How to fix your Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017) that keeps showing “Unfortunately, Google App has stopped” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

We received quite a lot of messages from our readers who own the Samsung Galaxy J3 complaining about the error message “Unfortunately, Google App has stopped” which according to them, keeps on showing without apparent reason or cause. Obviously, the error message is notifying you about a certain Google App that stopped working but the funny thing is, “Google App” cover a group of apps and services that run in the background.

One of the most common effects of this error message is a non functioning keyboard. Others said their phones became really slow before and after the error showed up. Whatever the signs maybe, the error remains the same and we may be able to fix it and that’s the very purpose of this post. If you’re one of the owners of the J3 and are currently experiencing the same issue, then continue reading as this article may be able to help you.

For owners who are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our Galaxy J3 troubleshooting guide for we have already addressed many of the problems reported by our readers. Find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you still need further assistance, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy J3 with “Google App has stopped” error

Problem: Hi guys. My Galaxy J3 seems to have a serious problem right now. It started showing the error message “Unfortunately, Google App has stopped” since around 3 days ago. I’m not really sure what happened then or what triggered it but my keyboard no longer functions now that this error keeps showing. I also noticed that the phone no longer opens apps as fast as before so there must be something wrong with it I just don’t know where and how to fix it. Can you guys help me?

Troubleshooting: There’s no denying that Google App is one of the core services necessary to make your phone work flawlessly. When it crashes, a lot of thing could be affected so it’s just fitting to do something about it. With that being said, here’s what I suggest  you do to fix it:

Step 1: Force Restart your Galaxy J3

It’s possible that Google App stopped working due to a glitch. So, the first thing I want you to do is to refresh your phone’s memory by doing the Forced Restart procedure, which is equivalent to the battery pull procedure we often do to phones with removable batteries.

What it does is reboot your phone like it usually does but before that, the device’s memory is refreshed as it will simulate battery disconnect. To do this, press and hold the Volume Down and Power keys together for 10 seconds. Your phone will reboot normally so continue observing it for the same error. If it still shows after this procedure, move on to the next step.

Step 2: Use the phone in Safe mode

We will now try to isolate the problem to know if third-party apps have something to do with it. Reboot your phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party apps. If the cause of the problem is one of the apps you downloaded, then the error shouldn’t show up while in this mode.

Here’s how you boot your J3 in Safe mode…

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

Assuming the error doesn’t show up in safe mode, find the app that’s causing the problem and then uninstall it.

  1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Applications.
  4. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
  5. Tap Uninstall.
  6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

If the error still shows up in this mode, however, then you have to move on to the next step.

Step 3: Clear cache and data of Google App

This procedure will delete all possible corrupt caches and data of Google App. When it comes to app-related concerns, clearing an app’s cache and data is the most effective procedure to fix them that’s why I want you to do this after you’ve done the first two steps.

  1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Applications.
  4. Swipe left a few times to display apps under All tab, then tap Google App.
  5. Tap Storage.
  6. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
  7. Tap Clear cache.

You may have to reboot your phone after this and continue your observation to know if the error still shows up. If it does, then do the next steps.

Step 4: Wipe the cache partition

Wiping the cache partition will delete all system caches and eliminates the possibility that this problem is caused by some caches that have been corrupted or became obsolete. It’s a very effective procedure when it comes to dealing with firmware related problems but safe for your data and files as none of them will be deleted.

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key.
  4. 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).
  5. Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
  6. Press the Power key to select.
  7. Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
  8. When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Your phone will take a little more time booting up as it will rebuild the caches. Continue your observation to know if the error still pops up after this and if it does, then you have no other choice but to do the next step.

Step 5: Backup your files and reset your phone

This is your last resort and it should fix this problem. The reason why it comes at the end is because of the hassle you will have to go through backing up your files and data and restoring them after the reset. With that being said, make sure you make a backup of your important files and data, then follow these steps to reset your phone:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key
  4. 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).
  5. Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
  6. Press Power button to select.
  7. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  8. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  9. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
  10. Press the Power key to restart the device.

I hope this helps.

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1 thought on “How to fix your Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017) that keeps showing “Unfortunately, Google App has stopped” error [Troubleshooting Guide]”

  1. Thank you! This is the only website I found that had steps that worked. I had to go through the first 3 steps, but I finally don’t get the message continuously coming up on my phone.

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