How to fix “Messenger keeps stopping” error on Galaxy S10 | Facebook Messenger keeps popping up and crashing
We’ve been getting reports from some Galaxy S10 users about “Messenger keeps stopping” error recently. Even this author has encountered the problem on our new Galaxy S10 as well so it may be widespread. If you’re one of the S10 users having the problem, learn how to fix Facebook Messenger keeps popping up and crashing issue in this article.
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How to fix “Messenger keeps stopping” error on Galaxy S10 | Facebook Messenger keeps popping up and crashing
“Messenger keeps stopping” error does not usually occur but when it does, it can be very frustrating since it can interrupt whatever you’re doing. To fix this bug, follow our suggestions below.
Messenger keeps stopping error fix #1: Force Stop
Apps may become problematic for a lot of reasons. Sometimes, an app may not load properly or keeps crashing due to a temporary bug. These types of bugs may go away after restarting the app so this is exactly the first thing that you want to do.
There are two ways to restart an app. Here’s how:
- On your screen, tap the Recent Apps soft key (the one with three vertical lines on the left of the Home button).
- Once the Recent Apps screen is shown, swipe left or right to look for the Instagram app. It should be here if you managed to run it previously. Then, swipe up on the app to close it. This should force close it. If it’s not there, simply tap the Close All app to also restart all apps.
Another way to force close an app is this:
- Open Settings app.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap the More settings icon (three-dot icon, upper right).
- Tap Show system apps.
- Find and tap the Instagram app.
- Tap Force Stop.
Messenger keeps stopping error fix #2: Restart the device
Should Messenger app keeps stopping, the next good thing to do is to ensure that you refresh the device itself. Just like with the first suggestion above, this one might help clear the system and get rid of the bug that prevents Messenger app from working properly. It can be done easily and won’t take a lot of time so you want to make sure that you perform it. Here’s how:
- Press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons for approximately 12 seconds or until the device power cycles. Note: Allow several seconds for the Maintenance Boot Mode screen to appear.
- From the Maintenance Boot Mode screen, select Normal Boot. Note: Utilize the volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the lower left button (below the volume buttons) to select. Allow up to 90 seconds for the reset to complete.
- If Maintenance Boot Mode screen won’t show, then your device does not have it. Simply wait for the device to power down completely.
Messenger keeps stopping error fix #3: Install update in Play Store
Although Facebook Messenger app has largely been stable since it was first introduced years ago, it’s not a perfect app and can become problematic under certain circumstances. In some cases, bugs may develop and may only be fixed by an updated code. If Messenger keeps stopping popup continues after force quitting it, or after restarting the device, the next logical troubleshooting step is to ensure that the app is fully updated. To do that, make sure that you install update from the Google Play Store app. Simply open the Play Store app and update Messenger app from there.
Messenger keeps stopping error fix #4: Clear app cache
One of the basic ways to directly deal with a problem app is by clearing its cache. Delete the cache of your Messenger app with these steps:
- Open Settings app.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap the More settings icon (three-dot icon, upper right).
- Tap Show system apps.
- Find and tap the Instagram app.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap Clear cache button.
Messenger keeps stopping error fix #5: Reset app data
Another way to deal with a Facebook Messenger app problem is by resetting all its settings to defaults. This is done by clearing its data. Follow these steps to do that:
- Open Settings app.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap the More settings icon (three-dot icon, upper right).
- Tap Show system apps.
- Find and tap the Instagram app.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap Clear data button.
Messenger keeps stopping error fix #6: Reinstall app
Considered one of the effective ways to deal with an app problem, reinstall must be done in this case. Reinstalling an app fixes a lot of problems that can come after an update or after bugs developed during the course of operation. If none has worked so far at this point, be sure to reinstall Messenger.
Simply tap and hold the Messenger app on your app screen and tap Uninstall. Once the app has been deleted, restart your Galaxy S10 before you install it again.
Messenger keeps stopping error fix #7: Clear cache partition
Android uses a system cache, which is stored in the cache partition, to load apps quickly. Sometimes, this cache gets corrupted during and after an update, or for some other reasons. While this may sound harmless, a corrupted cache can eventually cause performance issues as well as a bunch of other minor annoyances. To ensure that your phone’s system cache is fresh, you can wipe the cache partition. This will force the phone to delete the current cache and replace it with a new one over time.
To wipe the cache partition on your S10:
- Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
- Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Bixby button at the same time.
- While still holding the Volume Up and Bixby keys, press and hold the Power button.
- The Recovery screen menu will now appear. When you see this, release the buttons.
- Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
- Press Power button to select.
- Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
- When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.
Messenger keeps stopping error fix #8: Run Messenger on Safe Mode (optional)
If Facebook Messenger came as preinstalled, which means that it’s part of the original set of apps that came with the operating system, then running it on safe mode can be performed. Your aim in doing this step is to check whether or not a third party app is causing Messenger to misbehave. Some third party apps may interfere with Android or with other apps. While running on safe mode, all third party apps will be blocked and only preinstalled ones can load. If Messenger works normally on safe mode, that’s a clear indication of a third party app problem.
To boot your S10 to safe mode:
- Press and hold the Power button until the Power off window appears then release.
- Touch and hold Power off until the Safe mode prompt appears then release.
- To confirm, tap Safe mode.
- The process may take up to 30 seconds to complete.
- Upon reboot, “Safe mode” appears in the lower-left of the home screen.
Remember that third-party applications are disabled in this mode so what you can use are pre-installed apps. If the touchscreen issue won’t appear on safe mode, that means that the problem is due to a bad app. Uninstall the app you recently installed and see if that will fix it. If the problem remains, use the process of elimination to identify the rogue app. Here’s how:
- Boot to safe mode.
- Check for the problem.
- Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
- After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
- If your S10 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.
Messenger keeps stopping error fix #9: Use different connection type
Sometimes, an app may encounter a bug when using a certain connection type (mobile data or wifi). Try switching to another one and see if it makes a difference. For example, if you mainly use wifi for your internet connection needs, try to see if Messenger works when you switch to mobile data. If that won’t make a difference, then you should consider submitting a bug report to Facebook.
Messenger keeps stopping error fix #10: Report the bug
Speaking of bug report, it’s important that you mention all the things you’ve done so far. This will help FAcebook engineers narrow down the reason for the problem a lot easier. You can submit a bug report by using the app’s report tool. Simply open the Messenger app, tap on Settings (by tapping on your Profile icon at the upper left), then selecting Report a problem. Give a brief description of the problem and try to include all solutions you’ve tried without going into details. After that, all you can do is wait. Hopefully, an update will be released to fix the problem.