Samsung Galaxy J5 keeps showing “Unfortunately, Phone has stopped” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

The error message “Unfortunately, Phone has stopped” on your Samsung Galaxy J5 is basically notifying you that the built-in phone app, the one you use for calling, has crashed for some reason. It might just be a temporary issue with the app itself or it might be a serious problem with the firmware considering the app is bound to the firmware.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Samsung Galaxy J5 that keeps showing this error message. We will consider every possibility and rule out each of them until the problem is fixed. The error alone, however, doesn’t tell us what the problem really is so we need to dig a little deeper to be able to know more about it.

Some of our readers said that the error shows up when they receive a call while some said the error appears immediately after the Phone app is opened. Let’s try to troubleshoot the device based on the problem I cited below.

But before we jump right into our troubleshooting, if you have other issues with your phone, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed a lot of issues with this device. Try to find problems that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy J5 that shows up “Phone has stopped” error

Problem: Howdy. I own the Galaxy J5 and for some reason, it’s now showing the error message “Unfortunately, Phone has stopped” every time I open the phone app. I think there was an update that I downloaded but I’m not quite sure of that’s what caused the problem and this error message to pop up. It’s kind of annoying because I often use my phone to call so I really can’t use it now for that. Can you help?

Troubleshooting: The purpose of this troubleshooting guide is for us to know if this problem can be fixed by doing the most basic troubleshooting procedures because if not, then you should bring the phone to the shop and have a technician take a look at it. But rest assured that the error message is just a minor problem. Here’s what you have to do:

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

Since the phone app is specifically mentioned in the error message, it’s just logical to go after it. So, the first thing you must do is reset the app by clearing its cache and data. You won’t lose anything important once you do this, just the call logs so, it’s safe as far as your files, contacts and texts are concerned. Here’s how you clear the cache and data of the Phone app:

1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Applications.
4. Tap Application manager.
5. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap MORE > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
6. Tap Storage.
7. Tap Clear cache.
8. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

After this, open the app again and if the issue still persists, move on to the next step.

Step 2: Open the phone app in Safe mode

Now let’s rule out the possibility that one of the apps you installed is causing the problem. You can do that by booting your phone up in safe mode:

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power key past the screen with the device name.
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’.

You would still be able to use your phone normally while in this mode so try to open the Phone app to know if the error would still show up. Assuming the problem is fixed while in this mode, then move on the next step, otherwise, skip to step 4.

Step 3: Find, reset and uninstall third-party apps that cause the problem

You only have to do this if the error message won’t show up in safe mode because it means that, at least, one of the apps is causing the problem or triggering the error. Try to go after the apps you installed short before the problem started and once you have a suspect, clear its cache and data and try to open the app. You may have to uninstall it if the problem still persists after that.

How to clear app cache and data on Galaxy J5

1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Applications.
4. Tap Application manager.
5. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap MORE > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
6. Tap Storage.
7. Tap Clear cache.
8. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

How to uninstall an app from your Galaxy J5

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

Step 4: Reboot your J5 in Recovery mode and wipe cache partition

If the error still shows up in safe mode, then you have to delete the system cache as some of them may have been corrupted or already obsolete especially if you just updated your to the latest firmware.

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.

The phone will take a little longer to rebuild the caches and boot up but once it becomes active, try to open the phone app and make a call to know if the error still shows up and if so, then the next step may help.

Step 5: Backup files and data and reset your phone

After doing the first 4 steps and the problem still occurs, then you have to reset your phone to bring it back to its factory default settings. However, make sure you make a backup of your important files and data as they will be deleted. After the backup, disable the Factory Reset Protection so you won’t be locked out after the reset.

How to disable the Factory Reset Protection on Galaxy J5

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 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.

Alternatively, you can reset your phone from the settings menu…

1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Backup and reset.
4. If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
5. If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
6. Tap Factory data reset.
7. Tap Reset device.
8. If you have screen lock turned on, enter your PIN or password.
9. Tap Continue.
10. Tap Delete all.

I hope this helps.

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