Fixing the Annoying Issue: Why Does My iPhone Notes App Keeps Crashing

The Notes app crashing repeatedly on iPhone can be a frustrating issue to deal with. You’re not alone – many iPhone users have reported facing similar problems with the Notes app crashing or becoming unresponsive. While the app crashing once in a while may not be unusual, if it keeps crashing frequently without any apparent reason, it’s an issue that needs troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting iPhone Notes App Crashes: A Comprehensive Guide

One of the essential iOS apps embedded into your iPhone system is the Notes app or Apple Notes. With this app, you can take note of almost anything from quick thoughts to your most important appointment or to-do lists. Aside from text notes, you can also jot down scanned documents, sketches, images and web links through the Apple Notes app. All these notes can be kept in and access from your iCloud account. Using the Notes app on  your iPhone is fairly simple. Basically, you’ll just need to launch the app and start taking down notes. But just like other pre-installed iOS apps, the Notes app can also encounter random glitches due to many factors. 

Tackled in this post is a pertinent issue with the iPhone Notes apps that crashes frequently after updating to iOS 13. Read on to learn what to do in case you’d encounter the same issue and couldn’t get the Apple Notes to work properly on your iPhone following the iOS 13 update.

Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you are looking for a solution to a different issue, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common problems reported by our readers. Find issues that are similar to yours and use the solutions we suggested. If you still need our help after that, then feel free to contact us by filling up our iOS issues questionnaire.

Possible causes for the Notes app crashing

There can be several reasons why the Notes app may keep crashing on your iPhone. Here are some of the most common causes:

  • Low storage space: If your iPhone’s storage is running low, it can cause apps to crash frequently. The Notes app requires storage to save notes and run smoothly. With little free storage available, it is forced to close abruptly to avoid errors.
  • Corrupt app data: Over time, the data files of the Notes app can become corrupted due to various reasons like unexpected phone shutdowns, jailbreaking, etc. Damaged app data leads to crashes.
  • Outdated OS or app version: An outdated iOS version or an older Notes app version could contain bugs that result in crashes. New software updates usually fix numerous issues.
  • Third-party keyboard installed: Some third-party keyboards might not be fully compatible with the Notes app and interfere with its performance, crashing it.
  • Too many notes: Having thousands of notes saved without proper organization can overload the app, especially if notes contain a lot of content, photos, videos etc.

Stop the Frustration: Solutions for iPhone Notes App Crashing

Here are some things you can try to troubleshoot the Notes app crashing issue:

First solution: Force close then restart Notes.

Force close then restart Notes

The app might have gotten rogue as it tried to adapt the recently implemented system changes and so it’s becoming unstable. If you’ve left the Notes apps open or running during the update, it probably had become corrupted. Many apps that would act the same way from a software update are remedied by ending and then restarting them. And more often than not, quitting then restarting the Notes app will fix it. So you should consider this as the first possible solution to try if you haven’t already. Just follow these steps:

  1. Head on to the Home screen, to get started.
  2. Then, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen.
  3. Swipe right or left to navigate through app previews.
  4. Then, swipe up on the Apple Notes or Notes app preview to close it. 
  5. Do the same to clear all the rest of your background apps to prevent them from causing conflicts to Apple Notes.

The above procedure applies to later iPhones like the iphone x, XS, XS Max and XR. If you’re using an iPhone with a physical Home button, refer to these steps to end all or force close background apps instead:

  1. Go to your Home screen and press the Home key twice to view recent applications.
  2. Swipe up on the Apple Notes or Notes app preview to close it.
  3. Do the same to close other background apps.
  4. Then tap anywhere on the Home screen or press the Home key to go back to the Home screen.

After quitting Notes and other background apps, relaunch Notes and see if it’s still crashing or not anymore.

ALSO READ: How to fix Facetime connection issues on your iPhone after iOS 13 update

Second solution: Reboot your iPhone (soft reset).

Reboot your iPhone

Minor app glitches transpiring after an iOS update can also be remedied by restarting the phone. In iOS device, a restart or soft reset on a device not only refreshes apps and system services but also clears out junk files and temporary data that are accumulated as cached files on your device. Any associated errors will likewise be eliminated. If you haven’t already, then follow these steps to soft reset your iPhone X, Xs, Xs Max or XR:

  1. Press and hold the Top button and either Volume button until the Power Off slider appears.
  2. Drag the slider to power off your device completely.
  3. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Top button again until the Apple logo appears.

If you’re using an earlier iPhone, particularly those with a Home button, the steps in performing a soft reset slightly vary. To restart/soft reset iPhones with physical Home buttons, follow these steps instead:

  1. Press and hold down the Power/Top button for a few seconds until the Power off slider appears.
  2. Drag the slider to power off your device.
  3. After a few seconds, press and hold the Power/Top button until the Apple logo appears.

Wait for your phone to finish booting up and then try launching the Apple Notes app again to see if the symptom is gone.

Third solution: Check and manage app restrictions.

Check and manage app restrictions

Apps that are restricted may still be able to load but its functionality is limited. This is likely what has occurred to the native Notes app after the recent iOS update especially if your settings were automatically overridden. To clear this out, check your iPhone restrictions and manage restrictions for the Apple Notes, if necessary:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Select Screen Time.
  3. Tap to turn off the switch next to Content & Privacy Restrictions.

You can also keep Restrictions turned on but make sure that restrictions for Notes app or Apple Notes is lifted. To do this, scroll to the Allowed Apps section and look for Apple Notes or Notes. The switch next to the Notes app should be turned off.

Fourth solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone.

Reset all settings on your iPhone

Another way to clear out automatic settings overrides from iOS 13 that might have caused the native Notes app to crash frequently on your iPhone is to reset all settings. This erases all customized settings including the recent system changes brought by iOS 13. No internal data will be deleted from this reset so you don’t need to create backups. If you wish to give it a shot, then you may do so through these steps:

  1. Tap Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll down and tap on Reset.
  4. Choose Reset all settings from the given options.
  5. Enter your passcode when asked to proceed.
  6. Finally, tap the option to confirm all settings reset.

Your iPhone will then reset all settings and restore the original values and options. To use the features that are turned off or disabled by default, you will need to enable them individually after your iPhone reboots from the reset.

ALSO READ: Fix Apple iPhone with apps that keep crashing after iOS 13

Fifth solution: Restore factory default settings on your iPhone (factory reset).

Restore factory default settings on your iPhone

If the Notes app continues to crash even after clearing out customized settings, then you’re most likely dealing with a complex system error. In this case, a full system reset would be necessary. And your next option would be a factory reset. This will erase everything from your phone including fatal system errors inflicted by the iOS 13 update. But before you proceed, be sure to back up all your important files because they will also be deleted in the process. You can back them up to iTunes or iCloud as you would prefer. Once you have secured your iPhone backup, follow these steps to instigate factory reset through settings menu:

  1. From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap Reset.
  4. Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
  5. Enter your passcode to proceed.
  6. Tap the option to confirm full system reset or factory reset.

Allow your phone to finish erasing all data and then restores its factory default settings. Once the reset is finished, it should restart automatically. By then you can proceed to the initial setup process then set up your iPhone as new and ready for use.

You can also use iTunes to manually erase your iPhone and restore from a previous iOS backup. While this can be considered as downgrading, this may be the only way for Apple Notes to work properly again. Should you wish to troubleshoot further, then your next option would be a recovery mode restore or DFU mode restore. To get this done, you will need to use a Mac or Windows computer that runs on a compatible operating system with your iPhone and has the latest version of iTunes. 

You can refer to a comprehensive guide on how to restore an iPhone in recovery mode or DFU mode found on this site’s tutorials section. This can be accessed through the iPhone troubleshooting page.

Does your iPhone iOS 13 Notes app continue to crash?

If you’ve reached this point and exhausted all possible means to resolve the issue but still couldn’t get the Apple Notes app to work properly on your iPhone iOS 13, then it’s an indication the problem isn’t rectifiable by end-users. This means that a dedicated fix patch from Apple is needed. Fix patches to widespread post-update problems are typically embedded into the next iOS update release. In that case, you have the option to wait for the fix patch to arrive or use alternative notes apps for your iPhone instead. Among the top picks would include but not limited to Evernote, Bear, OneNote, Notebook by Zoho and the Internet giant’s lightweight notes app called Google Keep. Just choose the software that’s compatible with your iPhone and meets your preferences. Reading prior reviews can help you decide on which app is more effective than the other.

For official recommendations and further assistance, you can escalate the problem to Apple Support or contact your iPhone carrier instead.

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