The error message “Unfortunately, Settings has stopped” can be a sign of a minor problem with your phone or a serious issue with the firmware. It basically means that the Settings app has crashed or stopped working for some reason. As a result, you cannot access most of the settings in your device let alone make changes that your prefer because the moment you tap on Settings, it crashes.
Most of the time, this problem affects the overall performance of your phone not because of the error but because of what happens before the error appears. A few seconds before the error shows up, your phone may lag or freeze and it could be due to some inconsistencies in the system. Obviously, the error is very annoying but the events prior to it are very frustrating that’s why you need to address this problem immediately. Continue reading as I will share with you some procedures that could fix this issue.
Before going further, if you found this post because you were trying to find a solution to your problem, then try to visit our Galaxy S9 Plus troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed most of the commonly reported issues with the phone. We’ve already provided solutions to some of the problems reported by our readers so try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit.
How to fix Galaxy S9 Plus with “Settings has stopped” error
First solution: Restart your Galaxy S9 Plus
I’ve personally encountered similar issues in the past that were caused by minor issues. Those things can easily be fixed by a normal reboot so you better begin your troubleshooting by rebooting your phone. Hit that power key and restart your Galaxy S9 Plus and if the problem continues after that, then try this:
- Press and hold the volume down and power keys together for 10 seconds or more.
This will simulate battery disconnect and restarts your phone to refresh its memory. After doing this and the error is still showing up, then move on to the next solution.
Second solution: Run Galaxy S9 Plus in Safe mode
Running your phone in safe mode alone won’t fix any problem but will tell you if the problem is caused by some third-party apps or not. While the phone is in this environment, all third-party apps are temporarily disabled so if the problem is caused by one or some of then, the error won’t show up and that’s when you know what the culprit is. Here’s how you run your device in safe mode:
- Turn the device off.
- Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen appearing on the 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.
- When Safe mode appears in the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume down key.
Assuming the error doesn’t pop up in this mode, the next thing you should do is find the app that’s causing the problem. It might be a bit of a challenge but try to go after the apps that you installed when this problem started. This is how you uninstall an app from your Galaxy S9:
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap Settings > Apps.
- Tap the desired application in the default list.
- To display preinstalled apps, tap Menu > Show system apps.
- Tap UNINSTALL > OK.
You may have to uninstall more than one app to be able to figure out which one is the culprit. Take your time uninstalling the apps you think are causing the problem and you may have to reboot your phone countless times to verify if the problem is fixed.
On the other hand, if the error “Settings has stopped” is still showing up in safe mode, then you will have to do the next solution.
Third solution: Wipe cache partition
We don’t know for sure what the problem with your phone is for now but we have to rule out every possibility. In this step, we need to wipe off the contents of the cache partition so that the system caches will be replaced with news ones. Corrupt caches may also lead to this problem and that’s the possibility we have to rule out here. This is what you need to do:
- 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 three keys.
- An ‘Installing system update’ message will show for 30 – 60 seconds before the Android system recovery menu options appear.
- Press the Volume down key several times to highlight wipe cache partition.
- Press Power key to select.
- Press the Volume down key to highlight yes, them 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 problem still continues after this procedure, then you have to do the next step.
Fourth solution: Backup file and reset your Galaxy S9 Plus
Based on my own personal experience with this problem, it can be fixed by a reset provided that the firmware hasn’t been modified in any way. Make sure you backup your files and data as they will be deleted during the reset process. After which, disable the factory reset protection by removing your google account from your phone so that you won’t be locked out after the reset. Once everything is ready, follow these steps to reset your phone:
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- 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).
- 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.
I hope that this post can help you one way or another. If you have other concerns you want to share with us, feel free to contact us or leave a comment below.
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