How to fix an iPhone SE that keeps crashing and freezing? [Troubleshooting Guide]

Crashing and freezing are among the most common symptoms of memory-related problems transpiring in mobile devices. They usually occur months or years of normal usage but may likewise surface at an earlier stage due to certain factors like system issues including apps crashes and data corruption.  But the worst probable cause you need to consider is hardware damage. Tackled in this post is a pertinent issue transpiring on Apple’s special edition iPhone, the iPhone SE. Read on and find out what to do whenever you’re troubled with the same problem in which your iPhone SE keeps crashing and freezing.

Now, before we proceed with our troubleshooting, if you have other concerns with your new iPhone SE, drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already published some guides and tutorials. You may also contact us by completing our iPhone issues questionnaire. This is a free consultation servicer we offer and all we need is information about the problem. So please give us that so that we can help you better. 

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How to troubleshoot iPhone SE that keeps crashing and freezing

The following are things you should do to fix the crashes and freezes on your iPhone SE. One of them may fix the problem and you may not need to do all of them…

Soft Reset

A soft reset or restart is the simplest possible solution to minor software issues that randomly occur in mobile devices. Not only that it helps rectify software glitches and minor errors, a soft reset or restart also clears up the device memory, thus offers a better performance on its next run. For starters, a soft reset on the iPhone SE is done this way:

  1. Press the Power button for a few seconds until the Slide to Power Off menu appears.
  2. Drag the slider to power off your device completely.
  3. Wait for about 30 seconds and then press the Power button again for about 10 seconds.
  4. Release the Power button when the Apple logo appears.

Wait until your iPhone boots up completely then see if that fixes the problem. If not, then move on to the next applicable solution.

Update iOS to the latest version or install apps updates

Software updates not only bring in new and enhanced features but also contain bug fixes that address existing device issues. This is the main reason why it’s highly recommended to keep your iPhone up to date. If you haven’t already, then you might as well consider doing so.

To check for software update, go to Settings-> General-> Software Update.

An update notification will show up if an update is available. Before you proceed, be sure to back up your critical data and personal information for safekeeping. Once everything is set, follow the onscreen instructions to download and install iOS update on your iPhone SE.

Aside from iOS update, it’s also recommended to keep your apps up to date. Apps developers also rollout periodic updates to keep their apps optimized, stable, and able to keep up with the latest iOS version installed on the iPhone.

  1. To check for apps updates, go to the App Store-> Updates section.
  2. Tap the option to Update individual apps or Update All to install multiple apps updates at once.

Reboot your iPhone SE afterwards and see if that brings a positive outcome.

Remove suspicious apps

Some apps can also cause the same trouble especially when they get corrupted during the download or installation process. If the problem occurs only after downloading or installing a new application on your iPhone SE, then that’s likely the culprit. As remedy, simply remove the bad app. The simplest way to remove an app is to go to the Home screen then follow these steps:

  1. Tap and hold an app icon for a few seconds until the apps icons jiggle and the X appears on the upper-left corner of each app.
  2. Locate the desired app and then tap on the X symbol.
  3. Tap Delete to confirm.
  4. Press the Home button when you’re done removing apps.

You may opt to try to re-download and install the app again on your device. Just make sure it’s a successful app installation this time.

Check and manage memory

As mentioned earlier, crashing and freezing can also be attributed to memory problems like insufficient memory on the iPhone. To rule this out from the possible causes, check your available storage and ensure that there’s still ample of memory space left to allocate more apps and processes on the device.

To check the available memory on your iPhone SE, go to Settings-> General-> Storage & iCloud Usage-> Manage Storage.

If the available memory is less than 500MB, it means the need for you to free up some space. in this case, deleting all unnecessary apps and contents including old files and messages from your device can help. You can also move some of your important contents to an external storage media or a computer for backup purposes.

Restore  your iPhone SE

A full system restore like recovery mode restore, DFU mode restore, or factory reset can be considered the last options if all else failed to fix the problem. It’s worth to note though that these methods would result to data loss as your device is restored to factory defaults or other iOS version. If you are certain that your iPhone SE is totally free from any sort of hardware damage, then you may proceed with a factory reset first through the Settings menu or using iTunes on a computer. If the problem persists, then move on with a recovery mode restore or DFU mode restore. Both these restore methods offer a higher chance of fixing major software errors that are inflicting troubles to the iPhone’s operating system.

  • To perform a factory reset through your iPhone SE settings menu, go to Settings-> General-> Reset-> Erase All Content and Settings. If prompted, enter the correct passcode for your device and confirm factory reset. Wait until the reset is complete and proceed with the initial setup.
  • To perform a recovery mode restore or DFU mode restore, you will need to secure a computer (Windows or Mac) with the latest version of iTunes software installed. Once you have everything ready, connect your iPhone SE to your computer using the supplied USB cable and wait for iTunes to recognize your device.

A more detailed tutorial on how to perform a recovery mode restore or DFU mode restore on the iPhone SE is available on our Tutorials section. Feel free to visit our dedicated Troubleshooting Page for more details.

Seek More Help

If none of the prior methods is able to fix the problem and your iPhone SE is still crashing or freezing, then it’s more likely due to a faulty hardware. At this point, service is already necessary. You may contact Apple Support for other options or visit an Apple-authorized service center nearby and have your iPhone SE diagnosed by a technician.

Connect with us

Visit our troubleshooting page to view more solutions to other iPhone problems we have addressed in our prior posts. If you wish to reach our iOS support team for further assistance, then you may do so by filling up this form with all the required information. Be sure to provide us with the significant details of the issue that you need help with so we would be able to give you the best possible solutions and recommendations to try on.

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