YouTube is one of the most popular video platforms, with over 2.6 billion monthly active users. According to Statista, the average user watches 18 videos daily and spends 40 minutes and 2 seconds watching YouTube per session. This has increased recently as more users join YouTube for entertainment, education, and news. You can use it on a website, and it also has a standalone app. You can find a wide variety of content, from music and educational videos to comedy videos and more, on this Google-owned platform, YouTube.
Plenty of YouTube users have recently reported issues regarding app crashes. You may be facing YouTube app crashes for many reasons, generally related to outdated apps, hardware problems, corrupted cache, and software bugs. Today, in this article, we will share a troubleshooting guide on how to fix YouTube app crashes for Android and iPhone. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at this.
Update your YouTube app.
It is recommended that users update their YouTube app to the latest version. Google releases updates with new features, bug fixes, and optimizations. One of the most common reasons for YouTube app crashes is that it may not be compatible with your device or optimized for your device, which could cause the app not to function correctly, like slow loading times, video playback issues, or the app to crash. However, it is easy to fix simply by updating the YouTube app to the latest Android, iPhone, and iPad versions.
Use your device to update your Android, iPhone, or iPad app. Let us begin with Android:
Update the YouTube app on Android.
- Open the Google Play Store app on your device.
- Â Tap on the profile picture in the app’s upper-right corner.
- Â Tap on “My apps and games,” where you will see all the outdated apps labeled as “Update.”
- Â Look for YouTube by scrolling through “My apps and games” and tapping on “Update,” or you can tap on “Update all” to update all outdated apps installed on your device.
Update the YouTube app on iPhone and iPad.
- Open the App Store on your iOS device, then tap the profile picture.
- Â Swipe down to check for pending updates. Look for YouTube and tap on “Update” to initiate the update.
Corrupted cache and cookies
When you use the app, some information is saved in its cache. Sometimes, that cache may get corrupted, causing problems such as loading or formatting issues. However, it is easy to fix. It only fixes common issues and doesn’t reset your YouTube recommendations. Also, it will clear your app’s storage, giving you some free space.
Android
- Open device settings and then head over to “Apps.”
- Â From there, tap on “Apps,” which will open the app list installed on your device.
- Â Look for YouTube and tap on it to open the YouTube app information.
- Â After that, tap on “Storage” and then tap on “Clear cache.”
iPhone and iPad
You need to reinstall the Android app to fix the cache-related issue.
- Open device settings and head over to “General Settings.”
- Â Go to “Storage,” and then look for the YouTube app.
- Â Tap on the app, then click “Clear” to clear the YouTube app cache.
Reinstall
This is the best thing you can do if you are still experiencing problems with the YouTube app. Try reinstalling the app on your device. First, you need to uninstall the app and then reinstall the latest version of the app. This will remove the cache and other corrupted files. Before uninstalling, you should know that it will also remove any YouTube downloads and offline videos stored in the app, but your device settings and subscriptions will remain intact.
- Locate the YouTube app, tap and hold the YouTube app, which will prompt an options menu.
- Â Tap on “Remove App,” and then tap on “Delete App” to confirm your actions.
- Â Now, your app will be removed. To use YouTube, redownload the YouTube app from the App Store.
This will remove the cache and other files causing the problem and conflicting with the data. Once you reinstall the app, the problem is expected to be resolved, and this is how you can fix the issue of YouTube crashing on your Android or iPhone.
Insufficient Storage
This can also happen if your device needs more storage. In those cases, it will automatically stop running, including YouTube. Like RAM, ROM is also important; your device should have enough storage space to function. If your storage space becomes limited and it gets filled, then YouTube will stop working automatically to prevent additional data from being used and to avoid any potential problems. Usually, if your storage gets filled, users receive a notification warning that storage has been exhausted.
To avoid such things, watch notifications for warnings about your storage. You can clear the space on your device by deleting unnecessary files and apps or transferring your device’s storage to external storage or the cloud. Try using Google Files to manage and free up storage on your device. This app helps you identify and delete unnecessary files and apps.
Download the Google Files app from the Google Play Store and head to the Cleanup tab from the bottom navigation bar. There, you have options like “Clean Junk Files,” “Large Files,” “Delete Unused Apps,” and more. Afterward, go to any recommended section to clean up the unwanted files. This can only be used on Android, but for iPhones, check Smart Cleaner to reduce the storage.
Bad Internet Connectivity
This is one of the obvious reasons. Getting the best YouTube experience requires a stable internet connection to work. If you have network issues or an unstable connection, the YouTube app becomes unresponsive or crashes while trying to load content. Many things can happen with bad internet connectivity, including slow video loading, buffering, and other network errors, such as 500 internal server errors.
To check your internet connectivity, you can use several tools, like Speedtest.net, to perform a speed test. Head to the Speedtest website and tap “Go” to start the test. Finishing the internet speed test takes a few moments, showing you your network’s upload and download speeds. Your internet should be stable, and 1 Mbps is the recommended minimum download speed. In cases where speeds are lower than this, you need to troubleshoot your internet or contact your internet service provider for assistance.
Device Overheating
It is also possible that your device is overheating. For this, try doing some troubleshooting. To do this, you can remove the device case. Usually, your device might be trapping heat and causing it to overheat, and removing it will help air circulation and reduce overheating. Another way is to close unnecessary apps at the same time. You can also put your device in airplane mode to reduce the load on your device. Turning off unused features like Bluetooth, GPS, and WiFi will also reduce the load on your device. Check for malware since malware also causes overheating. Try a reputable anti-malware app and run a scan to check for infections.
Try clearing the cache. Clear the app cache. Update your app to the latest version. Sometimes, the app has problems, but you can update the issue with the latest update. Update your device’s software. If your device has any software updates, then you can keep your device software up-to-date to fix issues such as overheating and crashing. Lastly, you can reset your device. This will erase all your data, so keep a backup to avoid losing any of it.
Software Bug
If you still encounter the YouTube crashing issue on your device, contact YouTube support or try uninstalling and reinstalling the YouTube app. After deleting the app’s data and settings, try again by signing in. Check for additional troubleshooting to keep your YouTube app from crashing. Also, if your device is outdated, you are advised to update it to the latest version of the YouTube app that is causing the issue.
For this, you need to head over to the software update option on your device and then update your device to the latest available option. Also, check the update for the YouTube app on your device. If you still have a problem or are crashing, try other troubleshooting steps.
Restart your device.
Restarting your device is one of the simple troubleshooting steps. This will clear your memory and end the currently running processes to fix temporary glitches or conflicts that cause the YouTube app to crash. To restart your Android device, press and hold the power button until the power menu appears, then tap on the restart option or swipe to restart. As for iOS devices, all you need to do is press and hold the power button on the right side, and the volume-down button will appear on the left side of your iPhone. Hold the button until the power-off slider appears, then drag the slider to turn off your iPhone. This might take some time, depending on your device. Your device will boot, and you must enter your password or use Face ID to unlock it.
Check for updates.
Updating your YouTube app can help fix crashes, slow loading times, and video playback issues caused by an outdated app. To avoid these, update the YouTube app to the latest version. You can update the YouTube app on Android via the Google Play Store, and on iOS, head over to the Apple App Store.
Force Stop the App
You can try force-stopping an app. It will stop running processes and free up the device’s memory to help fix its crash or slow performance. On your Android device, you can locate the app and access its app info section, then long-press the app icon and tap on the “i” button to use a force stop button. You can also use force to stop an app on iOS. To access the app switcher, you need to swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle of the screen. Then, swipe left or right to locate the YouTube app, and swipe it up to force-stop it.
Clear Cache
Forcing the YouTube app to quit does not need to resolve the app’s crash. You can clear the cache of the YouTube app on your device. Try clearing the cache of the app. This will also free up space and remove unwanted files stored on your device to resolve the issue. For Android, long-press the app icon and tap the info button. After that, click on “Clear Cache” to clear the YouTube cache. On iOS, you only need to head over to iPhone Storage and select the app. Click on “Clear App” to clear the YouTube app cache.
Hopefully, this guide remains helpful for you and has successfully helped you fix the YouTube app crashing on your Android and iPhone. Thanks for being with us. We would like to know your valuable opinion and feedback. If you have any queries, share them with us in the comment section below. Stay tuned for further updates in the future.