How to fix your Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus that keeps showing “Unfortunately, Internet has stopped” error message [Troubleshooting Guide]

The error message “Unfortunately, Internet has stopped” in your Samsung Galaxy S8+ is actually just a notification that’s telling you that the built-in web browser has crashed or stopped working for some unknown reason. There are instances wherein this problem is simply limited to the app but it is also possible that it’s rooted in the firmware since the Internet app is deeply integrated into the system.

I will walk you through in troubleshooting your device that’s plagued by this error message. But please note that the error is telling you about the web browser and not your internet connectivity. So, even if you get this error, you may still have an internet connection either through Wi-Fi or mobile data. In this post also, we will try to take into consideration every possibility and rule out each of them until we get to the point where we can easily determine the cause of the problem. If you own a phone like this and are currently experiencing a related problem, continue reading below as this post may be able to help you.

Now, before we go to troubleshooting, if you are currently experiencing a different problem, try to visit our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues owners encountered with their device. Find issues that are similar to yours and feel free to use our solutions or troubleshooting guides. If they don’t work, however, and if you need further assistance, contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. All we need is information so we can help you. Don’t worry, it’s free.

How to troubleshoot your Galaxy S8+ that has the “Internet has stopped” error

Problem: Hello. Please be kind to me since I’m not really a tech-oriented person yet I’m having a problem with my phone. First off, it’s a Galaxy S8+ and I got it in May as a sort of promotion from my carrier. It has been working fine since then until as of late when I always get the error “Internet has stopped” whenever I try to browse the web. I don’t know what this error means let alone know how to get rid of it. Can you help me?

Troubleshooting: This is one of those error message you may get from time to time and so far, based on our experience, it’s a minor problem so there’s a high probability you can fix it on your own without any help from a technician. Not that we don’t want you to get help from a tech, we just want to save you from the hassle of going to the store and explaining to the tech what the problem is. There are problems that can be fixed without much of a hassle and this is one of those things. That said, here’s what I suggest you do about it:

Step 1: Reset the Internet app by clearing its cache and data

The error message basically tells you about the Internet app that crashed so the first thing you have to do about is to go after the app that has a problem. It’s a built-in app so the best thing you can do to try to fix the problem is to reset it by clearing its cache and data. This will bring the app back to its default settings that might just fix the problem for you:

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Apps.
3. Tap Internet.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Tap Clear cache.
6. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

After this procedure, try to browse the web using the Internet app to know if the error still shows up. If it does, then move on to the next step.

Step 2: Find out if third-party apps have something to do with the problem

It is imperative that you know if this issue is caused by a third-party app or not because if it is, then it’s very easy to fix. So, to isolate the problem, you need to start your phone up in Safe mode as the phone will run in its diagnostic state wherein only built-in apps will be left running. If the problem is caused by one of the third-party apps, then the error shouldn’t pop up in this mode. Here’s how you start your phone up in safe mode:

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
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 disappears in this mode, then you just have to find out which app is causing it. The first thing you need to do is update those that need to be updated:

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Play Store.
3. Tap the Menu key and then tap My Apps. To keep your apps automatically updated, tap the Menu > Settings 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.

If you already have an app or two in mind, then clear their caches and data and if that won’t work, try uninstalling them until the issue is fixed.

How to clear app cache and data on Galaxy S8+

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Apps.
3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
6. Tap Clear cache.

How to uninstall applications from your Galaxy S8+

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Apps.
3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
4. Tap the desired application.
5. Tap Uninstall.
6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

If the error still shows in safe mode or if it still occurs after you did all those procedures, then move on to the next step.

Step 3: Delete all system caches so that they will be replaced with new ones

There’s a possibility that this error is triggered by corrupt system caches as it happens more often, so after doing the first two steps and the problem still occurs, you have to go after the firmware. But since you might have a lot of data and files saved in your phone, it’s not wise to just reset it immediately. Instead, you have to go after the system caches first. Delete all of them so that they will be replaced with new ones and here’s how you do it:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe cache partition”
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Once the phone becomes active, try to open Internet again and see if the error still shows up and if so, then you have no other choice but to do the next step.

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

You don’t have much of a choice now that you’ve done those steps already to no avail. So, in this step, I want you to make a backup of your important files and data so that you won’t lose them during the reset. Before you actually reset your phone, make sure you know your Google ID and password or just disable the Factory Reset Protection so you won’t be locked out after that.

How to disable Galaxy S8+ Factory Reset Protection

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Cloud and accounts.
4. Tap Accounts.
5. Tap Google.
6. Tap on your Google ID email address if multiple accounts are setup. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
7. Tap 3 dot icon.
8. Tap Remove account.
9. Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

How to do the Master Reset on Galaxy S8+

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

I hope that this troubleshooting guide can help you.

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