Messenger is one of the most popular instant messaging platform to-date. Majority if not all Facebook users have it installed on their respective devices. Like its source app (Facebook), Messenger app is also well-maintained. Even so, there are still some instances when something goes wrong and the Messenger app just won’t work as intended. You probably heard about many people raising different complaints regarding Messenger.
Among the most prevalent issues would include but not limited to loading errors, unable to send messages, connection failure and random app crashes. All these are apparently related to the software. In most cases, problems with the Messenger app are tied to network errors. Other issues like app crashes and loading failures on the other hand, are most likely tied to software conflicts and errors. Highlighted below are simple yet effective solutions to a problem with the Messenger app that keeps crashing or not loading properly on an HTC U12/U12 Plus smartphone. Read on to find out what to do if ever you’ll face the same issue on your new HTC handset.
For owners who are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common problems with this device. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance don’t hesitate to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.
How to troubleshoot HTC U12 with Messenger app that keeps on crashing
Before troubleshooting app errors and software problems on your phone, check and ensure that your device has Internet access. Messenger is an online app and it therefore requires stable and strong Internet connection to work properly. If your HTC smartphone is having some sort of network connectivity issues like intermittent Internet connection or no Internet at all, then you will need to deal with that problem first. Once you have your Internet connection fixed, Messenger and other online apps should work properly again. Otherwise, try any of these subsequent solutions.
First solution: Force stop Messenger then restart.
Apps can crash at any time due to minor software errors and glitches. Background apps are usually prone to this. If you have previously used Messenger, then it’s probably still running in the background and then gets corrupted. As a result, the app is no longer able to load properly or keeps crashing. To clear this out, force stop Messenger or any other background apps on your HTC U12/U12 Plus with these steps:
- Press the Recent Apps button.
- Flip through the apps previews to navigate to different apps.
- Then swipe the Messenger app preview left or right to end or close it.
- If you see multiple running apps, tap the Clear All button to close them all at once.
After clearing Messenger and background apps, reboot or soft reset your HTC U12/U12 Plus. Doing so will dump errant cache and temporary files from the phone’s internal memory that might have caused conflict with the Messenger app. Here’s how it’s done.
- Press and hold down the Power button for a few seconds.
- Select Power off from the menu options then tap OK to turn off your phone.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button again until the phone restarts.
This process won’t affect saved data on your phone memory, thus you won’t lose any information from doing so.
Second solution: Clear app cache and data.
Cache or temporary data stored on the Messenger can also be the main culprit especially when they become corrupted. While cache aids in quick reloading of similar information for the app, they can also cause conflict and makes the app erratic. This is when clearing app cache and data plays an important role. Please note though that clearing the data of an app will delete any settings, configurations and other saved information of the app. This means you will need to log into your Facebook-Messenger account again afterwards.
Here’s how to clear cache and data on your Messenger app:
- Swipe up from the Home screen then tap Settings.
- Tap Apps & notifications then select App info.
- Find and tap the Messenger app.
- Tap Storage.
- Select Clear Cache to clear cache of the app.
- Select Clear Data to clear temporary data saved on the app.
- Tap OK to confirm.
After clearing the app cache and data, relaunch Messenger on your phone and then sign into your account. See if that fixes the problem. Otherwise, continue to troubleshoot.
Third solution: Update app to the latest version, if available.
Keeping apps and device software up-to-date is recommended to ensure optimized performance. Updates also offer bug fixes to get rid of bug-inflicted issues on an app or phone system in general. If you haven’t set your apps or phone to install updates automatically, then you will need to manually check for and install pending updates. Here’s how to check for pending app updates, particularly for Messenger on your HTC U12/U12 Plus smartphone:
- Swipe up from the Home screen.
- Find and tap Play Store.
- Tap the Menu (three horizontal lines) icon on the top-left corner of Google Play Store main screen.
- Tap My apps & games.
- Navigate to the Updates tab to view a list of apps with pending updates.
- Tap Update next to the Messenger app. Doing so will install pending update for Messenger.
- If you see multiple app updates, tap Update All to update all apps simultaneously.
As soon as the apps are finished updating, restart/soft reset your phone to ensure all new changes are properly applied and to prevent any apps or phone system from acting up.
Aside from apps, installing the latest software update on your phone can also be the key to fixing the problem. Here’s how to check for and manually update software on your HTC U12/U12 Plus:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General tab.
- Tap Update center, then tap System update.
- Tap the option to Check for update.
Again, reboot your phone when the update is completely installed to prevent any apps from going rogue and to save all new system changes from the recently installed update.
Fourth solution: Uninstall then install the latest version of Messenger app.
You may have to consider deleting the app if it continues to crash after applying the previous solutions. The app might have been totally corrupted and is no longer functional. The only way to get your Messenger app running properly again is to reinstall it. So here’s what you can try doing next:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Apps & notifications.
- Select App info.
- Tap to select Messenger app.
- Select the option to Uninstall updates to remove any recent updates from the Google Play Store. Consider this an option if the Messenger app only started to misbehave after installing app updates. Otherwise, select the Uninstall button to uninstall the app instead.
- Select OK to confirm.
After uninstalling the errant Messenger app, reboot your phone to clear its memory cache and refresh the OS. Then follow these steps to install the latest version of Messenger app from the Play Store:
- Swipe up from the Home screen then tap Play Store.
- Tap the Play Store search bar, enter Messenger then tap the Return/Enter key to begin searching for Messenger app.
- Tap to select the latest/compatible version of the app for your HTC U12/U12 Plus. Consider reading previews reviews or the app description for more information.
- Then tap Install to begin installing the app.
Wait until the app is successfully installed and then try to open it and see if it works.
Fifth solution: Reset network settings on your phone.
To clear out network errors from the possible triggers performing a network settings reset can help. Doing so will erase your current network settings and then restore the default values. Any incorrect settings that might have caused conflict to your phone’s network functions and apps will also be cleared in the process. The same thing goes with your Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth connections. If you wish to try it, then here’s how to reset network settings on your HTC U12/U12 Plus:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General tab.
- Tap Restart & reset.
- Select Network settings reset from the given options.
- Then tap Reset Settings twice to confirm.
Your phone will reboot by itself when the reset is finished. Reconnect to your Wi-Fi network then launch Messenger app to see if the problem is fixed.
Ask further assistance
You may opt to escalate the problem to Facebook – Messenger support or visit Facebook help center to get more inputs from the community support team. Just provide them whole details of the issue like when and how your Messenger app started to act up, crash, or fail loading on your HTC U12/U12 Plus smartphone.
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