Why are my apps on my Note 4 constantly freezing?

[sync58]

Hey there, I've had these issues since I first got my Note 4. It's gonna be long so please can you hear me out?

The factory installed Facebook app was the most problematic, the app freezes after a few minutes of use or if I attempt to save a picture. Every time I want to post a picture the gallery pops up and after a few scrolls on the gallery pictures begin to turn black and then it eventually freezes. Same issue occurs on apps that open high resolution pictures. I read that the Facebook app can cause issues so in order to uninstall it I first had to root my phone, rooting was done quickly and without any trouble and then I proceeded to uninstall and reinstall the app but the problem persisted. This continued for at least 8 months and Facebook sent out an update that ultimately fixed the gallery problem but the app still crashes after a few minutes. I've tried testing the app without or with an SD card, installed on it or on phone memory but to no avail. Facebook and certain other apps crash constantly and without any warning. I've tried to fix it by clearing cache and Dalvik cache but still they crash, I've checked new firmware updates but nothing still stuck on the 5.0.1 version. What can I do to rectify this issue that's driving me crazy? I know that installing a new ROM might solve the issue but I really want to stick with stock. Can it be that installing a new firmware will fix it? Please let me know if there's something I can do!

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Have you tried uninstalling all other apps one by one, which can tell you if some other app is causing a conflict? Or a factory reset, then preventing all apps from automatically reinstalling, and then just installing/updating Facebook?

 

[sync58]

Gonna try your suggestion B., let's just hope it fixes itself. You're gonna have to wait for me to get back to you cause I don't want to reset everything!! :'(

 

[lokster]

time to reformat and factory reset

 

[sync58]

No good... just performed a factory reset and it still crashes.

 

[sync58]

Nope, just performed a factory reset and Facebook still crashes. I open the gallery to post a picture or video, it opens correctly but if I scroll down to view other pictures the previews of the videos begin to flicker and then stop and turn black, the Facebook app shortly crashes.

 

[nahoku]

My Kitkat VZW Note 4 never had Facebook pre-installed. Are you sure it came pre-installed on your phone? Might be carrier related.

Gotta ask... did Facebook always crash on your phone, or did it at some point work fine? After you did the factory reset, did you reinstall all your apps, or only Facebook to test if it still crashes?

If you installed all your apps, then it might be an app conflict. Any other photo or video apps installed? Facebook for the longest time (well, a few months, anyways) has given many people problems. They fix it, it breaks,,, they fix it again, and it breaks again. Hard to tell if it's the Facebook app, or a conflict, or your device.

Many people don't like to sideload apps from unknown sources, but APKPure hosts a few older versions of Facebook on their site. However, they're not that old... all 2016 versions. If you can, maybe you can uninstall the version you currently have on your phone and install an older version to test. I use APKPure quite a bit and have never had any problems with the apps they host.

 

[sync58]

Hmm... now that you mention it nahoku my carrier bloats my phone with a lot of software. I wish I could show you a screenshot of the apps but I've already uninstalled them although I'm pretty sure there are some left lingering in the phone's memory. After I performed the factory reset using Team Win recovery I saw the carrier apps getting installed and I couldn't do anything to stop them.

When I got the phone spanking new the Facebook app crashed like crazy, it's been a year and the meager updates I've received have marginally alleviated the issue. I'm pretty sure, as you mention it, it can be an app conflict. I think the phone crashes because I open high resolution images but that's just my guess.

Anyway, I've already checked with Sammy's Kies for any firmware updates and it says I'm up-to-date. If it's of any use my carrier is Mexico's Telcel & I'm using a 32gb SD card although it only contains my pictures.

BTW, it also crashes with Facebook's page manager & RIF (reddit is fun), Firefox also gives me a lot of trouble but other apps work fine for prolonged use without any issue. I don't want to think that the phone is developing a fault with the motherboard cause I've ran out of warranty time.

Attached is some info from my cell

 

[nahoku]

Well, I really don't know what the problem might be. The only suggestion is trying the older Facebook apps on APKPure. I doubt it's hardware... more than likely it's Facebook, or Google... lots of Google problems going around too.

By the way, Firefox Android is known for crashing... it crashes on my phone too and I don't have any issues whatsoever with my phone! I stopped using FF as I got sick of it! I do use it on my desktop exclusively though, with no problems.

 

[sync58]

I just factory reset the phone again and the problem still persists... sigh. I'm gonna try changing the rom, I've ran out of ideas at this point. I know I can install a rom from another country but I'm not sure the phone is unlocked. I've taken multiple precautions as of backup of files. My question now is... which rom should I install? What do I look for? Should I just go for an US based carrier rom? I've changed roms on another phone but it became extremely unstable.

 

[AXEL314]

I've noticed you have the 910C variant - your carrier is Mexico based? I have the 910C as well and its firmware is European based, maybe flashing an international rom would help? Of course, I'm no expert in flashing roms, just making a guess.

Note 4 910C 6.0.1 | Good Lock UI | Android Central App

 

[sync58]

Hey guys, I know it's been quite a while since my last update but I have some good news for you guys! After enduring this obnoxious bug for quite some time I decided to backup my phone using Sammy's Smart Switch, I was greeted by an update available for the phone and of course I installed it, although it got my root removed and brought the bloatware apps back I can finally say that my issue has been FIXED! If you guys are having a similar issue go check Smart Switch to see if it can detect any updates because checking for updates on the phone did not work. Thanks everyone for the help!