How to fix your Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) with “Unfortunately, the process com.android.phone has stopped” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

The error message “Unfortunately, the process com.android.phone has stopped” is one of the most common errors you may encounter from time to time. We have received complaints from owners of the Samsung Galaxy A5 suggesting this error pops up when they make or even receive phone calls. It means that it’s triggered by an app so our first suspect would be the Phone app, which uses this process. There were, however, cases wherein an error like this would pop up randomly so we just can’t set our focus on one app.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Galaxy A5 that’s plagued by this error message. We will consider every possibility and rule them out one by one until we can determine what this problem really is all about and what needs to be done to fix it. So, if you’re one of the owners of this phone and are currently bothered by a similar issue, continue reading below as this post maybe able to help you.

But before we go to our proper troubleshooting, if you happen to find this page because you were looking for solutions to a different problem, then I suggest you visit our Galaxy A5 troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed the most commonly reported issues with this phone and you may find what you’re looking for in there. Feel free to use the solutions and workarounds we provided. If they don’t work for you or if you need further assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and then hit submit and we’ll do our best to help you.

How to troubleshoot your Galaxy A5 with “the process com.android.phone has stopped” error

Problem: Hello guys. How are you doing? I have been following your blog for quite some time now but it’s the first time I’m contacting you about a problem. I have a Galaxy A5 phone that I purchased in March. I have encountered several issues with it since then but was able to fix them on my own. Recently, however, I started getting the error “Unfortunately, the process com.android.phone has stopped” whenever I try to make a call or even receive one so I’m thinking maybe it’s a problem with the app. But how can I fix this? Thanks.

Troubleshooting: This error is one of the rare errors you might encounter when you’re using an Android phone. It’s not exclusive to the Galaxy A5 but can happen to any device running Google’s mobile operating system. Don’t worry though, while this error might be an firmware problem, it’s a minor one and might even be just a result of a glitch. Here’s what you need to do in case you get this error:

Step 1: Clear the cache and data of the process that crashes

We have to go after the process that’s crashing first and in this case, it’s the com.android.phone. You simply have to clear it cache and data to restart the process. To immediately see the result, reboot your phone after following these steps…

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap com.android.phone.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
Tap Clear cache.

Step 2: Reset the app that uses the process

After clearing the cache and data of the com.android.phone process and the error still shows up, go after the app that uses the process the most–the Phone app. The error might be triggered when the app starts using the process so we have to make sure the connection between these two is flawless…

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap Phone.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

If the error still shows up after doing this, then it’s time to look at this problem from a different angle.

Step 3: Find out if your third-party apps have something to do with it

Perhaps, something else is causing the error so it’s time to isolate the problem. Try to find out if the third-party apps have something to do with it. Start your phone up in safe mode to temporarily disable all downloaded apps and their services and if the error disappears, then it’s clear one or some of them is causing the problem. In this case, you just have to find out which app is causing the issue and do something about it. So, follow these steps to run your phone in this mode:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the screen with the device name.
When ‘SAMSUNG’ appears on the screen, release the Power key.
Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Release the Volume down key when you see ‘Safe Mode’.

If the problem is fixed, then try to update all the apps that need to be updated…

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Play Store.
Tap the Menu key and then tap My Apps. To keep your apps automatically updated, tap the Menu key, tap Settings, and then tap Auto-update apps to select the check box.
Choose one of the following options:
- Tap Update [xx] to update all applications with updates available.
- Tap an individual application and then tap Update to update a single application.

If you already have some suspects, then clear their cache and data or uninstall them one-by-one until the problem is fixed…

How to clear app cache and data on Galaxy A5

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap the desired application in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display preinstalled apps.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
Tap Clear cache.

How to uninstall applications from your Galaxy A5

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap the desired application in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display preinstalled apps.
Tap Uninstall.
Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

If the problem still happens in safe mode, however, then you have to move on to the next step.

Step 4: Delete all system caches so they’ll be replaced

It’s possible that this error is a result of some corrupt system caches. You need to rule out this possibility by starting your phone up in Recovery mode and wiping the cache partition…

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key.
When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
Press the Power key to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

If the error still shows up after this, then reset your phone.

Step 5: Perform the Master Reset on your Galaxy A5

This is your last resort but don’t worry, such error is actually just a minor problem and can be fixed by a reset. However, make sure you make a backup of your important files and data as they will be deleted. After which, disable the anti-theft feature of your phone so you won’t be locked then feel free to reset it.

How to disable Galaxy A5 anti-theft feature

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Cloud and accounts.
Tap Accounts.
Tap Google.
Tap your Google ID email address. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
Tap Menu.
Tap Remove account.
Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

How to do the master reset on your Galaxy A5

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key
When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

You can also reset your phone from the Settings menu…

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Cloud and accounts.
Tap Backup and restore.
If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
Tap the back key twice to return to the Settings menu, then tap General Management.
Tap Reset.
Tap Factory data reset.
Tap Reset device.
If you have screen lock turned on, enter your PIN or password.
Tap Continue.
Tap Delete all.

Thanks for reading. I hope this helps.

Connect with us

We are always open to your problems, questions and suggestions, so feel free to contact us by filling up this form. This is a free service we offer and we won’t charge you a penny for it. But please note that we receive hundreds of emails every day and it’s impossible for us to respond to every single one of them. But rest assured we read every message we receive. For those whom we’ve helped, please spread the word by sharing our posts to your friends or by simply liking our Facebook and Google+ page or follow us on Twitter.