Top 10 simple methods to fix ‘Facebook Messenger Keeps Crashing’

Facebook Messenger is one of the most used Instant Messaging apps in the world, surpassed only by WhatsApp. For a lot of users, Messenger is the primary communication app. It can get quite annoying when the app starts crashing out of the blue. Luckily, there are some quick fixes you can carry out on your own to resolve the issue. In this article, we bring you the top 10 simple methods to fix the ‘Facebook Messenger keeps crashing’ issue on your smartphone.

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Force Stop the app and then restart it

Any minor bugs can be quickly fixed by force-stopping the app and then starting it back up. This is an easy process and should be the first step you take whenever any app starts acting up. To force stop the Facebook Messenger app, go to Settings>Apps>Messenger and hit ‘Force Stop’. You can also close the app by swiping up on its card from the app switcher. Once the app is closed, open it again from the app drawer.

Give the Messenger app the necessary permissions

The Messenger app on your phone needs some essential permissions in order to work properly. Failure to greenlight these permissions might cause it to crash. Go to Settings>Apps>Messenger and check the Permissions box to see if all the necessary permissions have been granted to the app. Restart the app to check if it crashes again.

Update the Messenger app

As new updates for an app roll out periodically, the older versions are slowly phased out. If you don’t usually keep your apps updated, chances are they will stop being functional after a period of time. The same thing applies to the Messenger app. Newer updates also get rid of any bugs within the app, so it is always a good idea to keep your apps updated. In order to update Facebook Messenger, simply go to Google Play Store, search for Facebook Messenger and hit ‘Update’ on the app page.

Clear app cache

Clearing the app cache gets rid of any corrupt temporary files that may be keeping the app from functioning properly. To clear Messenger’s cache simply go to Settings>Apps>Messenger and select ‘Storage and Cache’. From the following window, select ‘Clear Cache’. Once the cache is cleared, restart the app and check if the issue is resolved.

Clear Google Play Services cache

Google Play Service is what links the apps you install on your device to your account. If there is a  fault with Google Play Services, you will experience frequent crashes on different apps. To clear the Google Play Services cache go to Settings>Apps>Google Play Services>Storage>Clear cache.

Allow background usage

Messenger is one of the apps that serves a very limited purpose if it isn’t allowed to function in the background. You won’t receive any new messages if background usage for Messenger is disallowed. In some cases, the app may crash as soon as you open it. This is more likely when you receive tons of messages at once. Allowing background usage ensures that the app isn’t overwhelmed by the volume of new messages every time you launch it. Go to Settings>Apps>Messenger>Battery and select ‘Unrestricted’.

Reinstall Facebook Messenger

If everything else fails, you can try reinstalling Facebook Messenger. Once you delete Messenger from your phone, you will lose all app data unless you back it up. In order to delete the app, simply long-press the Messenger app in the app drawer and select ‘Uninstall’. To reinstall, go to Google Play Store and search for Facebook Messenger. Go to the app page and select ‘Install’.

Opt out of the Beta program

Beta testers get early access to new features on the app. While its fun to use the new features before everyone else, the beta version of an app is usually very unstable and contains bugs. Developers roll out beta programs for their apps just so a small group of people can report these flaws before the app is made available to the larger audience. If you are experiencing frequent crashes, opt out of the beta program. Simply search from Messenger on the Play Store and scroll all the way down on the app’s page to leave the beta program.

Restart your phone

It is possible that the issue lies with your smartphone and not the Messenger app. In order to make sure that any minor or temporary glitches get smoothened out, simply restart your smartphone. This will take care of any minor problems that may be keeping the Messenger app from functioning. Once the phone restarts, open the Facebook Messenger app and check if it still keeps crashing.

Use Messenger Lite

Facebook Messenger is quite a bulky app and may not be suited for your smartphone if it doesn’t have adequate RAM or storage space. In this case, install the Facebook Messenger Lite app from the Google Play Store. As the name suggests, the Messenger Lite app doesn’t occupy a lot of space on your smartphone and only carries out the essential functions of the app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Messenger app keep crashing?

If Facebook Messenger keeps crashing on your smartphone, clear up some internal memory on your device and update the Messenger app.

How do I clear my Messenger cache?

To clear the cache of the Messenger app, go to Settings>Apps>Messenger>Storage>Clear Cache.

What happens if I clear Messenger data?

Clearing Messenger data gets rid of all the junk files that the app has stored in your device. You may need to log in again but you will not lose your contacts.

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Conclusion

These are the top 10 simple methods to fix the ‘Facebook Messenger keeps crashing issue’ on your smartphone. We hope this article was of some help to you. Let us know which of the methods mentioned above worked out for you.