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How to stop Snapchat from crashing on your device
Snapchat is still a popular smartphone app used by millennials to send their weird pictures (a description by someone who is definitely older than a millennial.) But sometimes, when you’re snapping and chatting, the chat could snap and stop working. If Snapchat is crashing on your device, how do you stop it? We’ll go through some possibilities starting with the easiest and working up to the most hassle.
Read more: How to use Snapchat on Android
QUICK ANSWER
If Snapchat is crashing on your device, then start with easy things like reopening the app and clearing the cache. Then check for updates and restart your phone. If that doesn't work, reinstall the Snapchat app.
JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS
Close and re-open Snapchat
The first thing to try is always the clichéd one — close and re-open it. But it really does work a lot of the time, which is why we always recommend doing this first. Sometimes, the simplest methods are the most effective. This only applies, though, if the app has frozen and is still technically open. If it has crashed in the sense that it keeps closing itself, you can ignore this option.
To close and re-open Snapchat on an Android or iOS device, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Find the app you want to close and swipe that window up till it disappears. Now come back to the main screen and re-open the app.
Clear the app cache
If that doesn’t help, then usually clearing the cache will do the trick. To do this, tap the settings cog. Quick, before it crashes again.
Scroll down to Account Actions and tap Clear Cache.
Confirm your choice by tapping the grey Clear button again.
Check for app and system updates
The next investigative tip in the mysterious case of the crashing Snapchat app is to check for app updates. There may be a bug that Snapchat has discovered and squashed, which will clear your problem right up.
On an iPhone, you can do this by going to the App Store and tapping your avatar at the top-right of the screen. Now scroll down to Upcoming Automatic Updates. Despite the word “automatic” in the name, updates can accumulate if you don’t check it regularly.
On an Android device, open the Play Store and then tap your avatar at the top. Then select Manage apps and device.
If there are updates available, you’ll see them. Tap Update all to get that done.
While you’re at it, you should also check for phone system updates. There may be a phone software bug causing Snapchat to crash. On an iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
On Android, the location and wording may slightly differ depending on your phone model. Just go to the settings and look for a section called System or something similar.
Restart your phone
If there was a phone update available, then you will have already restarted your phone. But if not, then it’s time to restart the phone. Yep, the old “have you tried turning it off and on again?” beloved advice by IT departments everywhere.
On an iPhone, hold the volume down button and the power button together, and keep holding them till you see a power off message. On an Android phone, you can turn it off by pressing the power button on the side or by swiping down from the top of the screen to find a power off icon.
Reinstall the Snapchat app
If all of that hasn’t helped, then it’s time to delete and reinstall the Snapchat app. Make sure you delete the app cache again to ensure you don’t have any leftover files from the previous installation. Otherwise, you will likely transfer over any crashing issues to the new installation.
Check it’s not a phone issue
If you’ve got this far, then it likely isn’t the fault of Snapchat. It could be an issue with the phone itself. We’ve previously discussed how an iPhone could freeze, and the same for frozen Androids, but they could equally apply to Android as well.
The two you really have to look at are:
- How much storage space on your phone do you have? If you’re down to your last 10%, you really have to clean some stuff out to free up more space. The phone needs that space to operate efficiently.
- How old is your phone? How healthy is the battery? Are the electrics inside a bit outdated? If you have an antique phone, it may not be able to keep up with certain apps and their demands.
Read more: Snapchat Dual Camera — how does it work?