It’s normal for apps to go rogue after updating the phone system. Some apps would fail to load while others become unstable. In normal circumstances, post-update symptoms like these are easily remedied. However, some updates particularly major updates may cause worse and persistent problems to occur. On the positive note, post-update issues, no matter how bad the symptom could be, are still rectifiable. All you have to do is troubleshoot and try applying potential solutions.
Highlighted in this post are workarounds that are used to deal with a post-update issue on the new iPhone XS Max. These solutions are also applicable to other iPhones that ended up with the same problem after installing the latest iOS update. Read on to learn what to do if your apps suddenly go rogue and persistently crash.
Troubleshoot iPhone XS Max with apps that keep crashing
Before troubleshooting, try to determine which types of apps are affected. If the symptoms are only occurring to online apps, then your phone may be having some network connectivity issues and that eventually caused network apps to misbehave. To check your network connection, open a browser app then navigate to different websites. If all sites are loading as intended, then the Internet is okay. If not, then you’ve got to deal with Internet problem first.
To rule out other software-related factors, try performing any of these subsequent solutions instead.
First solution: Soft reset or Force restart the phone
One of the reasons why it’s highly recommended to restart after updating a device is to prevent apps from acting up. Some apps would adversely react to the recent platform transition and thus they’re suddenly misbehaving. To get these apps back to their normal state and embraced the recent system changes, simply restart the phone with these steps:
- Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
- Release the buttons when the Slide to Power Off command appears and then drag the power off slider to the right.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power/Side button again until the phone reboots.
Alternatively, you can force restart your iPhone XS Max, to abruptly end all corrupt apps and services from the update. This method works the same as soft reset in terms of rectifying minor app glitches. It doesn’t affect any saved information on the phone memory so backing up won’t be necessary. For starters, a forced restart on the iPhone XS Max is done this way:
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
- Then, press and hold the Power button on the side of the phone and then release when the phone reboots.
Restarting is also a way of refresh the phone memory and operating system. Junk files that are stored as cache in the internal memory and system folders are therefore eliminated.
Second solution: Install pending app updates
Some apps, particularly those that aren’t up-to-date will likely misbehave after the update and continue to act up even after restarting the phone. To fix the problem, updating the app can help. If your downloaded apps are not configured to auto-update, then you can manually check for and install pending app updates from the App Store with these steps:
- From the Home screen, tap App Store.
- From the App Store main screen, scroll down to the bottom and then tap on the Updates tab. A list of all apps with pending updates will then appear.
- Tap the Update button next to the name of the app to update individual apps.
- If multiple app updates are available, then you can just tap on the Update All button on the top-right of the screen to install all app updates simultaneously.
Wait for your apps to finish updating then restart your iPhone to refresh the apps and apply the recent changes.
Third solution: Delete old and unnecessary apps
For apps that are already obsolete, the previous methods may no longer do some good outcome. Obsolete apps may no longer be supported by the recent update to iOS and so you have no other choice but to remove them from your iPhone. Doing so will likewise help free up some space of your iPhone storage to allocate new apps and services. Here’s how to delete old and unwanted apps from your iPhone XS Max:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Select General.
- Tap iPhone Storage.
- Find and select the suspected app then tap the option to Delete or Uninstall it.
If the problem only occurs to certain apps, then you can also try deleting the affected app(s) and see how your phone behaves afterwards.
Restart the phone after deleting or uninstalling old apps then see if the problem is gone. If your apps continue to crash, then you may have to resort to performing resets.
Fourth solution: Reset all settings on the phone
Your iPhone settings can also affect an app’s behaviour. It’s possible that some settings on your iPhone are configured in a way that destabilizes certain apps or system functions. The problem could be from customized options or recent settings override from the update. So here’s what you can try doing next:
- From your Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down to and then tap on Reset.
- Select the option to Reset all settings.
- If prompted, enter your passcode then follow the onscreen instructions to confirm all settings reset.
The phone will restart by itself when the reset is finished. After it boots up, default options and values are restored. In order to use the features that are disabled by default, you will need to re-enable them one by one.
Fifth solution: Restore iPhone in iTunes
Restoring the iPhone system from a backup can be considered the ultimate solution if the problem is due to an iOS bug. You may opt to restore your iPhone from a healthy iOS backup or set it up as new. You’ve got two restore options you can do through iTunes. But before that, you need to secure a computer with the latest version of iTunes app installed. Then connect your iPhone XS Max to the computer via USB cable or Lightning cable. Once connected, proceed with these steps to put your device in recovery mode and restore iOS through iTunes:
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
- Next, press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
- Then, press and hold the Side/Power button until you see the Connect to iTunes screen. This means that your iPhone has entered recovery mode.
- When you see the option to Update or Restore, choose Restore. Doing so will prompt iTunes to start downloading the software for your device.
If a recovery mode restore failed to fix the problem, then you may proceed to DFU mode restore. It’s the deepest type of system restore done on an iPhone. In DFU mode, your iPhone will still be able to communicate with iTunes even if the system is totally ruined. To get started, you’ll have to connect your iPhone to the computer using the supplied syncing cable or Lightning cable. Then continue with these steps to put your device in a DFU state:
- Quickly press and release the Volume Up button, then quickly press and release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side/Power button until the screen turns completely black.
- As soon as the screen turns goes black, press and hold the Volume Down button while you keep holding the Side/Power button.
- After 5 seconds, release the Side/Power button but continue to hold the Volume Down button until your iPhone shows up in iTunes on your computer.
- When your iPhone appears in iTunes, you can release the Volume button as your iPhone is already in DFU mode.
Follow the rest of the instructions to restore your iPhone in iTunes while in DFU mode.
Fatal system errors are usually repaired from a DFU mode restore and that therefore should fix the stubborn post-update app symptoms on your iPhone XS Max.
Seek more help
Escalate the problem to your iPhone carrier if the problem isn’t resolved even after carrying out iOS restore in recovery or DFU mode. This is important considering the fact that the problem had instigated from the recent update. What you’re dealing with could be a major system bug. Or you may also report the problem straight to Apple Support so they can promptly conduct further assessments on their end and develop a fix patch, if necessary.
I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix the problem with your device. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!