Google Photos is one of the best apps in the house of Google. It comes pre-installed on many Android phones and is also available for the iPhone. Packed with a user-friendly interface, you can backup unlimited photos and videos for free. While that sounds good, the Photos app should work properly without crashing. This is not the case as most users are facing the random crashing issue of the Photos app.
Well, some users are frustrated by the constant crashing of the Google Photos app. For them, the app doesn’t open at all when erroring or stops working when they start scrolling. If you are among those affected by the same problem, this article is for you.
Let’s explore various ways to prevent Google Photos from crashing on Android and iPhone.
1. Reboot Phone
You should restart your phone starting with the basic fixes. From time to time, restarting your Android phone or iPhone fixes temporary errors.
2. Check Recent Photos
Sometimes, there is a corrupted photo or video that can cause the Google Photos app to crash. Removing the problematic file will fix it for you. You need to put on your detective hat and prepare for a mission, as it is difficult to identify a particular file.
Find out where or how the problem occurred. For example, some Google Photos users suggested that swiping to a specific date crashes their app. Similarly, opening a particular album for others will stop the Photos app.
Once you identify the problem domain, somehow delete such photos from the app or go to photos.google.com on the web and delete them. Make sure you download them to your PC first. And then add them again. If the problem reoccurs after adding them, convert them to HEIC to JPG or PNG to JPG or JPG to HEIC etc. It would be better if you convert it to different formats.
3. Check Recently Edited Photos
Have you recently edited and synced any photo or video with Google Photos? For such photos, you need to undo the edits. For this, go to the web version of Google Photos and open the edited photo. Click the edit icon at the top.
Hit the Undo edits button at the top. Then restart your phone. I know it sounds weird, but it has helped a few people.
4. Disable Backup
Another thing you should try is to disable the backup of the Google Photos app for a while. Then re-enable it. Disabling the backup will not delete any photos.
To disable backup and sync, follow these steps:
Stage 1: Open the Google Photos app.
Step 2: Tap the three-bar icon at the top and select Settings.
Stage 3: Tap on Backup & sync. On the next screen, turn off the switch next to Backup and sync.
Step 4: Restart your phone and enable backup again by repeating the same steps. If you run into any problems enabling backup, check out various ways to fix Google Photos backup not working.
5. Update Google Photos App
We agree to update apps on our phones. Of course, some developers push updates frequently, and this can be annoying for folks with limited data. However, you should update apps regularly as they fix bugs within the app. In this case too, check for an update for Google Photos from the Play Store (Android) and App Store (iPhone). For the future, learn how to find out if an app needs an update on Android or iPhone.
Pro Tip: Make sure you are using the latest version of the operating software for your Android or iPhone.
6. Clear Cache and Data (Android Only)
On Android, you should try clearing the cache and data for the Google Photos app and Media Storage. Clearing the cache deletes temporary files, while clearing data resets the app to its default settings without affecting your photos. So don’t worry that the photos will be deleted. They will be safe.
To do this, follow these steps:
Stage 1: Open Settings and go to Apps or Apps & notifications.
Step 2: If you see the list of apps, tap the three-dot icon in the top right corner. Next, select Show system apps. If the list is not available, tap on See all apps then hit the three-dot icon and select Show system apps.
Stage 3: Scroll down and tap Media Storage. Tap on Storage.
Step 4: Tap on Clear cache first. Restart the phone. If the problem persists, tap on Clear storage or Clear data.
Step 5: Similarly, clear cache and data for Google Photos.
Note: You may not be able to see your photos immediately after clearing the media storage. Wait for a while or restart your phone.
7. Uninstall Google Photos App
Finally, if nothing works, you can try uninstalling the Google Photos app. Since it is a pre-installed app on most Android phones, you cannot uninstall it completely. However, you can uninstall the latest updates of the app which will bring it to the factory version. Find out what happens when you uninstall the Google Photos app.
To uninstall Google Photos from Android phone, go to Settings > Apps > Google Photos. Tap the three-dot icon at the top. Select Uninstall updates from the menu.
On iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Google Photos. Tap on Delete App.
last resort
We hope one of the fixes mentioned above helped you fix Google Photos. If you are still facing the problem, you can go the hard way of copying all your photos and videos to PC. Then delete them from your phone. After that, clear cache and data for Google Photos app and Media storage. Then move the photos back. It’s a tedious but safe way.
Next: Google Photos can be used with multiple accounts. But what if you want to remove an account from it? Learn how to do this at the next link.