Fix Apple Watch Apps Crashing & Freezing

Apps crashing or freezing on your Apple Watch can make the device feel unusable, but the problem is usually fixable without a trip to the store. This guide walks you through the most effective fixes in order, from quick restarts to reinstalling the problematic app. You will need your Apple Watch, its paired iPhone, and a stable Wi-Fi connection for the reinstall steps.

What You’ll Need

Your Apple Watch and its paired iPhone
The passcode for both devices (if enabled)
A stable Wi-Fi network for downloading updates or reinstalling apps
Enough battery charge on both devices (above 50% is recommended)

Step-by-Step

Force-quit the crashing app. On the watch face, press the side button (the flat one below the Digital Crown) to open the App Switcher. Swipe or scroll to the app that is frozen or crashing. Swipe left on it and tap the red X to force-quit it. Then reopen the app from the home screen to see if that clears the issue.
Restart your Apple Watch. If force-quitting does not help, restart the watch. Press and hold the side button until the Power Off slider appears. Drag the slider to turn off. Wait about 30 seconds, then press and hold the side button again until the Apple logo appears. This clears most temporary glitches.
Restart your paired iPhone. The watch and phone communicate constantly, and a glitchy phone can cause watch apps to misbehave. Turn off your iPhone completely, wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on. Once the phone has fully booted, check if the watch apps work again.
Update watchOS. Outdated software is a common cause of crashes. On your iPhone, open the Watch app, tap General, then tap Software Update. If an update is available, make sure your watch is on its charger and has at least 50% battery, then tap Download and Install. Keep the watch on the charger until the update finishes.
Update the specific app. Sometimes the app itself has a bug that an update fixes. On your iPhone, open the App Store, tap your profile icon at the top right, then scroll to see pending updates. If the crashing app is listed, tap Update next to it. You can also search for the app in the App Store and tap Update if it appears.
Delete and reinstall the problematic app. If updates do not help, remove the app entirely. On the watch, press the Digital Crown to see the app grid. Touch and hold the app icon until it wiggles, then tap the X and confirm deletion. Alternatively, on your iPhone, open the Watch app, scroll to the app under Installed on Apple Watch, tap it, and turn off Show App on Apple Watch. Wait a minute, then reinstall it from the App Store on your phone (make sure Install on Apple Watch is enabled in the Watch app settings for that app).
Unpair and re-pair your watch. This is the most thorough fix short of a factory reset. On your iPhone, open the Watch app, tap All Watches at the top, tap the info button (i) next to your watch, then tap Unpair Apple Watch. Keep your iPhone nearby during the process. After it finishes, pair the watch again by holding it near your phone and following the setup prompts. Choose Restore from Backup when asked, and your apps and data will come back.
Reset the watch to factory settings. If unpairing does not fix it, reset the watch itself. On the watch, go to Settings, then General, then Reset, and tap Erase All Content and Settings. Enter your passcode to confirm. After the reset, pair it with your iPhone as a new watch or restore from a backup. This clears any corrupted system files.

Common Mistakes

Skipping the restart order. Jumping straight to deleting an app when a simple restart would have fixed it. Always try the quick fixes first; they take seconds and often work.
Not updating the iPhone. watchOS and iOS work together. If your iPhone is running an old iOS version, it can cause compatibility issues that make watch apps crash. Check for iPhone updates under Settings > General > Software Update.
Deleting the app but not reinstalling it. Some people remove the app from the watch face but forget that it is still installed on the phone. The app can still sync and crash. Make sure you actually delete it from the watch (or turn off Show App on Apple Watch) and then reinstall fresh.
Ignoring storage space. A watch with almost no free storage can crash apps randomly. Check usage under Settings > General > Storage on the watch. If it is nearly full, delete unused apps or large media files like music or photos.
Assuming one app crashing means the whole watch is broken. A single app crashing is usually an app bug, not a hardware failure. Try the app-specific fixes before resetting the entire device.

Tips

Keep both devices updated. Set up automatic updates for iOS and watchOS so you get bug fixes as soon as they are released. On iPhone: Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates. On watch: Watch app > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates.
Restart your watch weekly. A quick restart once a week clears memory leaks and keeps apps running smoothly. It takes less than a minute.
Close background apps. Double-press the Digital Crown to see recently used apps. Swipe left on each one to close them. Too many apps in the background can slow the watch down.
Use the App Store on the watch. When reinstalling an app, you can also search for it directly on the watch via the App Store app. This sometimes installs a cleaner version than syncing from the phone.
Check for watchOS beta profiles. If you have installed a beta version of watchOS, it is more likely to crash. Remove the beta profile by going to the Watch app on your iPhone, then General, then Profiles, and delete it. Then update to the public release.

Troubleshooting

If the steps above do not resolve the crashing and freezing, try these additional checks:

Check battery health. On the watch, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. If the maximum capacity is below 80%, the battery may be unable to provide stable power, causing crashes. You may need to have the battery serviced.
Check for overheating. If the watch feels hot to the touch, it may be throttling performance or crashing to protect itself. Remove it from your wrist, let it cool down for 30 minutes, and try again. Avoid charging it while wearing it.
Try a different watch face. Some third-party watch faces with complex complications can cause apps to crash when they try to load data. Switch to a simple Apple-made watch face and see if the problem goes away.
Reset network settings on the iPhone. Since the watch relies on the phone’s connection, a corrupted network config can cause sync failures that look like app crashes. On the iPhone, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This will forget Wi-Fi passwords, so have them handy.
Contact the app developer. If only one specific app crashes, check its App Store page for a support link or known issues. The developer may have posted a workaround or a pending fix.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my Apple Watch apps keep crashing after an update?
Updates can sometimes introduce bugs or leave behind corrupted data from the previous version. The most reliable fix is to restart the watch, then delete and reinstall the affected app. If it persists, unpair and re-pair the watch, which rebuilds the app database.

Will I lose my data if I unpair my Apple Watch?
No, unpairing creates a backup of your watch settings and app layout on your iPhone. When you re-pair, you can restore from that backup. Health and activity data is already synced to your iPhone and is not lost.

How often should I restart my Apple Watch to prevent crashes?
Once a week is a good habit. It clears temporary files and memory leaks. If you use heavy apps like GPS tracking or streaming, a restart every few days can help.

Can a faulty third-party app cause other apps to crash?
Yes, especially if it uses a shared framework or tries to access system resources aggressively. If you notice crashes starting after installing a new app, delete that app first and see if the problem stops.

Is there a way to see which app is causing the problem?
On the watch, go to Settings > Privacy > Analytics > Analytics Data. Look for entries that start with the app name and contain “crash” or “exception”. This can help you identify the culprit. The data is technical, but the app name is usually clear.

Should I take my watch to an Apple Store if nothing works?
If you have tried all the steps above, including a factory reset, and apps still crash, it may be a hardware issue. Before booking a visit, make sure your watch is not under a beta profile and that both devices are on the latest public software. If the problem remains, a hardware diagnostic is the next step.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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