How to Use Safe Mode on Android to Find Problem Apps

By Ammar Aslam · Updated September 29, 2026 · 3 min read

Is your phone suddenly freezing, restarting, showing strange pop-up ads or draining battery? The cause is often a third-party app. Safe Mode starts Android with only its original, pre-installed apps, so you can see whether a downloaded app is to blame.

How to enter Safe Mode

On most Android phones:

Press and hold the power button until the power menu appears. (On some phones, press Power + Volume Up.)
Touch and hold Power off or Restart on the screen.
When asked "Reboot to safe mode?", tap OK.

"Safe mode" appears at the bottom of the screen. Downloaded apps will be greyed out.

If that doesn't work

Turn off the phone. Turn it on, and when the brand logo appears, press and hold Volume Down until the phone finishes starting.

Test your phone

Use the phone normally for a while in Safe Mode.

Problem disappears: a downloaded app is the cause.
Problem continues: it's likely a system or hardware issue.

Find the problem app

Think about which apps you installed or updated just before the problem started.
Uninstall the most recent apps one at a time. You can uninstall apps while in Safe Mode through Settings → Apps.
Restart normally after each removal to check if the problem is gone.

Pay special attention to apps from outside the Play Store, cleaner apps, free VPNs and apps that asked for unusual permissions. Our guide to spotting fake apps helps.

Getting rid of pop-up ads

If full-screen ads appear even on your home screen, an app with "display over other apps" permission is likely responsible. Check Settings → Apps → Special app access → Display over other apps and turn it off for suspicious apps.

Exit Safe Mode

Simply restart your phone. If it keeps starting in Safe Mode, check that a volume button isn't stuck, then restart again.

If the problem continues

Try clearing the system cache (on some phones via recovery mode), updating Android, or a factory reset. If the phone still misbehaves, visit an authorised service centre.

Real-world examples

Example 1: Full-screen ads after installing a "free VPN"

A user notices ads covering the home screen every few minutes. In Safe Mode, the ads stop. Looking at recently installed apps, a free VPN installed a week earlier had "Display over other apps" permission. Uninstalling it removes the ads completely.

Example 2: Phone restarting randomly

A phone restarts several times a day. In Safe Mode it runs normally for a full day. The culprit turns out to be an outdated launcher app that crashed the system. Switching back to the default launcher fixes it.

Example 3: Problem continues in Safe Mode

A phone's touch screen misbehaves even in Safe Mode. That points to hardware or system software, not downloaded apps. A system update and eventually a service centre visit resolve it. See touch screen fixes.

After you find the problem app

Leave a factual Play Store review to warn others, and report the app if it's malicious.
Check Settings → Apps → Special app access for leftover permissions from similar apps.
Run a Play Protect scan from the Play Store.
If the app had access to SMS, accessibility or notifications, change important passwords and check banking apps for unusual activity.
Consider enabling Pause app activity if unused so forgotten apps lose permissions automatically.

Learn to spot risky apps before installing with our guide to fake and malicious apps.

Frequently asked questions

Will Safe Mode delete my data?

No. It only temporarily disables downloaded apps. Widgets you added may need to be placed again afterwards.

Can I use WhatsApp in Safe Mode?

No, downloaded apps don't run in Safe Mode.

Ammar Aslam
Ammar writes clear, practical tech guides that help everyday users fix problems, stay safe online and get more from their devices.