Android · Troubleshooting
Review recent app crashes and freezes
Shows a log of recent app crashes and 'Application Not Responding' (ANR) events, letting you identify which apps are unstable and access details useful for reporting bugs to developers.
How to open App Crash & ANR Reports
- Open Settings → System → Developer options
- Scroll to find 'App crashes' or a similar diagnostics entry
- Review the list of recent crash and ANR events
- Tap an entry for more detail, or use it to inform an app update, reinstall, or bug report
What you should know
- Lists recent crash and freeze events with timestamps and affected app names
- Available through Developer options as 'App crashes' or similar
- Can be used alongside 'Send feedback' to attach relevant crash details
- Helps identify a specific misbehaving app rather than guessing which one is unstable
Why it matters
When a phone feels sluggish or unstable, it's often difficult to pinpoint whether the cause is the operating system or a single misbehaving app. The crash and ANR log provides concrete evidence, showing exactly which apps have failed and how often, which helps direct troubleshooting efforts toward uninstalling, updating, or reporting the actual offending app rather than performing unnecessary broader fixes like a factory reset.
Best practices
- Check this log before assuming a general device issue when only one app seems to misbehave
- Update or reinstall an app that appears repeatedly in the crash log
- Use crash details when submitting a bug report to a developer for faster resolution
- Review this log after enabling Developer options if experiencing unexplained slowdowns
Common problems and fixes
- Crash log is empty despite experiencing app crashes
- Confirm Developer options is enabled, since this log typically requires it to be accessible.
- Same app crashes repeatedly with no clear reason
- Clear that app's cache and data, or reinstall it, and monitor whether crashes continue.
- ANR events happen across many different apps
- This can indicate a broader system resource issue, such as low storage or memory pressure, rather than a single app problem.
Tips and tricks
- Cross-reference the crash log with recent app updates to spot a newly introduced bug
- Combine with the Bug Report tool for a full technical capture when reporting a persistent issue
Frequently asked questions
What does ANR mean?
ANR stands for 'Application Not Responding,' logged when an app's main thread is blocked long enough that the system considers it frozen.
Can I export this log to send to a developer?
Some devices allow sharing crash details directly; otherwise, a full bug report can be generated for more complete data.
Does clearing this log fix the underlying issue?
No, clearing the log only removes the history; the underlying app instability must be fixed separately.
Related settings
- Developer OptionsDeveloper options is a hidden settings menu, invisible until unlocked, that exposes low-level tools like USB debugging, animation scaling, background process limits, and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi diagnostic logs. It's built for app developers and advanced troubleshooting, not everyday configuration.
- Send FeedbackSend feedback lets you report a problem straight to Google (or an app's own developers) with an automatically attached diagnostic report and, optionally, a screenshot with areas you can highlight or blur out.
- Capture Bug Report ToolCaptures a comprehensive technical snapshot of the device's current state, including system logs, running processes, and recent errors, useful for sharing with developers or Google support when troubleshooting complex bugs.
More Troubleshooting guides for Android
- Factory ResetFactory data reset erases all data on your device and restores its original settings — useful for resolving persistent software issues, or before selling or recycling the device.
- Safe Mode & RecoverySafe mode is a temporary boot state that disables all third-party apps, making it easy to tell whether a downloaded app is causing a crash, freeze, or battery drain. Recovery mode is a separate, more powerful boot menu — accessed with hardware buttons before Android fully loads — used for wiping the cache partition, sideloading an update, or performing a factory reset when the device won't start normally.
- Phone DiagnosticsPhone diagnostics tools — built into some manufacturers' software or provided by your carrier — run guided tests on hardware components like the touchscreen, speakers, cameras, sensors, and buttons to confirm they're working correctly.
- Battery UsageBattery usage breaks down exactly how much charge each app and system component has consumed since the last full charge, making it the go-to screen for diagnosing unexpectedly fast battery drain.
- Network & SIM DiagnosticsProvides tools to check SIM status, run network diagnostics, and reset APN settings to troubleshoot problems like no signal, failed calls, or data connectivity issues.
- Reset Wi-Fi, Mobile & BluetoothResets Wi-Fi networks, saved passwords, mobile network/APN settings, and Bluetooth pairings back to factory defaults, without erasing personal files, photos, or installed apps.