What to Do if Your App is Crashing

App crashes can be frustrating for both you and your customers. This guide walks you through a systematic troubleshooting process, from quick fixes to advanced diagnostics so you can identify and resolve the issue as fast as possible.

In this article:

Quick fixes to try first
How to identify the root cause
Common crash scenarios and solutions
How to report a crash to our Support Team

Quick Fixes

Before diving deeper, try these steps. They resolve the majority of one-off crashes:

Force quit and reopen the app. On iOS, swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or double-tap the Home button), then swipe the app away. On Android, open your recent apps and swipe the app off screen. Reopen the app and see if the crash repeats.
Check your internet connection. A weak or intermittent connection can cause the app to hang or crash, especially during checkout or when loading product images. Try switching between Wi-Fi and cellular data.
Restart the device. A full device restart clears temporary memory and can resolve crashes caused by low system resources.

If the crash persists after these steps, continue to the sections below.

Step 1: Confirm the Device Software is Up to Date

Running outdated device software can cause compatibility issues with the latest app builds.

iOS: Go to Settings → General → Software Update and install any available updates.
Android: Go to Settings → System → System Update and install any available updates.

After updating, reopen the app and test again.

Step 2: Confirm the App is on the Latest Version

If your app hasn't been updated recently, you may be running an older build that contains a known bug.

iOS: Open the App Store, search for your app, and check if an Update button is available.
Android: Open the Google Play Store, search for your app, and check for an available update.

Tip: You can find your current app version by long-pressing the logo at the top of your app for 10 seconds. The debug info overlay will display your app version, device ID, and push token. See Find your Device ID, Push Token, App Version for details.

We recommend requesting an app update from our team at least once per quarter. New builds submitted to the App Store and Google Play typically take 24–48 hours to be approved and released.

Step 3: Check for Common Crash Causes

If the crash continues on the latest software and app version, it may be caused by one of these known scenarios:

Shopify store issues

Confirm your Shopify store is online and accessible. If your store is in password-protected mode or experiencing downtime, the app will not load correctly.
Check if you recently changed your Shopify theme, payment gateway, or checkout settings. Changes to checkout can affect the app's native checkout flow.

Custom Blocks or integrations

If you use Custom Blocks a code error in a block can crash the app. Try disabling your Custom Blocks temporarily in the Tapcart dashboard to see if the crash stops.
Third-party integrations (loyalty programs, review widgets, etc.) can also introduce crashes if their scripts encounter errors. Test with integrations disabled if possible.

Large catalog or heavy images

Very large product catalogs or uncompressed high-resolution images can cause memory issues, particularly on older devices. If crashes primarily affect older iPhones or budget Android devices, this may be the cause.

Recent app migration

If your app was recently migrated to a new platform version, some users may experience crashes until they update to the latest build. Encourage your customers to update the app via a push notification, email, or social post.

Step 4: Report the Crash to Our Team

If you've worked through the steps above and the crash persists, contact our Support Team with the following information so we can investigate quickly:

Device and OS version, e.g., iPhone 14, iOS 17.2 or Samsung Galaxy S23, Android 14
App version, found via the debug overlay (long-press the app logo for 10 seconds)
Steps to reproduce, what the user was doing when the crash occurred (e.g., "tapped Add to Cart on product X")
Frequency, does it happen every time, or intermittently?
Number of affected users, is this one customer or many?
Screenshots or screen recordings, if available

You can reach us through LiveChat within your Tapcart dashboard or email [email protected]. Including the information above helps our engineering team diagnose the issue significantly faster.

Troubleshooting an App Crash