Apps not responding is one of the common errors on Android phones. It usually shows up while opening an app or the pop-up appears out of nowhere. The good news is that it's a software issue and you can fix it yourself in a few minutes. In this guide, I have explained why Android apps stop responding and listed 14 fixes, starting from the basic to advanced one. So go ahead and follow the solutions in order.
Why Do Apps Stop Responding on Android?
Every Android app has a main thread (also called the UI thread) that draws the screen and registers your taps and swipes. When that thread gets stuck on a long task, the app can't react to your interactions. Google's Android Developers documentation says that if an app fails to react to a tap or key press for 5 seconds, Android flags it as an Application Not Responding (ANR).
If the stuck app is active, Android shows a dialog saying the app "isn't responding" and gives you the option to close it. Here are the most common reasons why this happens.
- A bug in the app, where it reads files or does long calculations or waits on another process on its main thread.
- Corrupted cache files that the app keeps loading every time.
- Low internal storage, which leaves no room for the app to write temporary files.
- A faulty update to the app or to a system component like Android System WebView.
- Outdated software on your phone or an app that is no longer compatible with your Android version.
- A conflicting third-party app such as a launcher, cleaner or overlay app that interferes with other apps.
- Too many heavy apps running at once on a phone with limited RAM.
Now that you know the causes, let us learn about the fixes.
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1. Close the App and Open It Again
When the ANR dialog appears, you get only two options: Close app and Wait. If the app was in the middle of loading a large file or a long web page, it may need a little more time, so choose Wait. However, if the same pop-up appears, choose Close app and launch it again from the app drawer.
You should also clear all the apps from the Recent apps screen. To do that, slide up from the bottom edge of the screen and hold to bring up Recent apps. Now, swipe up and clear all the app previews. Next, open the app again and check whether it opens normally.
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2. Force Stop the App
While removing an app from Recent apps closes its window, but some of its processes may keep running in the background. The Force stop button ends every process tied to the app, so Android has to load it fresh during the next launch. Here is how to do it.
- On your Android phone, open Settings > Apps > See all apps and select the app.
- Now, tap on Force stop and confirm the action.
You can also press and hold the app icon on your home screen, tap the "i" icon to open App info and tap on Force stop from there. Once done, open the app again and see if the issue is gone.
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3. Restart Your Android Phone
If force stopping the app didn't help, go ahead and restart your Android phone. Rebooting deletes whatever is sitting in RAM and stops background services that may be stuck.
On most Android phones, press and hold the Power + Volume Up buttons together and tap on Restart. On Samsung phones, press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons instead. You can also follow our detailed guide on how to reboot your Android phone and Samsung users can check our separate guide to reboot a Samsung phone.
If the whole screen is frozen and the power menu doesn't appear, you need to force restart your phone. To do so, press and hold the Power button for around 30 seconds until the phone restarts. On Samsung and OnePlus phones, press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons for 10 to 20 seconds.
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4. Clear the App Cache
To launch and load content faster, apps keep temporary files on your phone known as the cache. A damaged cache file can make an app hang each time it loads. So, wiping the cache is a safe way to rule this out because your login and personal data are untouched.
- On a Pixel phone, open Settings > Apps > See all apps and choose the app that is not responding.
- You can also press and hold the app icon and tap on the 'i' icon to open the App info page directly.
- Now, tap on Storage & cache and hit Clear cache.
Note that the option and menu names differ slightly on Xiaomi, OnePlus, Vivo and other phones. So follow our guide on how to clear the cache on Android, where I have covered all major brands.
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5. Update the App from the Play Store
If an app keeps freezing after a recent update, chances are the developer has already pushed an update with the fix. So make sure you are running the latest version of the app.
- Open the Google Play Store app and tap on your profile icon at the top-right corner.
- Next, tap on Manage apps & device.
- Here, under "Updates available", update the specific app or simply tap on Update all.
I would also recommend checking the app's recent reviews on its Play Store listing. If many users are reporting the same freezing issue, the problem is on the developer's end. You can reach out to them from the App support section of the listing.
6. Update Android System WebView and Chrome
Android System WebView is the built-in engine on Android phones that many apps use to show web pages inside their own UI. Since many apps rely on it, a buggy WebView update can make several apps crash and you may get the app is not responding error.
In fact, in March 2021, a faulty WebView update caused apps like Gmail to crash on Android for several hour, and Google fixed it by releasing updated versions of WebView and Chrome. So if multiple apps stop responding on your phone altogether, open the Play Store and update both Android System WebView (Update) and Google Chrome (Update).
If several apps started misbehaving right after a WebView update and there is no newer version available yet, you can rollback the update for the time being.
- Open Settings > Apps > See all apps and find Android System WebView. If you don't see it, enable the option to show system apps.
- Now, tap on the three-dot menu and choose Uninstall updates.
- Restart your phone and check whether the apps work again.
By the way, don't leave WebView on the older version for long as Google ships security fixes through these updates. Once a new build is on the Play Store, update it again.
7. Install the Latest Software Update
Some apps need the latest Android version or security patch to work properly, so first check which Android version your phone is running. Besides that, Android updates also fix system bugs that can make apps hang.
- Go to Settings > System > Software updates > System update and tap on Check for update.
- In the same menu, open Google Play system update and install any pending update.
You can go through our guide to update your Google Pixel phone for the detailed steps. If your phone has stopped receiving updates altogether, check our explainer on the Android update policy by brand to see if your phone is supported.
8. Free Up Storage on Your Phone
As mentioned above, apps create temporary files all the time and if there is no storage space left, the app will stop responding. And that is when apps start to hang and background tasks get stuck. As a rule of thumb, I suggest leaving at least 10 to 15% of your phone's storage empty.
- On your phone, open Settings > Storage to see what is taking up space.
- Now, delete large files you don't need, empty the recycle bin and uninstall or archive apps you no longer use.
You can follow our guide on how to uninstall apps on Android to learn detailed steps for major Android skins. And if you own a Samsung phone, here are different ways to free up space on your Samsung phone.
9. Revert Developer Options You Changed
If you recently turned on Developer options on your Android phone and changed some settings, they could be the reason behind your app issues. Settings like Background process limit and Don't keep activities make Android close apps aggressively, so apps have to reload from scratch. Here is how to revert it.
- Open Settings > System > Developer options.
- Here, scroll down to the Apps section and set Background process limit to Standard limit.
- Next, turn off the Don't keep activities toggle.
- If you don't remember which settings you changed, simply turn off the Developer options toggle at the top of the page.
10. Clear the App Data
If clearing the app cache didn't work, the app's saved data might be corrupted. Clearing app data resets the app when it was first installed. Keep in mind that this erases your login, settings and data for that app, so back up anything important first.
- Go to Settings > Apps > See all apps and select the app.
- Now, tap on Storage & cache > Clear storage and confirm with OK.
- On a Samsung phone, open Settings > Apps. Here, pick the app and move to Storage > Clear data.
11. Reset App Preferences
If an app depends on another app or permission that you disabled in the past, it can stop responding. So resetting app preferences re-enables disabled apps and removes limits on notifications, background data and permissions. It also clears your choice of default apps. This process doesn't delete any app data.
- Navigate to Settings > System > Reset options.
- Once you are here, tap on Reset app preferences. Now, tap on Reset apps to confirm.
- If you use a Samsung phone, open Settings > Apps and tap on the three-dot menu at the top-right corner. Now, select Reset app preferences.
Note that you will have to set your default apps and permissions again after the reset.
12. Boot into Safe Mode to Find the Culprit App
If multiple apps keep freezing, a third-party app running in the background could be the culprit. So you can boot into safe mode where Android starts up with just its pre-installed apps and keeps every downloaded app turned off. This way, you can check whether a downloaded app is to blame.
- Press and hold Power + Volume up buttons together until the power menu appears.
- Now, press and hold the Power off option.
- Tap on Reboot to safe mode and confirm the action.
If your phone runs smoothly in safe mode, a recently installed app is the likely culprit. Go ahead and uninstall recent apps, especially launchers, cleaners, antivirus and overlay apps. You can also follow our guide on safe mode on Google Pixel to learn the process in detail.
To exit safe mode, simply restart your phone. If that doesn't work, here is how to turn off safe mode on Android and Samsung users can follow our guide to disable safe mode on Samsung phones.
13. Reinstall the App or Uninstall Its Updates
If the app is still not responding on your Android phone, a fresh install might fix it. You need to uninstall the app, restart your phone and install it again from the Play Store. That said, back up chats, notes or downloads first before reinstalling the app.
Bear in mind that pre-installed system apps can't be uninstalled, but you can roll them back to the factory version instead. Here is how to do it.
- Press and hold the app icon and tap on App info (i).
- Now, tap on the three-dot menu and select Uninstall updates, then tap on OK.
- Launch the Play Store and update the app again.
If you use a Samsung phone, our guide on how to delete apps on Samsung phones covers detailed instructions, including bloatware removal.
14. Factory Reset Your Android Phone
If apps are still not responding even after trying all the fixes above, you need to factory reset your Android phone as the last resort. It erases all your apps, files and settings and restores the factory version of the software, so any broken setting or problem goes with it. That said, before you proceed, make sure to back up your Android phone.
- On your Android phone, go to Settings > System > Reset options.
- Here, tap on Erase all data (factory reset).
- Confirm the action and let your phone reboot.
If you own a Samsung phone, our guide on how to reset a Samsung phone also covers different methods.
And that is how you can fix apps not responding on Android. In most cases, a force stop, a restart or clearing the cache is enough to get the app working again. If a system app is acting up during setup, check out our guide to fix the Android Setup keeps stopping error. And for other issues like overheating, freezing and battery drain, go through our explainer on common phone problems and their fixes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "app isn't responding" mean on Android?
It means the app's main thread (UI thread) is stuck and the app has not reacted to your input for 5 seconds. Android then shows the Application Not Responding (ANR) dialog, which lets you close the app or wait for it to recover.
Should I tap Wait or Close app?
Choose Wait if the app was busy with a heavy task, but only once. When the pop-up appears again, close the app and reopen it.
Does clearing the cache delete my data?
No, clearing the cache only removes temporary files and your login and personal files remain intact. However, clearing app data or storage resets the app completely.
Why are all my apps not responding at once?
When multiple apps freeze together, it means the problem is system-wide. It could be very low storage, a faulty Android System WebView update or a buggy software update. You can free up storage, update WebView and Chrome and restart your phone first.
