Wondering Why Your Android Browser Keeps Crashing?

You have an Android smartphone and it works just fine. However, the stupid Android browser keeps crashing again and again for no apparent reason at all. No matter what you do, the browser crashes as soon as you start it or after a while. We’ve all been there, and it never gets easier. Thankfully, modern Android browsers are a lot better in this regard but still, they can crash under certain situations.

There can be several reasons why an Android browser keeps crashing but usually, it’s about compatibilities issues and hardware limitations. The stock “Android Browser” is no longer in play these days, Google has decided just to make Google Chrome the stock Android browser and it’s one of the best decisions they made. Even Samsung has moved away from its own browser. So, we will just be calling them browsers in the article.

Related: Best Android Browser 

---

So let’s dive into the solutions that will allow you to browse your favorite websites without having to worry about crashes.

1. Old Phone

If you have an old smartphone or tablet, chances are the hardware is not up to par anymore. Anything less than 1 GB RAM and a respectable processor will have trouble loading up content heavy pages on your device. This is the sad reality of technology though, especially when it comes to Android smartphone internals. Everything gets replaced in a year or so and gets obsolete in 4. So maybe it’s time to upgrade to even a budget range smartphone that is recently released. Flagships from 2012 are now ranked below the budget range smartphones of today in terms of speed and reliability.

2. RAM Usage

If you have a ton of apps that are in constant usage, there is a chance that the browser is not getting the resources to run properly. Sure some browsers take very less resources to provide a good experience but many browsers these days require a lot of RAM to provide great performance. So check if some other app is clogging the RAM or not, by heading into the settings and observing running apps. Facebook app usually takes a huge bit out of the RAM cookie and keeps it occupied constantly, so keep an eye for that. Apps that need to be always running, like messaging apps also tend to accumulate RAM usage, especially when you have multiple of them installed. Try removing or disabling those apps.

3. Multiple Tabs

There is so much a standard Android browser can take, if you open 50 tabs on the browser, there is bound to be some slowdown. Modern browsers like Chrome tend to manage this by offloading the content from the inactive tabs and reloading once you access them again. Some browsers may not have this method to turn down the load and hence can have trouble keeping up with multiple tabs. This can potentially lead to a crash. So, if you browser is crashing again and again, try to open one or two tabs.

4. Not Updated

Android browsers, just like other browsers need to be constantly updated by the developer. If you are using a defunct browser that hasn’t received an update in ages, chances are it is going to perform poorly. This bad performance will be more apparent on newer websites that display dynamic content. So, either switch to another browser that gets constantly updated or check to see if your default browser is updated or not.

5. CPU Usage

If your device is overloaded with apps that constantly demand resources and don’t even budge from the background, they may be the reason why your browser is starved for resources. Check the settings about the details of CPU usage or download a CPU monitoring app for Android so you can have solid ideas about which apps are using system resources. Once identified, remove them from your device to make your Android browser healthy.

---

These were a few reasons why your Android browser keeps crashing. We know how annoying it can be to face such an issue. Here are a few solutions:

1. Change the Browser

The best thing about Android is the sheer number of options available to the users. So, if your browser is crashing again and again, and you are frustrated that you cannot view any website in peace, simply change the browser. Here’s a list of the best Android browsers available on Google Play Store, pick any one of them and see if the problem persists. Chances are with a new browser on your side, you’ll be able to browse with ease and without the fear of constant crashes.

2. Old Device?

A have an older smartphone? The one that has one GB RAM? You don’t have to worry about running the biggest and fanciest smartphone browser on your smartphone. Simply check out the fastest browsers for Android and select one of them. Not only they are the fastest in the business but they also consume very low resources. I highly recommend Opera Mini browser because it comes in a lighter package and also uses very little mobile data.

3. Clear App Data

If nothing is working and still you want to use your favorite browser that keeps crashing, you can try clearing the app data from the settings. To do this you can either navigate to the App Manager option in the settings or long press the icon of the browser until you get to the “App Info” option. From there you can go to the Storage Options and clear app data. This will clear the cache of the browser and delete everything so make sure you back up the bookmarks first.

4. Factory Reset

I personally think this is not a solution but sometimes a device needs a fresh start. If all else fails and none of the browsers seem to work properly on your device, you can attempt a factory reset. Remember that by factory resetting your device you will essentially be deleting everything on it. So use one of the best backup apps for Android to backup important data or transfer files to another device.

---

Conclusion

A crashing browser is a real pain in our day to day lives. Thankfully, there are a number of great alternate Android browsers available that we need not to worry. If one fails, you can always get another to work for you.

So why do you think the Android browsers crash? Is it bad optimization or faulty code? Do tell us what you think in the comments below, I’m sure Joy of Android doesn’t crash.

Feature Image Credits