How to fix Messenger that keeps crashing or stops working on your iPhone X after installing a new iOS update (easy steps)

Is the new iOS update causing your iPhone X Messenger app to become unstable or keep crashing? If that is so, then this post might be able to help you. Read on and get some inputs if needed.

Software updates are generally intended to keep a device system more optimized, free from flaws, and still performing at its best. Nonetheless, not everyone ends up having the same positive outcomes from installing a new iOS update on their iPhone. Instead of having a better performing device, what they’ve got are various types of post-update issues and errors. While this is indeed a downer, keeping your device updated is still recommended. Post-update issues are regarded by software developers/programmers as part of the entire system update implementation process. That’s why when common issues are reported following a new iOS update release, iOS devs would immediately work on a fix and roll out a follow-up minor update with an official fix patch to address whatever issues that need to be dealt with. But the thing is, you will have to wait until the new update is available. While waiting for the official fix to arrive, you can try some workarounds for momentary solutions.

Before we move on, if you have other issues with your iPhone, visit our iPhone X troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most commonly reported issues with the device. Browse through the page to find issues similar with yours. If you still need our assistance after that, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire to contact us.

How to fix iPhone X with Messenger app that keeps crashing

Highlighted below are a few recommended procedures and potential solutions you can try on if your Messenger app stops working or keeps crashing after installing a new iOS update on your iPhone X. Start whenever you’re all set.

First solution: Clear the Messenger app and background apps.

The recent changes from the new iOS update might have caused the Messenger app to become a little bit glitchy in its first run so try to quit and restart the app. It can happen to any app especially with a new platform implemented and clearing the app can help. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Swipe up from the bottom to the middle of your screen and hold until the App Switcher appears.
  2. Swipe left or right to locate Messenger from the apps list.
  3. Firmly touch and hold the Messenger app.
  4. Then tap the Minus (-) sign/icon to clear the app.
  5. Alternatively, you can swipe up to close the Messenger app as soon as you see the minus sign.

If you have other apps running in the background, force all background apps to quit to prevent any of them from causing conflict. It’s also possible that any of these background apps is the trigger especially when they’re crashing.

Second solution: Reboot your iPhone X (soft reset).

If clearing the app doesn’t help, you can proceed with a soft reset or simple reboot your iPhone X the usual way. You can shut down your iPhone X through settings or follow the standard procedures to carry out a soft reset. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume button simultaneously for a few seconds.
  2. When you see the Slide to Power off prompt, release the buttons.
  3. Slide the Power switch to the right to turn your phone off.
  4. After 30 seconds or so, press and hold the Side/Power button until the Apple logo appears.

Alternatively, you can force your iPhone X to restart if it freezes as the Messenger app crashes. A force restart is a simulated battery removal process that works the same as a soft reset but is done using hardware key combos. If necessary, follow these steps:

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Press and hold the Side/Power button until the Apple logo appears.

Similar to a soft reset, a force restart will also not affect any of your iPhone data for as long as it’s executed properly. So creating a backup won’t be necessary.

Third solution: Reset network settings on your iPhone X.

Network connectivity errors are also among the possible culprits. Network-related apps like Messenger may have the tendency to suddenly crash or stop working because they’re unable to access the server due to certain network errors transpiring on your iPhone X. The new update might have override your current network settings and that eventually resulted to network errors. In this case, you can perform a network settings reset to restore your iPhone X network settings back to their default values and that set up your wireless network to connect to the Internet again. Follow these steps to get this done:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll to and tap Reset.
  4. Select the option to Reset All Settings. This will reset your iPhone settings to their original values without affecting any of your iPhone data. So it doesn’t result to data loss.
  5. To reset all settings on your iPhone X, select the option to Reset all network settings.
  6. If prompted, enter the correct passcode for your device.
  7. Then tap the option to confirm reset.

Your iPhone will restart automatically when the reset is finished.

Fourth solution: Update Messenger and other apps.

Apps also receive regular updates to keep them bug-free and compatible with the new iOS interface. Apps developers would usually roll out new updates for their apps when a new version of iOS is released. This is to ensure that their app can still blend perfectly with the new system running on your device. If you haven’t set up your device to auto-install updates, you may need to manually check and install apps updates available, particularly for the Messenger app. Here’s how:

  1. Tap the App Store icon from the Home screen.
  2. On the App Store screen, tap the Updates icon located at the bottom right.
  3. If an update is available for Messenger, an Update button shows up next to the app’s name. Tap on Update to install the latest update for your Messenger app.
  4. If you see multiple apps updates available, tap the Update All style=”font-weight: 400;”> option to install the updates at once.

Fifth solution: Uninstall and reinstall Messenger app on your iPhone X.

Some updates that contain bugs can cause certain apps to get corrupted and stop working. This could be what’s happening on your Messenger app. Any of the prior methods would usually be able to deal with the issue but if you’ve already exhausted everything but to no avail, then you may have to consider deleting the app already so you can download and install the latest version of Messenger app that’s perfectly compatible with the latest iOS version running on your iPhone. Here’s what you should do then:

  1. Tap and hold on any app icon on the Home screen for a few seconds.
  2. When you see the icons jiggle, tap the X in the corner of Messenger icon to uninstall or delete the app.
  3. Tap Delete to confirm action.
  4. Restart your iPhone then launch the App Store to search for and download the latest version of Messenger app available for your iPhone X.

Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation process and then restart your iPhone X again. That should fix the problem. Otherwise, consider asking for further assistance.

Escalate the problem

Again you can always report the problem to Apple Support or Facebook Help Center if it persists after performing all prior workarounds. They may still be able to do something on their end to help you further. Otherwise, you may have to consider using other online messaging tools until the official fix is rolled out.

Connect with us

If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the new Apple iPhone X smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone 8. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.

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