more often than it should. After a major iOS update, developers usually release their own updates within a few days to fix compatibility issues. If you’re still running an old version of the app, it may simply not know how to handle the new iOS yet.
Open the App Store, tap your profile icon in the top right, and pull down to refresh. Scroll to see any pending updates and tap Update All, or update just the specific app that’s been giving you trouble.
I make it a habit to update all my apps before I even install an iOS update it avoids a lot of this mess in the first place.
3. Restart Your iPhone
It sounds almost too simple, but a regular restart clears out a lot of small glitches that build up, especially right after a big software update. Go to Settings > General > Shut Down, slide to power off, wait about 30 seconds, then turn your phone back on by holding the side button.
Fixing iPhone Apps Not Working After Update: Intermediate Steps
If the quick fixes didn’t do the trick, don’t worry this is where I usually see the real problem get solved. These steps take a bit more effort but are still completely safe for your data.
4. Do a Hardware Force Restart
A regular restart and a force restart are not the same thing. A force restart is more aggressive it’s what you need when the phone or an app seems properly stuck, not just glitchy. I use this whenever a phone feels like it’s “frozen” in some way, not just one app misbehaving.
For iPhone 8 and newer (including iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 series): press and quickly release Volume Up, press and quickly release Volume Down, then press and hold the Side Button until the Apple logo appears.
For iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: hold the Side Button and Volume Down button together until the Apple logo shows up.
For iPhone 6s, iPhone SE (1st generation), and older: hold both the Home Button and the Top button together until you see the Apple logo.
Don’t worry about any “slide to power off” message that pops up just ignore it and keep holding the buttons.
5. Check and Free Up Your iPhone Storage
This is a big one, and it’s something I check almost every time someone tells me their iPhone storage full app crash situation. iOS actually uses your free storage space as a kind of working memory for apps. If your phone is nearly full, apps don’t have room to “breathe,” and they’ll crash more often especially right after an update when the system is doing extra background work.
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and see where you stand. I always recommend keeping at least 10 to 15 GB free. If you’re below that, delete apps you don’t use, clear out old photos and videos (or move them to iCloud), and remove large message attachments.
You can check Apple’s own storage guidance here: <cite index=”1-56,1-57″>navigate to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to review system storage allocations, and to maintain system stability, ensure the device maintains at least 10 GB to 15 GB of free available storage</cite> (Apple Support).
6. Offload the App Instead of Deleting It
This is one of my favorite lesser-known fixes. Offloading an app removes the app itself from your phone but keeps all your data, logins, and settings safe. When you reinstall it, everything comes right back you just get a fresh copy of the app’s code, which often fixes crashing caused by a corrupted app install.
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, tap on the problem app, and select Offload App. Once it’s done, tap Reinstall App on the same screen.
I use this one a lot for social media apps, since they tend to build up messy cache data over time that can cause trouble right after an iOS update.
7. Delete and Reinstall the App Completely
If offloading doesn’t help, it’s time for a full deletion. This is a bit more thorough because it wipes the app’s entire local data container, not just the app binary. This is especially effective for streaming apps like YouTube or Spotify, where corrupted downloaded content can be the culprit.
Press and hold the app icon, tap Remove App, then Delete App. To reinstall, open the App Store, tap your profile icon, go to Apps & Purchase History or My Apps, find it under “Not on this iPhone,” and tap the download icon to redownload it.
Just remember unlike offloading, this does clear the app’s local data, though anything backed up to your account (like your Instagram login or Netflix watchlist) will still be there once you sign back in.
Related read: How to Check Wi-Fi Passwords on Android useful if you’re also troubleshooting connectivity issues alongside app crashes.
Advanced Fixes for iPhone Apps Freezing or Crashing System-Wide
If your problem isn’t just one app but several apps crashing across your whole phone, the issue is probably something deeper in the system rather than any one app. Here’s what I turn to next.
8. Reset All Settings
This one sounds scarier than it is. Resetting all settings does not delete your photos, messages, apps, or files. What it does clear is your Wi-Fi passwords, Bluetooth pairings, and some system preferences, which get rebuilt from scratch. I’ve seen this fix stubborn, system-wide crashing issues that nothing else touched.
Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings. Enter your passcode, confirm, and let your phone restart.
You’ll need to reconnect to your Wi-Fi network and re-pair any Bluetooth devices afterward, but that’s a small price for a phone that actually works again.
9. Clear System Data Using the Date Trick
If you check your iPhone Storage and notice a huge chunk labeled “System Data” or “Other,” this trick can help. It nudges iOS into running its own internal cleanup process.
Go to Settings > General > Date & Time, turn off Set Automatically, and move the date forward by about 3 to 4 months. Lock your phone and leave it alone for about 5 minutes. When you come back, go check your storage again you’ll often see that System Data has shrunk. Then go back and turn Set Automatically back on so your time and date sync correctly again.
I was skeptical the first time I tried this, but it genuinely works for clearing out old cached update files and logs that build up over time.
10. Turn Off Background App Refresh Temporarily
Sometimes apps crash because they’re trying to refresh content in the background right when you open them, especially if your Wi-Fi or cellular connection is a bit unstable after an update. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off completely, or switch off specific apps that keep crashing. You can always turn it back on later once things settle down.
11. Reinstall iOS Without Losing Your Data
If you’ve tried everything above and apps are still freezing or closing, this is my last resort before contacting Apple directly and it’s more common than people think for fixing deep, persistent app closing issues. This method reinstalls the iOS software itself using a computer, without erasing your personal data.
Connect your iPhone to a Mac or Windows PC. Put your phone into Recovery Mode (for iPhone 8 and later: quickly press Volume Up, quickly press Volume Down, then hold the Side Button until you see the “Connect to Computer” screen). Your computer will show a message about your iPhone needing to be updated or restored choose Update, not Restore. This keeps your photos, apps, and files intact while giving your phone a completely fresh copy of iOS.
Apple has an official walkthrough of this process if you want to follow along step-by-step: <cite index=”1-91,1-92″>if the Restore screen appears on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch Apple Support</cite> (Apple Support).
Category-Specific Tips I’ve Learned Along the Way
Different types of apps tend to crash for slightly different reasons, so here are a few targeted tips based on what I’ve personally run into:
Social media apps (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook) build up huge cache files over time. Offloading and reinstalling usually works best here.
Streaming apps (YouTube, Netflix, Spotify) often crash because of corrupted downloaded or cached media. A full delete-and-reinstall clears this out completely.
Games, especially graphics-heavy ones, can freeze on loading screens after an update because of how they handle graphics processing. Make sure Low Power Mode is off, free up at least 15GB of storage, and reinstall the app.
Banking and rideshare apps sometimes crash because of location or security permission conflicts after an update. Double-check Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and make sure the app has permission, then log out and back in to refresh your session.
When to Contact the Developer or Apple Support
If you’ve gone through all of this and the app is still crashing, it might genuinely be a bug on the developer’s end that only they can fix. Open the App Store, search for the app, scroll down to Ratings & Reviews, and tap App Support to reach the developer directly. Mention your iPhone model, iOS version, and exactly when the crash happens that detail helps them a lot.
If it’s a paid app that’s simply unusable, you can request a refund through Apple directly at reportaproblem.apple.com by signing in with your Apple Account and selecting the option to request a refund.
Preventing This From Happening Next Time
After going through this cycle a few times, I’ve built a small routine before every major iOS update, and it’s genuinely cut down on crashes for me:
I back up my phone first, either to iCloud or my computer. I make sure I have at least 15GB of free storage before updating. I update all my apps before updating iOS, not after. And once the update is installed, I leave my phone on Wi-Fi and charging overnight so it can finish all its background indexing quietly, instead of fighting for resources while I’m trying to use it the next morning.
It sounds like a small thing, but that overnight window makes a real difference in how smoothly everything runs afterward.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with iPhone apps crashing after an iOS update is frustrating, but it’s rarely a sign of something seriously wrong with your phone. In almost every case I’ve dealt with personally or while helping others the fix was somewhere in this list, usually one of the earlier, simpler steps. Start with force closing and updating your apps, work your way through storage and offloading if needed, and save the deeper resets for when everything else has failed.
Take it one step at a time, and your apps should be back to normal before you know it.
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