Photos app keeps crashing on iPhone? Try 5 proven fixes - force restart, iOS update, free up storage, and more. Plus a tool to back up and clean duplicate photos.
Photos app keeps crashing
Whenever I open the Photos app, it keeps showing that there are no photos or videos in my Camera Library, but they gradually start to restore after a while. When a hundred or so photos are restored, it crashes again. Can anyone help me out?
- Question from Apple Community
You open your Photos app, ready to share that picture from last weekend, and nothing. A blank screen. Then photos slowly start appearing, one by one, until the app crashes again. It's frustrating, especially when those photos are memories you don't want to lose.
If you're dealing with Photos app keeps crashing on iPhone, you're not alone. This issue pops up for all kinds of reasons: failed iOS updates, jailbreak problems, or just random software glitches. This guide walks you through five fixes, plus a way to back up your photos before anything goes wrong.
Before diving into solutions, it helps to know what might be causing the problem:
Try these solutions in order. The first few are quick checks; later ones involve clearing space or removing problematic files.
Sometimes the simplest solution is all you need. The app itself might just be frozen.
For iPhones with a Home button: Double-click the Home button to open the multitasking screen. Swipe up on the Photos app to close it.
For iPhones without a Home button: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open multitasking. Find the Photos app and swipe it up to close.
Then reopen the Photos app and see if it behaves.
A force restart clears out minor system glitches without deleting any data. The steps depend on your iPhone model.
iPhone 8 and later: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
iPhone 7/7 Plus: Press and hold both the Volume Down button and the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
iPhone 6s and earlier: Press and hold both the Home button and the Top (or Side) button until the Apple logo appears.
Once your iPhone restarts, open the Photos app to check if the issue is gone.
If your Photos app started crashing after a failed update, installing the latest iOS version might patch whatever went wrong.
Step 1. Open Settings > General > Software Update.
Step 2. If an update is available, tap Download and Install. Make sure your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi and plugged into power.
After the update completes, open the Photos app and see if the crashing stops.
A full iPhone can cause all kinds of weird behavior, including photos disappearing and apps crashing. Freeing up space often fixes it.
Delete duplicate photos.
Uninstall apps you no longer use.
Clear app caches (for apps that support it).
Offload large videos to a computer or cloud storage.
If you're not sure where to start, the Bonus section below shows you how to use a tool to find and delete duplicate photos automatically.
Sometimes the issue is a single corrupted photo. If you downloaded an image from a website or received one via message right before the crashes started, that photo might be the culprit.
If you can access the Photos app long enough to find the album where the problematic photo lives:
Try deleting that specific photo.
If you can't find it, you may need to delete the entire album (this will also delete other photos in that album, so back them up first—see the Bonus section).
Before you start deleting anything, it's smart to back up your photos. AOMEI FoneBackup is a free Windows tool that lets you preview and select exactly which photos to save to your computer. It also has a built-in duplicate photo finder that can clean up your camera roll.
Step 1. Download and install AOMEI FoneBackup on your Windows PC. Connect your iPhone with a USB cable and tap "Trust This Computer" when prompted.
Step 2. Open AOMEI FoneBackup. Click Phone Backup, then choose Selective Backup and click Get Started.
Step 3. Click the Photos icon. You'll see a preview of all your photos. Select the ones you want to back up. Click OK.
Step 4. Choose a folder on your computer to save the backup. (You can change this in Backup Storage Path.)
Step 5. Click Start Backup. A few minutes later, your photos are safely stored on your PC.
Hopefully, your issue Photos app keeps crashing on iPhone can be solved with the 5 fixes in this guide. If you’re looking for a way to backup photos before troubleshooting, you can try AOMEI FoneBackup. You can also rely on it to find and delete duplicate photos on iPhone.