All apps open and minimize right away

iPhone 15 w/iOS 18.3.2.

Almost every app I open immediately minimizes. Click on it again and it opens and immediately closes.

If I delete the app and re-install it then it works correctly. (I have 450+ apps)

I’ve done a full power down (vol up/vol down/power off) with no change.

Oddly, Apple Mail, Safari and Settings are working okay.

May have caused my own problem by turning off “background refresh” for a lot of my apps. I did turn it back on for lots of apps with no apparent change.

iPhone 15, iOS 18

Posted on Mar 18, 2025 07:53 PM

Reply
4 replies

Mar 18, 2025 09:15 PM in response to Uncle-Bob

It appears that most of the apps are crashing as soon as you open them. You can check a few things to begin troubleshooting the issue:


(1) Try and Force Restart your iPhone EXACTLY as shown below and see whether that resolves the issue:

  • Press and quickly release Volume UP button
  • Press and quickly release Volume DOWN button
  • Press and Hold the SIDE button until an Apple logo appears and then release the Side button (Can take up to 20 seconds. (DO NOT release Side Button when invited to Slide Power OFF). 


(2)  If the above does not work then - Double check to ensure that you have ample free storage space available on your iPhone. Open Settings ➡️ General ➡️ About ➡️ Available: Here you will see the available storage space on your iPhone. You should maintain at least 15GB - 20GB free storage space for the iPhone’s efficient operation.


(3) If the above does not apply then - You may have a poor battery condition which cannot provide sufficient power for peak performance. What is the Battery Health of your iPhone? Open Settings ➡️ Battery ➡️ Battery Health and let us know which percentage you see for Maximum Capacity. Also note what is written under Peak Performance. If your battery's Maximum Capacity shows a value of 80% or less, then it has gone through its lifecycle and therefore should be replaced, according to Apple.


(4)  If that does not apply, then contact 👉 Official Apple Support OR you can always get your iPhone examined at the Apple Store 👉 Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options or at an Authorized Service Center for further diagnosis and evaluation.


Axel F.

Mar 18, 2025 10:09 PM in response to Uncle-Bob

Now this is weird. I have been trying to open apps since this morning, and they have almost all failed. I had already tried all the stuff that Axel F. suggested so I decided to open an issue with Apple.


I was trying to identify a good candidate app to put in the issue ... and it suddenly a non-issue. Every single app I tried opened successfully. Dozens of apps that failed over and over again all day and they all work correctly.


The only change I made was to turn "background refresh" back on. I do not understand how that connects to the problem.


Well, thanks for reading and I guess I have no issue.

Mar 18, 2025 11:54 PM in response to Uncle-Bob

Background App Refresh settings is definitely not directly connected to the issue that you were having. It will be difficult to pinpoint why it was happening in the first place because it appears to be intermittent, at this point. Keep an eye on it and if it happens again (hope not) then go through Apple Support again. Glad that you have it resolved .


Axel F.

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All apps open and minimize right away

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