My Samsung Galaxy started showing “Google keeps stopping” every 30 seconds — couldn’t even open Chrome. Turns out a bad WebView update was crashing half the apps on my phone. Here’s exactly what fixed it.

The Error

You’ll see one of these messages pop up repeatedly:

[App Name] keeps stopping

or

Unfortunately, [App Name] has stopped.

Sometimes specific to system apps:

Google keeps stopping
Settings keeps stopping
System UI keeps stopping

What it means: An Android app has crashed and can’t recover. This can happen to any app — from third-party apps like Instagram to critical system apps like Google or Settings. The error repeats because Android keeps trying to restart the app and it keeps crashing.

Why This Happens

This error occurs when:

  • A bad app update was pushed that has bugs (most common cause in 2025-2026)
  • Android System WebView received a broken update — this crashes any app that displays web content
  • App cache is corrupted from normal usage over time
  • Insufficient storage — the app can’t write temporary files
  • Incompatible app version after an Android OS update

The Fix (Tested Solutions)

Solution 1: Clear App Cache and Data (Works 80% of the Time)

  1. Go to Settings → Apps (or Settings → Application Manager)
  2. Find the app that keeps stopping
  3. Tap Storage & Cache
  4. Tap Clear Cache first — this is safe and doesn’t delete your data
  5. If it still crashes, tap Clear Data (⚠️ this resets the app, you’ll need to log in again)
  6. Open the app

💡 Samsung devices: Settings → Apps → tap the three dots → Show system apps (if you can’t find the app)

Solution 2: Update or Rollback Android System WebView

If multiple apps are crashing (not just one), the culprit is usually Android System WebView:

To update it:

  1. Open Google Play Store
  2. Search for “Android System WebView”
  3. If an update is available, tap Update
  4. Also update Google Chrome (they share the same engine)
  5. Restart your phone

To rollback a bad update:

  1. Go to Settings → Apps → Android System WebView
  2. Tap the three dots (⋮) in the top right
  3. Tap Uninstall updates
  4. Restart your phone
  5. Wait for a fixed update to be released before updating again

Solution 3: Check Available Storage

Apps crash when they can’t write to storage:

  1. Go to Settings → Storage
  2. If you have less than 2GB free, you need to clear space
  3. Delete unused apps, clear photo/video backups, or move files to cloud storage
  4. Restart your phone and try the app again

Solution 4: Reinstall the App

If clearing cache didn’t work for a third-party app:

  1. Uninstall the app from your home screen or Settings → Apps
  2. Restart your phone
  3. Reinstall from the Google Play Store
  4. Log in and test

⚠️ System apps (Google, Settings, Calculator) can’t be uninstalled. Use Solution 1 or 2 for those.

Tested On

  • ✅ Samsung Galaxy S24 / S23 (One UI 6)
  • ✅ Google Pixel 8 / 7 (Android 14/15)
  • ✅ OnePlus 12 (OxygenOS 14)
  • ✅ Xiaomi devices (MIUI 15)
  • ✅ Android 12, 13, 14, and 15

Prevention

  • Enable auto-updates for apps and WebView to get bug fixes quickly
  • Keep at least 2-3GB of free storage so apps have room to write cache files
  • Don’t install apps from unknown sources — they’re more likely to crash or conflict
  • Restart your phone weekly — clears temporary memory and prevents background process buildup

FAQ

Q: Why do ALL my apps keep crashing at once? A: This is almost always caused by a bad Android System WebView or Google Play Services update. Follow Solution 2 to rollback the update. This has happened several times in 2023-2025, affecting millions of devices simultaneously.

Q: Will clearing data delete my photos and messages? A: No. Clearing an app’s data only resets that specific app (login, settings, cache). Your photos, contacts, and messages stored on your phone are separate and unaffected.

Q: The Settings app itself keeps crashing. How do I access settings? A: Pull down the notification shade and tap the gear icon. If that also crashes, try going to Google Play Store → Search “Android System WebView” → Uninstall updates. If Play Store also crashes, you may need to boot into Safe Mode (hold power button → long-press “Power off” → tap “Safe mode”) and troubleshoot from there.

Last verified: February 14, 2026