Why does Snapchat keep crashing on my Samsung Galaxy J5? [Troubleshooting Guide]

Aside from Facebook and Twitter, smartphone users are also known for being avid snapchatters, thus many have the Snapchat on their primary Apps list or personal folders. Nonetheless, people don’t always have the same positive experience when going live with Snapchat app on their Samsung Galaxy J5 smartphone as the app keeps crashing for some reasons. What could have possibly caused an app like Snapchat to become unstable at times and what must users should do in order to get the app work smoothly again as intended? If by any chance you have the same questions in mind that need answers for, then I encourage you to read this post as it contains more details on the possible reasons as to why a Snapchat app keeps crashing on your Android device, particularly a Galaxy J5.

Before we proceed, if you have other problems with your phone, make sure you visit our Galaxy J5 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common problems with this phone. If ever you need more assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

What triggers an app like Snapchat to crash on your Samsung Galaxy J5?

There are actually many possibilities as to why an app keeps crashing. The problem can be within the app itself that is poorly designed for stability, a network problem, software glitch, low memory on the phone, other bad apps, as well as bad updates. Meanwhile, there are also some whose problems were isolated to the phone system itself that does not support or not compatible with the app’s program structure but this should not be the case with Snapchat on Samsung Galaxy J5 as it should be working fine among other apps installed. So how do these factors inflict troubles while using Snapchat on the phone? Let’s get into the details then.

App’s stability. Given the constant updates and modifications released by Snapchat devs, we can say that the app itself is getting and doing better than it was before. But then again, just like other smartphone apps, it also can succumb into minor flaws and random glitches. For as long as nothing more serious is afflicting the app’s core system structure, these flaws can be rectified by a simple reboot, either on the app or on the device itself.
Bad apps. There are also other apps that can somehow cause conflict with Snapchat so whenever that bad app is running and at the same time you are using Snapchat, the latter app gives up and just crashes. Only you can tell if this is the underlying cause because you know when Snapchat problems occur. For example, if that happens when you run another app simultaneously with Snapchat and that the crashing problem constantly happens, then most likely it’s the bad app’s doing.
Network problems. A strong and stable network connection is one of the requisites for you to send and receive snapchat images and videos. So whenever network problems occur, the app itself becomes erratic. Alert prompts and messages pertaining to network problems usually tells you about what’s going on so be sure to pay attention to them so as to get some hints on what to do next.
Insufficient memory. The nature of the app that mainly involves taking of and sending photos and videos to share to other people means that your device should always have enough or even more memory space to allocate and process new multimedia files. Thus if you already have stored tons of apps and files on your device, you are likely to succumb into any types of device issues that are associated with insufficient storage.
Faulty updates. Aside from bad apps, faulty updates can also be the culprit. Aside from bringing in new features and enhanced functions, software updates also contain some bugs that can trigger software glitches upon implementation. This is true to either app updates and Android updates. It may be quite easy for anyone to determine that the update is to blame as symptoms always occur after the update installation but finding the ultimate solution is a bit difficult. You’ll have to dig for some possible solutions and run into a series of steps until you are finally able to fix it. In worst case scenarios, you would end up having to wait for a new update to be rolled out as none of the workarounds is able to rectify the glitch.

Nonetheless, all these probable causes are associated with the software so it means that there’s a chance for you to fix it on your end as repair won’t be necessary. Unless your phone’s camera has physical or liquid damage and that you cannot take photos or record videos for Snapchat due to camera defects. This is when repair would be necessary. Otherwise, you can take your chances by trying any possible workarounds available. Read on to learn your options.

How to fix a problem on Snapchat that keeps crashing on your Galaxy J5?

Now that you already have an idea on the possible triggers, it’s time to deal with the problem at hand. The following methods are deemed generic solutions used to deal with various types of mobile apps issues and errors including Snapchat. Should you wish to troubleshoot a similar issue on the same device, you can consider these among your options.

Before anything else, check and ensure that your device has sufficient or even more than enough memory space available. If necessary, remove or uninstall all unnecessary apps and contents from your device or move some of your important data to a backup storage.

Soft reset

A soft reset may be the only thing you need especially if the problem at hand is just among other minor software glitches that randomly occurs on the device. The process is considered safe as it won’t affect any data. Here’s how a soft reset is properly done on your Galaxy J5:

Hold down the Power button for 3 to 5 seconds.
Tap the option to Power Off.
Tap Power off again to confirm.
Wait until your phone powers off completely. Keep your device powered off for about 1 minute then press and hold the Power button to turn it back on.

Alternatively, you can do a force restart in case Snapchat causes your device to become frozen or unresponsive.

To force your Galaxy J5 to restart, press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time for a few seconds and then release both buttons when the Samsung logo appears.

That should fix any glitch without affecting your phone data.

Force close Snapchat app

Aside from rebooting the device, you can also do a force close on the Snapchat app. This forces the app the stop and at the same clears up memory on the app and the device itself. Glitches are also likely be eradicated in the process. Here’s how it’s done:

Tap Settings to open the Settings app.
Tap Apps & notifications.
Select App info.
Locate and then tap the Snapchat app.
Tap the Force stop option.

After doing so, reboot your device again then run Snapchat afterwards. If the app still crashes or not working, then try other solutions.

Clear app’s cache and data

Bugs also dwell among other temporary files or cached files and data on your device. So unless the cache files are removed, the bugs continue to ruin the app’s normal operations. This is when clearing of the app’s cache and data plays its role. If you haven’t done it yet, then follow these steps:

Tap Apps & notifications.
Tap App info.
Tap on Snapchat app.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache and/or Clear data option.

Note: Take note that while clearing all app’s data can resolve the issue, doing so will also erase your data saved in the app including passwords and customized settings on Snapchat. So before you do it, make sure you take note of your Snapchat credentials including passwords as you’ll need to re-enter them afterwards.

Wait until the cache clearing completes then try to launch and use Facebook app again on your phone.

Uninstall and re-install Snapchat app

If clearing the app’s cache and data failed to fix the glitch and Snapchat is still problematic, you can try uninstalling the app and then re-install. Should there be any incorrect settings on the app that has caused the app itself to act weird, then that should be erased during the uninstallation process. Here’s how it’s done:

Touch and hold the Snapchat app to begin with.
Drag the app icon to Uninstall at the top of the screen. If you don’t see the Uninstall label, it means that the selected app is a system app which cannot be uninstalled.
Wait until the app is completely removed.
Then reboot your phone.
After the reboot, re-install the Facebook app by going to the Google Play Store then download and install the application.

Here’s how you reinstall Snapchat on your Galaxy J5:

Tap to open the Google Play Store app on your phone.
Tap Menu.
Go to My apps & games.
Select Library.
Tap Snapchat.
Tap the option to Install or Enable.

Alternatively, you can use a computer to download and re-install Snapchat app on your Galaxy J5. Should you find the need to do so, then here’s how it’s done:

On your computer, open a browser then go to play.google.com.
Click Apps.
Click My apps.
Click Snapchat.
Click Install, Installed or Enable.
If necessary, sign into your Google Account to proceed.
Select your Galaxy J5 then click Install.

Verify and ensure that the Snapchat app you select is on the latest version and that it is compatible with the current Android version your device is running on. Doing so will prevent issues triggered by system conflict.

Update Snapchat or Android to the latest version available

If you haven’t already, download and install the latest Snapchat version on your device. Or you can just remove the app and then download the latest Snapchat version of the app on Play Store. Doing so will rule out the possibility about some bugs causing the current app’s version on your device to become corrupted thus unable to work as intended.

Factory reset

You may consider a factory reset as your last resort if all else have failed to fix the problem and Snapchat still keeps crashing on your device. You may opt to perform a factory reset through your phone Settings or using the hardware keys. For a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset an Android device like your Samsung Galaxy J5, visit the tutorial section of our dedicated troubleshooting pages.

Seek more help

If factory reset is not your option and Snapchat remains problematic, then you have to option not to use the app or use other alternative apps instead. Or you can also try to contact Snapchat support to escalate the problem and ask further assistance in doing a more advanced troubleshooting using some dedicated tools on their end.

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