Manage or delete apps

Use safe mode

Issues such as apps crashing, unexpected reboots, or fast battery drain could be caused by a third-party app. Use safe mode to start your phone with only the original software and apps. If the issues go away in safe mode, the problem is probably from a third-party app you downloaded.

To reboot in safe mode:

  1. Press & hold the Power button.
  2. Touch & hold Power off until you are prompted to start in safe mode.
  3. Touch OK.
  4. Use your phone and see if the problem has gone away. Remember, you won’t be able to use any downloaded apps.

If the problem goes away:

  1. To exit safe mode, restart your phone.
  2. One by one, uninstall recently downloaded apps. After each removal, restart your phone. See whether removing that app solved the problem.
  3. Once you delete the problematic app, you can restore the other apps you removed during testing.

Clear app's cache or data

Clearing the cache can free up phone memory, improve performance, and fix some problems with apps and web pages.

  1. Go to Settings > Apps.
  2. Touch the app's name.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • To free up space by removing temporary files, touch Storage > Clear cache. Over time, the cache builds up again, so repeat if a problem occurs.
    • If problems still occur, then delete all data saved in the app by touching Storage > Clear data. Be careful - there’s no way to undo this.

Force stop apps

Force stop an app only if it seems to be causing a problem. To completely shut down an app, including any background services:

  1. Go to Settings > Apps.
  2. Touch the app's name.
  3. Touch Force stop.

Delete apps you installed

You can delete (uninstall) apps that you downloaded. For many pre-loaded apps, you can disable but not delete them.

  1. Touch & hold the app's icon.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Drag the icon up and drop it on . This removes the app and frees storage space.
    • If you don't see a delete option, go to Settings > Apps, touch the app's name, then touch Disable.

Back up apps and settings

You can use your Google account to back up:

  • Apps downloaded from Play Store, including app settings and data
  • Wi‑Fi passwords
  • Bookmarks in Chrome
  • Other settings and data related to Google apps

To back up apps and settings:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Touch Backup & reset.
  3. Turn on Back up my data.
  4. If you have multiple Google accounts, touch Backup account to select an account.
  5. Turn on Automatic restore to include app settings and data when restoring apps.