Yesterday I ran into this problem for about the 50th time since I got my iPhone 3G about a month ago… 3rd party apps open and immediately close, but the default apps that came with the phone (Safari, Mail, Maps, etc.) all work just fine.
Here’s how I’ve fixed it in the past:
- Erase and reset. Pain in the ass.
- Erase and, per the instructions of someone at Apple support, login as a different user on my computer (PC) and reinstall the iPhone software. Apparently the change in user forces iTunes to do a fresh install as if it’s a brand new iPhone. Then after installation of the software, install all of my 3rd party apps one at a time. UGH.
That’s great, but erasing and resetting sucks. Yesterday when I ran into this problem again, I uninstalled Facebook and the problem persisted (all of my other apps were still on the phone).
Today, I updated my iPhone software to 2.0.2, apps still didn’t work. Then I reinstalled Facebook and VOILA everything works again!
I’ve always had an inkling that the Facebook app was causing a problem, but I’ve never had any hard evidence. I still don’t know if this is a definitive indictment of Facebook’s iPhone app, but it’s quite a coincidence.
edit: See the comments below. It seems that selecting Store > Authorize Computer in iTunes also works at least some of the time.
on Aug 25th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
reinstall iTunes 7.7 and it works perfectly, I did that and haven’t had a problem since
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mike reply on October 22nd, 2008 12:29 pm:
I have also have had a problem with my apps not launching. After several restarts, I installed a new app from the app store and magically all my other apps launch now. Give it a try.
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admin reply on October 22nd, 2008 3:43 pm:
I’ve done that, too! Not a very reliable fix, though, as it doesn’t always solve the problem. But hey if it works it works.
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Arrowwebtech reply on December 13th, 2008 9:24 am:
It works! I had same problem: only default apps works, 3rd parties won’t start. After install a new app, everything back to normal.
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Nate reply on January 30th, 2009 8:52 pm:
Thank you i tried that and it worked awesome i was getting so tired of that crap. thanks again!
stufletch reply on November 30th, 2009 3:35 pm:
ditto was getting close to kicking the cat to vent some frustration but then tried your suggestion & hey presto! hooray!
naomi reply on March 26th, 2009 10:26 am:
just had a panic attack….but then i read this and installed a new app and it worked!!! yaaay!!! thank you!! so glad i didnt have to go through all that!!!
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Amanda reply on May 9th, 2009 11:34 am:
I tried this and it worked. I installed Google Earth, which I’m not really interested in using, but it’s totally free (vs. a “lite” version of an app) so I don’t mind.
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Mac reply on April 16th, 2010 1:14 pm:
Worked for me, just installed Google earth and everything started working again. Comon Mr Jobs get it sorted!
Todd reply on May 20th, 2009 7:13 pm:
Thank you Thank you! That is the solution: install any free app from the app store on the phone and voila!
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James reply on June 3rd, 2009 5:04 pm:
Thanks for the tip! I got my iphone 3 days ago and have been madly filling it with software and setting things up. Anyway, I tried opening an app this morning and the screen just went black and then went back to the normal ‘dashboard’ with all my app icons. The app failed to load.
After checking a few different apps, I noticed that the problem was affecting all 3rd party apps. I tried turning the phone off and on a couple of times, reconnecting it to itunes, swearing at it whilst waving my arms around etc… Nothing.
I stumbled across this page and tried what you suggested. It worked! Install a new free app from the store and everything comes back to life again! (And I get another app!!)
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CHEESE reply on June 10th, 2009 7:21 am:
Good work Mike… new app fixed the problem.
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scott reply on June 17th, 2009 2:41 am:
Hit this today for the first time after having the phone for about 9 months. Power cycle, reset, nothing worked.
I deauthorized and reauthorized my computer via iTunes to no avail.
Not ALL of the 3rd parties apps failed. I made note of the ones that did. I synced, went to the apps folder in iTunes for the phone and picked one of the “failing” apps at random and unchecked it. I synced, removing the app, then re-selected the app and synced again. Voila’… all of them started working again.
Note that you lose any data associated with the app when it is deinstalled, so I was sure to pick one that didn’t have any stored data that I cared about.
Hope this helps someone else.
Ray reply on June 11th, 2009 12:09 am:
Oh, your good!!!! I did NOT want to have to reinstall anything like a couple of treads ahead of this one recommended.
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James reply on June 21st, 2009 12:04 am:
“I synced, went to the apps folder in iTunes for the phone and picked one of the “failing” apps at random and unchecked it. I synced, removing the app, then re-selected the app and synced again”
This worked for me. Thanks
What Haveyou reply on August 12th, 2009 1:33 am:
“Oh, your good!”
YOU + ARE = YOU’RE
Dan reply on August 12th, 2009 6:10 pm:
or as in
“You’re annoying for correcting people’s use of contractions.”
streetmagic reply on August 27th, 2009 6:12 pm:
wow, it works…no need to update or sync anything suprise..suprise…. thanks a lot
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Justin reply on February 1st, 2010 11:49 am:
poop
Oz reply on September 14th, 2009 5:00 pm:
You are the freakin man … I was already contemplating on selling it for a new one…. I have the old school metal 2g 8gb after the app install all was normal again … This problem started with the ebay mobile app-
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ICTX reply on October 7th, 2009 9:33 am:
Dude you saved me a couple hours of my life, thanks very much for this advice. Just install a new app and run it, problem solved.
Dave reply on May 28th, 2010 6:02 am:
If you happen to have some updates for existing apps….that works too!!!
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Ni reply on October 22nd, 2009 9:07 am:
I had the problem of my apps not launching and applying the updates to current apps worked for me. Thanks! I really didnt want to delete everything on my iPhone…. I have had it over a year.
Hope Apple is working on a fix for this.
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danielle reply on January 3rd, 2010 10:52 pm:
admin~
i did what you said and just downloaded another app and VOILA - it worked!!
thanks!
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LG reply on January 26th, 2010 5:20 pm:
I ran into this problem where the apps would quickly appear and then not execute.
An easy solution for me was to delete one app (any one) and then download the app again. That’s it. The rest of the apps worked once any other app was downloaded and run.
I run into this problem whenever I shut off the phone (not just put it into sleep mode).
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Cheri Tomasky reply on March 10th, 2010 3:50 pm:
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I installed a new app. and magically everything worked!!!! Great advice
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TripleBypass reply on April 1st, 2010 12:09 am:
Thanx, uninstalling and reinstalling the fcbk app worked great
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on Aug 26th, 2008 at 5:33 am
Thanks for the tip Marc… but it didn’t work. I just ran into the same problem again, and I’m getting very tired of this shit!! I uninstalled iTunes, redownloaded 7.7 from Apple, and did a fresh install on my PC. After that I did a full sync. No luck.
I tried the uninstall/reinstall Facebook thing I did before and that didn’t work either. This time, I had to un/reinstall Puppyo, and I was back in business immediately.
On my iPhone, it now seems like a certain app will get corrupted (first Facebook, now Puppyo) and a reinstall is the fastest way to recovery - just gotta figure out which app is causing the problem.
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whitney reply on February 22nd, 2010 3:37 pm:
i tried to hard reboot AND delete and download a new app but its still not working.
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on Aug 27th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
were you deleting all the preference files and everything from 7.7.1 before installing 7.7 again. i was having the same exact issues. since doing that with facebook and those apps on my phone, i have an occasional app crash but it doesn’t take the whole phone down with it. Here are the steps that I followed:
1) went into the phone and do a reset and erase
2) deleted the following support files:
System/Library/Extensions/AppleMobileDevice.kext
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DeviceLink.framework
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/MobileDevice.framework
/Library/Receipts/AppleMobileDeviceSupport.pkg
/Library/Receipts/iTunesAccess.pkg
/Library/Receipts/iTunesX.pkg
(user)/Library/iTunes/Device Suport (the entire folder)
3) deleted the itunes app itself.
allowed phone to restore to 2.0.1 (this may take a loooooong time).
4) restarted computer
5) emptied trash
6) installed iTunes 7.7
7) attached iphone and when prompted to set up the phone, i forced the phone into DFU mode (not recovery mode - slightly different)
9) set up phone as a new phone. down with the backups!
10) installed some apps, and some music. the installations were a little clumsy but worked alright.
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admin reply on August 28th, 2008 3:17 am:
Marc, thanks again but I’m on WinXP and I’m guessing your instructions are for a Mac? I searched for DeviceLink.framework and came up with nothing.
Anyway, once again I found a different way to fix my latest app crash problem - I just connected iPhone to comp, opened iTunes, and reauthorized my computer.
Regardless of my ability to fix the problems, it sucks that I (and others) even have to deal with it!
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David reply on September 1st, 2008 12:09 pm:
Thanks guys, I had the same problem and just authorized my computer in iTunes, syncd and problem solved. I am glad I didn’t have to go to the extreme and delete and restore everything.
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on Sep 5th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Hi Guys
What exactly is meant by ” reauthorized my computer ” and ” authorized my computer in iTunes ” from the above fixes ?
Running XP with iTunes 7.7 and firmware 2.0.1 and today noticed all 3rd party applications try to run but return back to the ‘ home ‘ menu. Would anyone know what is causing this?
Unsure if this is related to the problem but this is the first time this has happened which coincidently was right after syncing music and video with iTunes for the first time . While the phone was still plugged into iTunes the application ‘ backup ‘ ( automatically ) ran. Would the the mix between apple, 3rd party and jb application be what is causing this?
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admin reply on September 5th, 2008 2:52 pm:
With your iPhone connected to your computer and showing under Devices in iTunes, go to the top iTunes menu bar and select Store > Authorize Computer. Hope it works for you! I have no idea what causes this problem.
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Aaron reply on January 26th, 2009 1:52 pm:
Thank you.. this worked for me. Finally!
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Timmy reply on March 11th, 2009 5:08 am:
I noticed on my sync application setting I didn’t have select all checked and I think it wasn’t syncing all and the ones it didn’t sync wouldn’t open!
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Kevin reply on October 10th, 2009 1:37 pm:
“With your iPhone connected to your computer and showing under Devices in iTunes, go to the top iTunes menu bar and select Store > Authorize Computer. Hope it works for you! I have no idea what causes this problem.”
Worked for me too.
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Hector reply on November 7th, 2009 4:17 pm:
this did the job…ur a life saver..
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on Sep 6th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I also have had this problem. I just turn the phone off by holding the top power button down for the required 5-8 seconds. Wait a few seconds and power back up (apple logo appears as a sort of reboot I guess). That solved the problem for me.
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on Sep 7th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Thanks for the help guys. The ‘ Authorize ‘ fix and the ‘ reboot ‘ fix did not work for me. In fact a full ‘ restore ‘ to firmware 2.0.1 did not resolve this.
The solution for this situation was the Application setting tab at top when the iPhone is plugged in and iTunes is running. It seems when an iPhone ( the same may apply for iTouch also ) with 3rd party apps is plugged into iTunes , iTunes runs a backup to restore the 3rd party applications if needed. If the ‘ sync ‘ box ( for applications ) is unchecked and the sync is run , the apps are ‘ removed ‘ from your iPhone although they still appear on the iPhone ( similar to deleting a program but leaving the shortcut to it ). When starting the 3rd party app , it begins to run but then just exits.
The fix for this was simply running iTunes , plugging in the iPhone and going to the Application tab and ensuring the ‘ sync ‘ applications box was checked ( along with all the applications it backed up under it ).
Fault on my part but something to watch for if you run into this problem as it will save a lot of time.
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LMS reply on October 17th, 2008 12:44 am:
THANK YOU!!
After searching for hours, this is the first solution that worked!!
I have my apps back!!
YAY!!!
LMS
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on Sep 8th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
What GS says above worked for me when I had this problem. I had checked “backup selected applications,” and that’s when all the problems began. I just went back, and synced by iPhone with “backup all applications” in the Applications Tab and the problem was resolved immediately.
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on Jan 2nd, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Hey mate, you’re a genius, I had exactly the same problem, deleted facebook, reinstalled….and VOILA working fine now. Thanks for the hot tip!
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on Feb 1st, 2009 at 11:07 am
Thanks,
this worked:
“Thanks for the help guys. The ‘ Authorize ‘ fix and the ‘ reboot ‘ fix did not work for me. In fact a full ‘ restore ‘ to firmware 2.0.1 did not resolve this.
The solution for this situation was the Application setting tab at top when the iPhone is plugged in and iTunes is running. It seems when an iPhone ( the same may apply for iTouch also ) with 3rd party apps is plugged into iTunes , iTunes runs a backup to restore the 3rd party applications if needed. If the ‘ sync ‘ box ( for applications ) is unchecked and the sync is run , the apps are ‘ removed ‘ from your iPhone although they still appear on the iPhone ( similar to deleting a program but leaving the shortcut to it ). When starting the 3rd party app , it begins to run but then just exits.
The fix for this was simply running iTunes , plugging in the iPhone and going to the Application tab and ensuring the ‘ sync ‘ applications box was checked ( along with all the applications it backed up under it ).
Fault on my part but something to watch for if you run into this problem as it will save a lot of time.”
I didn’t want to delete my applications because I had one that was storing data for me. But once I tried “sync all apps” I could open all fo them.
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on Feb 6th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
My GF had this problem and tried all of the above to no avail. Finally we tried downloading a new 3rd party app…any random, disposable app (I might suggest a free one)…that did the trick. It sort of “reminded” the iPhone what belonged where and to whom.
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on Feb 17th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
The “install a random app” approach worked for me …. pretty crap i reckon!
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on Feb 24th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Downloading a random free app worked for me as well…hmmm. Hope it doesn’t happen again. What a PITA.
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on Feb 25th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Hey everyone,
I am facing the same problem and am inclined to what GS said about the cause of this problem.. I can try that fix but am really worried if it will delete the application and its contents from the iphone ? I have some very very important data in the iphone application which I dont want to lose (if I have not already)
Can you please advise and clarify..none of the other solutions mentioned above worked for me
Is there any other method of getting inside the phone somehow and recover the data from the application ?
Please help me as I will be in dire straits if I lose the data !!
Thanks so much
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Ludus reply on July 15th, 2009 11:56 am:
Hi, I was desperate too. I tried all the above and nothing worked. I have a 32GB 3GS and ITunes 8.2.0.23 for Windows Vista - and lots of third party apps.
I did the following, it worked for me!
1. Authorize, de-authorize and authorize again your computer in Itunes.
2. Sync all apps - chose ’specified apps’ and check them all for sync (the third party apps still won’t work at this point).
3. After syncing, with the IPhone still connected, delete one third party app (you’ll notice this app will lose its check).
4. Recheck this app in Itunes and (with all the other apps checked as well) sync again.
5. With the Iphone still connected, try opening the app you just restored. It should work fine, no saved data lost.
6. Test your other apps. If still not working, try repeating steps 3 - 5 with other third party apps until it fixes the problem. It took me 3 deletes/restores to get everything running again.
Hope this helps someone out there!
Ludus
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on Feb 25th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Forgot to mention that when I plug the phone to itunes, it does show me the space taken by the application. I have deleted everything, all the songs and other apps that I dont need, and still the app data is around 1gb so that means I have the stuff in the phone, just need to know how to take it out from there.
Thanks guys
Vik
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on Mar 16th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
The apps on my 3G 16GB wouldn’t launch. I deleted Facebook application, then re-installed it and everything is back to normal.
Just wanted to give everyone a heads up.
Igor
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on Mar 24th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
NOTE: *Installation* (and not an un/reinstall) seems to be the common thread in most of these fixes. Seeing that it doesn’t matter which application you install, I’d be curious to find out what exactly is being refreshed…a shared library? mapping?
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on Mar 29th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
I have this problem twice since I got my iphone 3G a month ago. Both times I have just reinstalled facebook and it fixed the problem.
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on Apr 27th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Yes - About the Facebook thing. I took your advice and deleted it and re-installed it. Every other app works now.
Just Making That Clear.
Thank You !
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on Apr 28th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Hi everyone, it was the Facebook app for me too!
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on Apr 28th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Wow - I had the same problem with a 1 week-old iphone and had the same problem. I didn’t even HAVE the facebook app, and I just loaded it and now all the other apps work. Loading the F/B app did something that fixed the problem. Hilarious. This is my first experience with an Apple product since 1991 and it seems they have all the same bugs and bullshit that PC’s have had for 20 years. I still love Windows.
-DK
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on Apr 29th, 2009 at 2:44 am
Same problem just now… yes, I have the Facebook app… but didn’t come accross this thread til after I deleted at random 1 app (happened to be Lightsaber) and re-downloaded. Now everything works again, including the Facebook app… didn’t need to get involved with iTunes authorisations to fix the problem.
Speaking of which, does anyone else have problems with iTunes hanging when syncing music to their iPhone? Using WinXP, latest iTunes and latest iPhone software…
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on May 16th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Facebook for me too … thanks!
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on May 18th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Interesting Apple - install a NEW app to get your old apps back up and running again? Why not the FREE apps that can do this?
Screw Apple, am jail breaking mine today and bugger the consequences!! Not paying another penny to Apple for the crap they put us through!
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on May 22nd, 2009 at 11:38 am
Had the exact same problem. Uninstalled Facebook and reinstalled. Apps launch perfectly now. Thanks!
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on May 23rd, 2009 at 12:47 am
Well i had the same problem,and reinstalled facebook,and that’s the only 3rd party app that worked.Am I going to have to reinstall all the other ones?
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on May 27th, 2009 at 8:38 am
I ran across this note on another forum. It appears to work for me, and it is much easier than deleting, rebooting, resyncing, etc. Just download a new free app and once you enter your itunes password, all is fixed for the other apps.
Taken from another forum:
The reason this happens is because every time a downloaded app is opened it checks for your itunes password for validation that you are authorized to open that app (as it may contain personal info). From time to time the iphone “forgets” your itunes password. You can fix the missing password by syncing the iphone with itunes or downloading an app from the app store and entering your password that way.
I found that out during a call to Apple tech support.
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on Jun 18th, 2009 at 9:14 am
this happened to me a week or two ago, and fixed by downloading a random app. i then updated to OS 3.0 last night and the issue came back. i thought at first it was because of incompatible apps, but i then downloaded a random apps and all my other ones started working again. i really would like a way to fix this permanently.
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on Jun 26th, 2009 at 8:11 am
I have had an iPhone 3G S (using v3.0 software) for 1 week and already all my dowloaded Apps have stopped working. They load briefly but then just returns to the home screen. I downloaded GoogleEarth and magically all my apps work again.
Looks like Apple haven’t fixed this long running problem yet!
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on Jul 1st, 2009 at 7:29 am
Thanks to others for sharing solutions to this annoying problem. It started for me when I upgraded to OS 3.0. A power off and on fixed it initially, then when I later powered off due to low battery and subsequently powered on again, the App store apps wouldn’t run.
I tried the “Authorize” fix without success. I eventually succeeded by removing and reinstalling an App store application. Here are the steps I followed:
1. Connect iPhone to itunes (I’m running under Vista)
2. Select the iPhone once it appears in the navigation bar, then choose the Applications tab
3. I had “Sync All Applications” selected, change to “Sync Selected Applications”
4. Check all but one application. Leave out one that doesn’t have associated data, or has unimportant data. I used “Flashlight”.
5. Sync the iPhone to iTunes
6. Change back to “Sync All Applications”
7. Sync the iPhone again
All apps should now work. Good luck.
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on Jul 7th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Just had the same problem occur with version 3.0 software. I’ve been using this version for a few weeks without problems. Not sure of the catalyst, but I recently updated 8 apps simultaneously, and also dropped my phone onto asphalt. Not at the same time. Anyway, the 3rd party apps wouldn’t start, even after a reboot, so I simply chose a free app at random, installed it, and everything started working again. One thing was that before the app would install, an iTunes alert required me to read and acknowledge new terms and conditions, which I did. Not sure it it’s related or not, but I’d never seen it before.
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on Jul 7th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Bless you; it worked! Now can you direct me to a place where I can install my bellsouth mail account. The guy at the store did it; it took about 10 minutes; he said it is really tricky. But then I accidently unistalled it while trying to install my work email. Also, do you know where I can figure out how to convert my vado videos to a format that will allow me to load them on to my iphone?
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on Jul 18th, 2009 at 8:28 am
I had the same problem this morning. My 3rd party apps wouldn’t open. Ironically, I synced my phone last night AND downloaded an ITunes upgrade. My guess is that this spurred the problem. Is this a commonality with everyone that has this happen, or do they sometimes just stop working out of the blue?
Anyway, luckily, I found this site. I installed a free app and all the other apps are working fine now. I didn’t want the app, so I uninstalled it and the others weren’t affected.
I also have the Facebook app, but I didn’t need to reinstall that to fix the problem. I think what’s happening is that when people install ANY app (including Facebook) ITunes re-recongnizes your password and resets itself, like a previous blogger mentioned.
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on Aug 1st, 2009 at 2:36 am
AWESOME! #1 Google hit for a reason. U DA CHAMP MARC!
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on Aug 11th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
wow, this just worked for me… thanks a lot, great tip
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on Aug 17th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Dude, deleted facebook and ebay. reinstalled worked like a charm. Thanks a bunch.
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on Aug 22nd, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Had the same problem. Tried deleting facebook app from the iphone and resyncing but then all of my apps stopped working. This was the first sync for the phone. Then I realize my network connection was down on the pc and somehow authorization for the apps on the phone was not transferred to my pc. It seems when the apps were synced the iphone lost its authorization as well. I restored the pc’s network connection and resynced. This transferred the deleted facebook app back to the phone and it and all the other apps began to work.
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Pam reply on August 25th, 2009 9:48 am:
I also realized that this was going to continue to happen unless I authorized my pc. That seemed to be the problem all along. Knock on wood, I’ve not had a problem since…
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on Aug 27th, 2009 at 3:33 am
Facebook was one of the 1st apps I installed, loads other 3rd party ones since before they all stopped launching - but after unistalling and re-installing the facebook app all works fine again
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on Aug 29th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
i have the same issue and i dont ahve the facebook app.
mine happens everytime i sync it to my computer. when i re-add or just download a new app it starts to work again. i think its jsut the iphone, not the app that causeses the problem.
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on Sep 5th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
[...] tried removing one app, which was the old buggy Facebook app. I’m not sure if I followed this suggested Facebook removal possible solution or tried it out by my self, but I remember that it didn’t fix the problem [...]
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 10:42 am
wow…that’s awesome…installing a new app fixes this! thanks!
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on Sep 9th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
It works!! thanks!!!
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on Sep 15th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
I had this problem the other day and facebook is really the only app i use other than what came with the phone. I got so frustrated with it not opening that i deleted it and re-installed it and it worked fine…about 5 minutes later all the rest of my apps started working again too…i agree that it may be the facebook app that has a defect that messes with the entire phone.
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on Sep 17th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
i think the problem is when you log out of itunes. whenever you install a new app it makes u log back into i tunes so thats y i think installing a new app works
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on Sep 19th, 2009 at 4:22 am
I had the same issue - apps not opening after syncing. Went to try the add new app fix but was prompted to update some existing apps and this seems to have resolved the issue as well.
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on Sep 19th, 2009 at 7:41 am
Wow!!! That, totally worked on my iPhone!!! Thank you so much for the tip!!!!
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on Oct 1st, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Thank you so much! I was having the same problem with apps downloaded from the App Store would not work after doing an update and a sync. I downloaded Facebook again and now everything works! I have had this problem several times and have done a restore. It is a pain and takes too long. I wish Apple would come up with a fix for this problem.
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on Oct 4th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Uninstalling and then installing FB fixed the problem for me as well, iPhone 3gs running on 3.0… Thanks!
//Henrik
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on Oct 7th, 2009 at 11:31 am
nothing worked with me except deleting all apps from iTunes and de-authorize my computer. authorize back. download and install applications.
and it works
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on Oct 11th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
ok i just updated my iphone 3G today as of 9/11/09 and it updated i think and now none of my apps work. what is wrong and what do i do please get back at me ASAP i need help now
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on Oct 13th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Ditto. Seems like they messed things up even more now as none of the aforementioned tricks worked for me. Reinstalling everything, and avoiding Facebook like the plague. Fingers crossed.
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on Oct 19th, 2009 at 12:43 am
Yep intstalling a new app worked for me
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on Oct 19th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Same problem by installing Skype, so I did the same thin un install it an re install it and it came back to normal, great thing!.. Hopefully Apple will start looking to this issues and get their dev team to fix this details instead of fighting against the unofficials dev that jailbreak.
Any way thanks for posting!! I was getting a little un happy!.
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on Oct 19th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Well i had the same problem on my iphone 2g. when i opened an app it would close so instead of deleting all of them i deleted just 1 and re downloaded and idk how but all my apps started working fine
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on Oct 20th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
cannot believe this worked but it did! props to the original poster
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on Oct 24th, 2009 at 4:11 am
i had a same issue and just randomly try installing new app from appstore and everything back to normal ! one thing i noticed , it happens after jailbreak
i really don’t think it’s worth doing it anymore. its pretty much happening to me everyday now!
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on Oct 25th, 2009 at 10:39 am
I purchased a jailbroken iphone. I synced with iTunes to update the software on it and back up songs I had downloaded to it. After sync with iTunes, iTunes prompted me to update my settings for the iPhone. I allowed. Immediately after, it removed Cydia (the jailbreak app) and all my other 3rd party apps stopped working. I have tried all the fixes on this post - install a new free app, deauthorize/reauthorize computer, reboot phone, sync with some apps unchecked then resync, delete various apps one at a time - and none has worked. Any other ideas???
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on Oct 25th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Just to let everyone know, I finally got mine resolved after hours of fiddling. I had to go to extreme measures. I backed up my settings, completely restored the phone to factory settings through iTunes, and then imported my backed up data and synced. The newly (installed and) synced apps still wouldn’t work, but when I then deleted them and re-downloaded them fresh via the app store, they finally worked properly. Again, I had previously tried all solutions posted by others in this thread. So if none of the easy options above work for you, maybe this will.
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on Oct 25th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Oh, and one final note. When I re-synced, iTunes asked me to update the settings on the phone again. Since this is when the problems started before, I told it no. I’m not sure if the problems would reoccur if I told it yes.
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on Nov 9th, 2009 at 5:54 am
Thank U so much!! OMG I have been driving myself batty for hours. I have a New 3GS phone and I just got the thing a week ago! already had 6 apps that wouldnt open! I am so happy I came across this post! Thank You Thank You!
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on Nov 10th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
I installed one new app and all works fine. 3GS..just a couple of days old. Frustrating that this happens. At least it was an easy fix.
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on Nov 17th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Holy crap, this works! I installed a new app (Google) and it works totally fine. Thank you for this!
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on Nov 17th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Ditto! one free app install and all fixed. Had the new iphone from bell (3GS) for 1 week and was starting to get frustrated. Now to find out how to delete a duplicate calendar on “From My PC”…
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on Nov 23rd, 2009 at 10:58 am
Worked for me as well…unintalled and then reinstalled facebook and all other apps worked.
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on Nov 28th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
this didn’t work for me???? help!
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on Nov 29th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Worked for me…thank you so much! Was lost without my apps!
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on Nov 30th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Any way to avoid that happening in the first place? What if you are on a plane and the apps bombed out, you can’t get to app store, and so you can’t use your apps? Can’t believe Apple doesn’t have a solution to this problem.
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on Dec 8th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
wow amazing, that was a lifesaver, new app imstalled and everything works. thank u. im going on vacation soon and i have all these cool new apps i thought i wouldnt get to use for the last two days. excellent.
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on Dec 17th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
thanks guys u have made my life easier
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on Dec 17th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
great job u guys made my life easier
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on Dec 17th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Facbook app is causing this problem. First I uninstalled a couple of apps and re-downloaded them from I-store - no joy, even teh new apps wouldn’t open. THEN, after reading one of the posts I deleted the Facebook app. Immediately all the apps that weren’t opening, opened without problem. I reckon the Facebook app is causing the problem, and I am not going to re-install it.
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on Dec 18th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Thanks for the suggestion, I just updated an app that needed updating and all of the 3rd party apps miraculously started working again. A lot easier then having to redo the stupid thing. Thanks again!
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on Dec 27th, 2009 at 10:31 am
I downloaded facebook and the apps quit working. I tried everything, until they released the updated facebook and I downloaded it. Now everything works. Also, DO NOT use the app store app on an 8gig itouch, apps don’t download all the way.
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on Dec 27th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
I got an 8gb iPod and i tried all of these things you guys wrote, many times too, and my apps still arent working I got it for christmas 2 days ago, and the first hour or 2 i had it the apps i had were working i added some more and now none of them are ! its pissing me off, !
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on Jan 4th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
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on Jan 9th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Thank you. Downloading a new app solved the “apps won’t open” problem for me.
BTW: at the same time my apps stopped opening, my iphone started charging erratically, sometimes, not at all. Still trying to work that one out.
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on Jan 13th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
Adding a free app didn’t help the other apps load although the new app was fine. Had to delete and reinstall the apps. Watched youtube video on how to delete app = hold finger on app, all apps shake and are selected, click x on app (upper left corner of app. box) select delete in pop up.
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on Jan 19th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
I did this same thing from above and it worked again.
It works! I had same problem: only default apps works, 3rd parties won’t start. After install a new app, everything back to normal.
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on Jan 27th, 2010 at 10:38 am
it works like a champ!!!
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on Jan 27th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
none of these options worked for me!
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on Jan 27th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Thank God adding a new app worked!
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on Feb 4th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
Hey. All I had to do to fix the prob was download another (any) app. After downloading app, everything was back to normal!
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on Feb 5th, 2010 at 10:12 am
FOund an even easier way after i installed Poof and lost the ability to launch any apps, rebooted phone no joy.
Then clicked all the apps nothing.
However clicked the phone icon and my iPhone locked, unlocked it and all the apps back up and running!
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on Feb 6th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
hey looks like it works, i reinstalled one of my apps, now it works but the rest of them worked only when i deleted facebook.
Dont think ill be reinstalling it, after that, only if i have to.
I finally got my music on the phone and the apps stopped working even though i have plenty of space. but deleting facebook made all of them work, ofcourse I played a little with the other reinstalled app first
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on Feb 8th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
I was getting sooo pissed off at iTunes, it’s always causing me problems! this was the last straw though, i wanted to play Bust a Move (one of my favorite 3rd party apps) but it crashed almost immediately! i googled and found this, i tried instialling a new free app and some of them started working again. but not all of them. then i tried the trick where you uncheck an app from itunes and sync it and voila! it worked!
I laughed though, cause yesterday i downloaded the new software thats supposed to fix that problem (although i didnt have the problem before installing it) i installed it and it went retarded. irony at its finest XD
i’ve added this to my favorites to show to my friends, and myself if i ever need it again =D
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on Feb 8th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Thank you so much for this simple fix. I uninstalled Facebook, then reinstalled it and everything works again.
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on Feb 15th, 2010 at 9:51 am
Great fix!!! You saved me lots of hours of reinstalling and as one poster mentioned above, you saved my cat from being kicked out of frustration.
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on Feb 16th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
The REMOVE / REINSTALL idea does work.
HOWEVER - YOU HAVE TO BE USING THE ITUNES ACCOUNT USED TO ORIGINALLY INSTALL THE APPS ON THE PHONE !!!
I just went through this tonight - my wife’s phone has apps that she installed under her own account, my daughter’s account, and my account. The apps that did NOT work were all the ones installed under my daughters account. Once we logged in using her credentials and did the install/uninstall, everything worked again.
To change your login using your phone:
Settings > iStore > Sign Out
Then Sign In again using the correct iTunes account.
Remove any free app > reinstall the free app (or another)
All of the apps installed under that account should now work.
AGAIN - If you have downloaded apps using different iTunes accounts, you must be logged into the account that was used to download those apps to use the install/uninstall fix above.
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on Feb 24th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Thanks a lot guys! Installing an app made them all come back. I really appreciate it!!
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on Feb 28th, 2010 at 11:18 am
Thanks a million. Why can’t Apple tell you that in their little leaflet? I was actually disgusted by the lack of information included with the phone. It took me ages even to discover how to insert the SIM card, because I hadn’t realised that the hieroglyphs on the packaging actually constituted part of the instruction manual.
When I had worked it out and installed a few apps from the App Store over the air, which worked fine, I was dismayed that they stopped launching after I synched the device with my computer today. Forcing your users to hunt around on the Internet for essential support information is not, in my book, an ideal customer relationship model.
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on Feb 28th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
Many thanks!!! This too happened to my phone after I undertook an update on itunes. Thanks for the quick solution of installing a new app!
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on Mar 11th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Wow. Thanks so much for this post. This happens to me a lot because there’s a game I am sadly too stubborn to stop playing which has a known memory leak issue. I have to soft-reset the phone regularly when it has the ole’ crashing problem.
Every once in a while the soft reset won’t work and I used to only be able to resolve it by syncing the phone in iTunes, but this can be terribly inconvenient if I’m not at home!
I went out to the iTunes store and one of my apps needed an update so I installed it, which prompted me to authenticate to the store. After downloading even just this one app update, everything is functional again now, even the stubborn app!
Yay, thanks for helping me not have to sit here at work bored all afternoon, lol!
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on Apr 1st, 2010 at 3:03 pm
sync your phone on itunes
de-authorise it
re sync and accept the message that some applications will be removed
authorise your phone again then re-sync again
As you have already sync’ed your phone, you will see the apps are re-installed with the new authorisation
and all will work.
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on Apr 22nd, 2010 at 8:04 am
I had the same problem…more than once. The only way to fix it for me is to install a new app. Weird. It seems to work though. I wonder why that happens?
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on Apr 23rd, 2010 at 2:47 pm
I tried this fix:
edit: See the comments below. It seems that selecting Store > Authorize Computer in iTunes also works at least some of the time.
and then synced. The apps still work!!
Thanks for this fix!
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on Apr 24th, 2010 at 11:53 am
Just want to say thanks for the “I installed a new app from the app store and magically all my other apps launch now”
tip!! it worked and now all my apps magically launch too! Thanks again
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on May 15th, 2010 at 12:18 am
I kept getting the same problem. My phone is jailbroken/unlocked. I didnt sync my phone or back it up for this problem to start. Its very random, one min. everything is fine and the next time I go to open an app it would close. I noticed, however it would happen if I let my battery die, and turn the phone off and on. Didnt happen always. I just downloaded a free app asked for my password, and now all apps work again:)yeahhh, but soooo annoying:(
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on May 16th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
This happens with the new 3GS, 32GB iphone as well, so obviously they have not corrected this problem. My phone has not been jailbroken either.
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on May 16th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
This happens when I let my phone die. Adding the new app worked immediately. Thanks so much!!!
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on May 31st, 2010 at 5:27 pm
Facebook definitely seems to be the problem. This has happened many times to me. I love my iPhone (3Gs), but it definitely has some issues. Glad I’m not the only one!
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on Jun 9th, 2010 at 10:08 am
GENIUS. Saved so much time, unbelievable that this works, someone tell Apple.
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