Android apps crashing on your phone? Here is a band-aid solution

Some Android users have been experiencing app crashes on their smartphones. Important apps like Gmail or Google Search have been crashing randomly and have been erratic in their behaviour. Google says it's aware of the problem and is working on a fix.

In a statement shared with the press, a Google spokesperson said that the company is, “aware of an issue with WebView causing some apps on Android to crash. We are currently working to fully validate the scope and a fix is in progress.”

WebView is a system app that helps Android display web pages inside of other apps. For example – when you are on a payment interface and your bank must verify your identity, the app normally redirects you to a secure webpage where you can put your credentials in. What WebView does is help display that webpage inside the app itself without it being minimised and without needing to open a browser like Chrome. This is commonly used in Google search as well to display your result within the app instead of opening a new browser.

With such an important responsibility on its shoulders and the fact that WebView has integrated into nearly every system app, a small bug is now causing apps that use it to crash randomly.

Until Google works on a fix, there is a small workaround that can improve your experience in the meanwhile. What you must do is uninstall the latest update to WebView, the one that is causing all the problems.

To do this, head over to the settings menu. Once you are there, look for apps or type “apps” in the search bar on top. Once it opens, look for Android System WebView and click on it. An app info page should pop-up. Now click on the three dots on the top right-hand corner and select “Uninstall updates.”

Click “OK” on the prompt that pops up and you should be good to go. Its worth noting that this is a band-aid fix instead of a real solution and completely removes all updates to WebView and restores it back to how it was shipped on the phone initially.

Only do this if you are facing severe crashing issues. As for the luckier users who have only experienced the odd random crash, just grin and bear it until Google fixes it.

Update (23/03/21): It appears that Google has now fixed the issue. As stated by a Google Spokesperson, "We have resolved the issue with WebView that caused some apps on Android to crash for some users. Updating Android System WebView and Google Chrome via Google Play should now resolve the issue.”