A lot of Galaxy smartphone and tablet users are complaining about apps crashing on their devices. This issue is not just limited to Samsung's devices. It is a widespread issue that is affecting a lot of Android users globally since yesterday. If you are among those people, you can fix those app crashes using a simple solution.
The issue is related to a system component called Android System WebView. Google released a buggy update to the component via the Play Store, which resulted in app crashes for many users. If you are facing the same issue on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone or tablet, you should try to check the Play Store and update the Android System WebView app (version 89.0.04389.105).
If you can't spot the update, you can fix it by uninstalling the latest update to the Android System WebView. You can do that by taking the following steps on your device running One UI 3:
- Navigate to Settings » Apps
- Now tap on the sort button (with a downward arrow on it), enable the Show system apps toggle, and then tap on OK.
- Now find Android System WebView and tap on it.
- Tap on the three dots on the top right corner of the screen.
- Now select Uninstall updates
If you are on a device running Android 9, you can do the following:
- Navigate to Settings » Apps
- Tap on the three dots on the top right corner of the screen.
- Now tap on Show system apps.
- Now find Android System WebView and tap on it.
- Now select Uninstall updates.
Alternatively, you can also try to uninstall the update to Android System WebView directly from the Play Store.
After receiving many complaints from Galaxy device owners, Samsung's official Twitter handle for support tweeted the solution to the problem. Google has acknowledged this issue and has already started rolling out an update to Android System WebView to fix the bug. However, since updates are rolled out in stages, the new version might not reach you today.
Hi! Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Please remove the Webview Update and then restart the phone. Here are the steps: Go settings > apps > tap the three dots in the top right corner > show system apps > search for Android System WebView > select Uninstall updates. ^Nina
— Samsung Support US (@SamsungSupport) March 22, 2021
Let us know in the comments if you are facing the app crashing issue on your Galaxy smartphone or tablet and if the solution worked.