How to Fix “App Not Responding” on Android

If you’ve ever tapped an app on your Android phone and watched it freeze or display the dreaded “App Not Responding” dialog, you know how frustrating it can be. Fortunately, many of the causes are easily fixable. In this guide, you’ll learn why the error happens, what to try first, and how to prevent it in the future.

Why Apps Stop Responding

When an app hangs or becomes unresponsive, it’s usually because your device’s resources (like memory or CPU) are overloaded, or the app has encountered a software glitch. For example:

• A large cache of temporary files could be slowing processes down and causing the app to freeze.
• The app version may be incompatible with your phone’s Android version, or pending updates are absent.
• Background apps or services may use up RAM so the active app stalls.
• A newly installed third‑party app or widget might be interfering with normal operations.

Identifying the root cause is the key to fixing the issue swiftly.

Step‑by‑Step Fixes

Below are proven steps to get your app back to normal. Start at the top and stop when you hit a solution that works.

1. Restart Your Phone

It might sound simple, but rebooting your Android often clears out temporary glitches:

• Press and hold the power button → tap Restart (or turn off then on again).

• After the reboot, launch the app and check if it still freezes.

2. Force Stop and Relaunch the App

When an app becomes unresponsive, but the rest of your phone is okay:

• Go to Settings → Apps → [App Name] → Force Stop.
• Open the app again and see if it behaves normally.

3. Clear Cache (and if needed, Data)

Corrupted or heavy cache files can slow or freeze an app. Clear them as follows:

• Go to Settings → Apps → [App Name] → Storage

• Tap Clear Cache.If the app still misbehaves, you may Clear Data (note: this resets the app to its initial state, so log‑in info may be lost)

4. Update the App & Android System

Outdated software is a common culprit. Make sure everything is current:

• Open the Google Play Store → My Apps & Games → Updates and update the app.

• Go to Settings → System → Software update to check for new Android OS updates.

5. Free Up Storage and RAM

An over‑crowded device struggles under load. Try this:

• Go to Settings → Storage and check how much free space remains (ideally at least ~15‑20 %).

• Remove apps you no longer use, transfer photos/videos to the cloud or SD card, and limit widgets or live wallpapers.

• Close background apps or disable recently installed ones that might be hogging RAM.

• Remove apps you no longer use, transfer photos/videos to the cloud or SD card, and limit widgets or live wallpapers.

• Close background apps or disable recently installed ones that might be hogging RAM.

6. Boot into Safe Mode (to diagnose third‑party interference)

If the app still fails, a third‑party app might be causing trouble:

• Hold the Power button → long‑tap Power off until you see the “Safe Mode” option → tap to reboot into Safe Mode.

• In Safe Mode you’ll see only built‑in apps. If the problematic app works fine now, uninstall recently added apps until you identify the culprit.

• To exit Safe Mode, simply restart your phone normally.

7. As a Last Resort: Uninstall & Reinstall the App or Factory Reset

If all else fails:

• Uninstall the app → reinstall it from Google Play. This ensures you get a clean install.If many apps are crashing, your OS may have deeper issues; consider backing up your data and performing a factory reset. (Be sure to backup everything!)

Pro Tips to Prevent “App Not Responding” Errors in Future

• Enable Automatic App Updates in the Google Play Store settings so apps stay current. Norton

• Avoid installing unverified apps from outside the Play Store. Malware or unstable apps cause crashes. Norton

• Keep live wallpaper, widgets, and auto‑start apps to a minimum if your device has limited RAM.

• Regularly clear cached data (once every few weeks is fine) and keep free storage space above ~15%.

• Avoid installing numerous start‑up apps (especially on older/lower‑spec devices).

• If your phone shows “App Not Responding” frequently, check for hardware limitations (e.g., low RAM, slower storage) and consider upgrading.

Seeing the “App Not Responding” dialog is frustrating, but in most cases, it can be resolved with a few smart steps: restart, clear cache, update software, free up storage, or diagnose via Safe Mode. If you get to the point where you still can’t fix it, a reinstall or factory reset will usually do the trick — but that’s rare if you stay on top of updates and device health.