How to fix Samsung Galaxy J3 that keeps showing “Unfortunately, Youtube has stopped” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

Youtube is one of the built-in apps in any Android device and your Samsung Galaxy J3 that keeps showing “Unfortunately, Youtube has stopped” may have some issues with it, although it’s not clear why or what triggers the error. But when it comes to built-in apps that crash, it’s almost certain that it has something to do with the firmware. We are yet to know what the problem with your phone really is so you have to dig a little deeper.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Galaxy J3 that keeps showing the error message “Unfortunately, Youtube has stopped.” We have to take into consideration every possibility and rule them out one-by-one until we can come up with a conclusion that will tell us what the issue really is. So, if you own this entry-level phone and are currently bugged by a similar issue, then read on as this post may be able to help you.

Before we jump right into our troubleshooting, if you have other issues, drop by our Galaxy J3 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed many issues with this phone since we started supporting it. Try to find problems that are similar with yours and use the troubleshooting procedures or solutions we suggested. Should you need further assistance from us, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit. Don’t worry, it’s free.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy J3 with “Youtube has stopped” error

Problem: Hi guys. I own a Galaxy J3 and I need your help. I often watch or stream videos on Youtube and there’s a youtube app that came with my phone. Anyways, recently, it started showing the error “Unfortunately, Youtube has stopped” every time I open the app. I know I can watch videos through Chrome or other browsers but the app has a lot of features not available on browser so I still prefer to use it. Can still it be fixed?

Troubleshooting: It might just be a problem with the app itself so we have to troubleshoot your device in an level first. That said, here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Clear the cache and data of the Youtube app

You don’t have to worry about any files getting deleted when you do this because it won’t. Youtube is built for streaming videos using the app Google developed and it actually serves as a client more than anything else. So, clearing its cache and data may fix the problem but won’t affect any of your files or data whatsoever.

1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Applications.
4. Tap Youtube in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
5. Tap Storage.
6. Tap Clear cache.
7. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

After this, try to open the app and if the error still shows up, move on to the next step.

Step 2: Reboot your phone in Safe mode

After clearing the cache and data of the Youtube app and the problem still occurs, there’s a chance that one or some of the third-party apps is causing the problem. So in this step, I want you to isolate the possible problem by booting your phone in safe mode. By doing the procedure below, you’re not actually fixing the problem but gathering information on what what cause really is. So, 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’.

While in this mode, try to open Youtube and if the error still pops up, then move on to the next step, otherwise, you have to continue your troubleshooting while all third-party apps are temporarily disabled. You may have installed an app that’s causing this problem. Find that app, try to update it if possible, clear its cache and data, and then uninstall it if the problem still persists. Here’s how you do all of those:

How to update apps on your Galaxy J3

1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Tap Play Store.
3. 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.
4. 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.

How to clear app cache and data on your Galaxy J3

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 Storage.
6. Tap Clear cache.
7. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

How to uninstall applications from your Galaxy J3

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.

Step 3: You have to reset your Galaxy J3

Assuming the problem still occurs even if the phone is in safe mode, then you have no other choice but to reset the phone. However, if you have recently updated its firmware, then it’s possible some of the caches got corrupted or became obsolete that they create conflict in the system instead of helping it run faster and smoother.

Therefore, before you reset, you have to wipe the cache partition first and this is how you do it:

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’ an 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.

If the error still shows up after this, then backup all your files and data as they will be deleted during the reset. And then, disable the anti-theft or Factory Reset Protection by removing your Google account from your phone.

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

Next, you have to reset your phone to try and fix this issue…

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.

Or, you can reset your J3 from the Settings menu…

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

I hope this helps.

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