How to fix a Galaxy S8 with “Settings has stopped” error when using Hotspot

“Settings has stopped” error or “Unfortunately, Settings has stopped” pop-up are usually indicators of an on-going firmware or app issue. A lot of devices that happened to experience this error tried to install updates prior to noticing the problem, though there’s also a huge number of users over the years who insisted that the error occurs out of the blue.

This troubleshooting article deals with “Settings has stopped” error when using Hotspot feature so it’s a new variant of the problem. If you happen to experience this issue on your #GalaxyS8, read on.

Solution #1: Perform soft reset

Although this solution calls for a soft reset, the main aim is to really just restart the phone. Soft reset differs from a normal restart only in the way it is done. The effect to the system is the same though so if you are able to restart your S8 by simply pressing and holding the S8, go ahead and do that. However, if the device remains unresponsive, or if the “Settings has stopped” pop-up blocks the screen and won’t allow you to restart normally, you should consider a soft reset. To do that, follow these steps:

Press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons for approximately 10 seconds or until the device power cycles. Note: Allow several seconds for the Maintenance Boot Mode screen to appear.
From the Maintenance Boot Mode screen, select Normal Boot. Note: Utilize the volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the lower left button (below the volume buttons) to select. Also, allow up to 90 seconds for the reset to complete.

Solution #2: Boot to Safe Mode and observe

There’s a possibility that one of the installed apps may be poorly coded or incompatible. This situation happens all the time so to check, you want to boot your S8 to safe mode. In safe mode, the S8 will only be able to run pre-installed apps. If your phone runs normally and the “Settings has stopped” error won’t return, that’s a telltale sign of a third party app causing the problem.

In order to restart your S8 to safe mode, follow these steps:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
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.
Uninstall apps that are causing a problem.

If you think there’s a bad third party app causing the issue, you’ll need to identify it in order to get rid of it. Unfortunately, safe mode won’t pinpoint the exact app. You’ll have to use the method of elimination to know what the problematic app is. To do that, you have to uninstall an app, observe the phone in normal mode for some time, uninstall another app, then observae again. You have to repeat this cycle until you’ve pinpointed the source of the problem.

Solution #3: Reset Settings

The next good thing to do in this case is to try resetting your S8’s settings. All your device’s settings except security, language, and account settings will be restored to their defaults. Other customizations that you’ve done on your phone will be discarded so you’ll have to redo them afterwards.

To reset the settings on your S8, follow these steps:

Open Settings app.
Tap General Management.
Tap Reset.
Tap Reset settings.
Tap Reset settings button.

Solution #4: Clear Data of Settings app

If resetting S8 settings won’t fix the problem at all, the next good thing to do is to clear Settings app’s data. Here’s how to do that:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap More settings (three-dot icon) at the upper-right.
Select Show system apps.
Find Settings app and tap it.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear Data.
Restart the phone.

Solution #5: Toggle Hotspot on and off

Since the issue appears to involve the Hotspot feature directly, it only makes sense to see what happens if you toggle Hotspot on and off. To do that, follow these steps:

Open Settings app.
Tap Connections.
Tap Mobile Hotspot and Tethering.
Toggle Mobile Hotspot on and off.

Solution #6: Clear cache partition

Clearing the cache partition is a highly recommended solution for all Android difficulties. That’s because it forces the device to delete the system cache, which is stored in the cache partition. A corrupted system cache usually results to all sorts of issues including the “Settings has stopped” error. To see if clearing the cache partition will help, follow these steps:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold 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 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.

Solution #7: Reset network settings

The next good thing that you can do is to reset your S8 Plus network settings. Doing so will clear wifi, mobile data, and Bluetooth settings. Here’s how to do it:

Open Settings app.
Tap General management.
Tap Reset.
Tap Reset Network Settings.
Tap RESET SETTINGS button.

Solution #8: Master reset

The final troubleshooting step that you can do in this case is to wipe the device and hope that by restoring the software to their defaults, the issue will be fixed. To factory reset your S8, follow the steps below:

Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google credentials to finish the Master reset.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold 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 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.

Solution #9: Get Samsung’s help

Finally, if all else fails, make sure to let Samsung know so they can examine the phone and fix it. Although we believe that an issue like this is user-fixable, yours may be an exception and that only Samsung can fix or resolve it.