How to fix your Samsung Galaxy J5 with “Unfortunately, Contacts has stopped” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

The service or app that manages your contacts list is called Contacts and it’s embedded in the firmware and works closely with the Messages and Phone apps. The error “Unfortunately, Contacts has stopped” with your Samsung Galaxy J5 is actually notifying you about the app that stopped working for some reason. Having such error doesn’t exactly tell us what the problem with your phone really is so we need to look into it a little deeper.

In this post, I will tackle this issue with the J5 being the subject of our troubleshooting. We’ll try to consider every possibility and rule out all of them until we can figure out what the problem with your phone really is and fix it. But don’t worry though as this kind of problem is usually easy to fix even without any help from a tech. So, if you own a phone like this and are currently bugged by a similar issue, continue reading below as this post may help.

Before anything else though, if you have other issues with your device, then visit our Galaxy J5 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed several common problems with this phone. Odds are that there are already existing solutions to your problems so just take time finding issues that are similar with yours. If you can’t find one or if you need further assistance, feel free to contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. Please provide us with as much information as possible so that it would also be easier for us to troubleshoot the problem. Don’t worry as we offer this service for free, so all you have to do is give us sufficient information about the problem.

How to troubleshoot your Galaxy J5 with “Contacts has stopped” error

Problem: Hi. I have a problem with my phone and it’s characterized by the error “Unfortunately, Contacts has stopped” which shows when I try to insert a contact from my contacts list. It shows when I text or try to make a call. My phone is a Galaxy J5. can you help me?

Troubleshooting: While we want to fix this problem with your phone, we also don’t want that you lose some of your contacts so before you actually follow our troubleshooting steps below, make sure to backup your contacts list by syncing your phone with your Google account or try to export your contacts to your SD card. After which, follow these steps…

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

Maybe it’s just a temporary issue with the Contacts app so try to clear its cache and data first so that it will be reset back to its default settings. I assume by now you’ve already made a backup of your contacts list so follow these steps to reset the app:

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

You also have to this procedure to any apps that might trigger the problem like Phone and Messages.

Step 2: Run your phone in Safe mode

After doing the first step and the error still shows up when you make a call or send a text, then it’s time to find out if there’s a third-party app that’s causing it. Run your phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party apps. If the error is triggered by one of the apps you downloaded and installed, it should occur in safe 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’.

Assuming the error doesn’t show up in this mode, then it’s confirmed the problem is caused by a third-party, which makes the problem easier to fix. You just have to find out the app that’s causing it and uninstall it:

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.

However, if the error still shows up even in this mode, then it might be a firmware issue.

Step 3: Wipe the cache partition

It’s also possible that some of the system caches got corrupted and resulted to the crashing of some apps and services including Contacts so the next thing you should do is delete all caches so that they will be replaced. None of your files and data will be lost when you do this but you have to boot your phone in Recovery mode to be able to do so…

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 you have no other choice but to reset your phone.

Step 4: Backup your files and data and then reset your phone

A reset can fix any app- or firmware-related errors but the reason why it always comes at the end of our troubleshooting is because it takes so much of your time making a backup of your important files and data not to mention have to reconfigure your phone to your preference after the reset. But in this case though, you have no other choice so make sure you backup all your important files. After the backup, disable the anti-theft feature of your phone so you won’t be locked out.

How to disable Factory Reset Protection on Galaxy J5

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 J5

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.

Alternatively, 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.

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