How to fix Samsung Galaxy J5 that shows “Unfortunately, Messages has stopped” error

The error “Unfortunately, Messages has stopped” that appears on your Samsung Galaxy J5 is simply a notification that the default messaging app crashed or stopped working. It doesn’t tell you what the problem is or what to do and basically, you only have two options when this problem starts: either you confirm the error by tapping OK, or send Google a report by tapping REPORT. Sadly though, neither of those actions resolves this problem. Which means, you really have to do something about it.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Galaxy J5 that’s bugged by this error message. We will look into each possibility and rule them out one by one until we can determine what the issue is do something about it. So continue reading to know more about this problem and how to fix it.

If you have other problems however, visit our Galaxy J5 troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common issues with this device. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and feel free to use the solutions we suggested. If you still need our help, fill up our questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

Troubleshooting Galaxy J5 with “Messages has stopped” error

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Problem: Hi Galaxy J5 when you delete a text you see a message more or less every time which says “Sorry Messaging has stopped working” it hasn’t because message has been deleted all OK, but very annoying.

Solution: Based on our experience, this problem is pretty minor and easy to fix as it primarily concerns the messaging app that comes pre-installed with your Galaxy device or any Android phone for that matter. But there are times that even simple issues like this can be just a facade of a more complicated firmware problem that’s why it’s imperative that you take some of your time troubleshooting your phone. Follow the troubleshooting procedures we prepared for you below.

Boot your phone in Safe Mode

there is a possibility that a third-party app is causing the issue. So, first we have to verify it by booting your phone in safe mode. When in this environment, all third-party apps are temporarily disabled so if one or some of them is causing the problem, the error shouldn’t show up. This is how you run your device in safe mode:

  1. Turn your Galaxy J5 off.
  2. Press and hold both the Volume Down button and the Power key.
  3. When the Samsung logo displays, release the Power key but continue holding down the Volume Down button.
  4. Allow the phone to start up while holding down the Volume Down button; it may take a few seconds to complete.
  5. When the phone reaches the home screen and you can see “Safe mode” in the lower left corner of the screen, then it’s successful. Otherwise, repeat the steps from the top.

Once you’re in this environment, try to open Messages to know if the error still shows up. Assuming the error disappeared, then it’s clear that there’s a third-party app that triggers the error. Find that application and then uninstall it:

  1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Apps.
  4. Tap the desired application
  5. Tap Uninstall.
  6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

However, if the error is still popping up in this mode, move on to the next step.

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Clear the cache and data of the Messages app

Basically, if the cached files and data of the app are obsolete and could not be loaded, that may be the reason why an app will crash. So, this time we have to clear the cache and data of Messages so that newer ones will be created. Don’t you worry, all your personal files saved in the internal storage won’t be deleted if you do this step. However, your text and MMS might be erased so take time to make a backup so you can restore them after this…

  1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Applications.
  4. Tap Application manager.
  5. Scroll to and tap Messages.
  6. Tap Storage.
  7. Tap Clear cache.
  8. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

Try to trigger the error after doing this step and if it still shows up, move on to the next step.

Run your phone in Recovery Mode and wipe the cache partition

Since, the error message still appears even in safe mode it is possible that the system cached files and data are obsolete or got corrupted. Unlike the previous step, this method will erase all the system caches so that your phone can create newer ones. For firmware-related issues, this procedure is pretty much helpful so it’s something you don’t want to miss. Here’s 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’ 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.

After doing this procedure, try to trigger the error to know if the app still crashes and if so, then you have to reset your phone.

Backup your files and reset your Galaxy J5

A reset will be able to fix this problem that’s for sure provided that the firmware hasn’t been modified in any way. But the thing is all your files and data will be deleted including your apps, personal files, music, pictures, videos, etc. So, before you proceed and do the reset make sure to create a backup for all your files and data. After the backup, I suggest that you disable the Factory Reset Protection (FRP) so that you won’t be locked out after the reset.

Here’s how to disable the Factory Reset Protection

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

How to Master Reset your Galaxy J5

  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 that this troubleshooting guide can help you fix the problem with your device. If you still need our help after this, feel free to contact us.

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