Samsung Galaxy J7 popping up “Unfortunately, the process com.android.phone has stopped” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

The error message “Unfortunately, the process com.android.phone has stopped” may occur from time to time if you are using an Android phone. The process com.android.phone is present in all Android devices and in this error we can see that it’s the one that’s crashing. The apps that often use this process are Phone, Dialer and Contacts. From time to time, this error can also be triggered by a messaging app especially if the owner inserts a contact from his/her contacts list.

The point is we don’t know for sure what triggers this error when we simply base our judgment on the error message itself. However, if you are observant enough, you may easily determine the trigger by recalling the app you used when this error showed but then, of course, you really can’t be certain. That’s the reason why we need to troubleshoot to learn more about this error and to know what really is the trigger.

I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Galaxy J7 that keeps on showing the error message “Unfortunately, the process com.android.phone has stopped.” We will take into consideration every possibility and rule them out one after another. It is imperative that we can pinpoint what the problem really is so that we can try to formulate a solution that not only fixes it now but also prevent it from happening again in the near future. So, if you have a phone like this and currently experiencing similar concerns, then continue reading below as this post may be able to help you.

Before anything else though, if you have other issues with your device, then visit our Galaxy J7 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 Galaxy J7 with “process com.android.phone has stopped” error

Problem: I have a problem with my Galaxy J7 as there’s an error that keeps showing up, it says “Unfortunately, the process com.android.phone has stopped.” It started a couple of days ago when I was talking with a friend over the phone. The call wasn’t disconnected though but after that when I open the phone app, this error shows up. Not quite sure what it means and what needs to be done to get rid of it but I think it has something to do with the phone app. I don’t know how to fix this so can you guys help?

Troubleshooting: The other variation of this error message is “Unfortunately, Phone has stopped” but it’s actually more on the front-end than on the backend. The error “Unfortunately, the process com.android.phone has stopped” is actually just notifying you about one of the process used by the Phone or dialer. However, it also affects the capability of your phone to make or receive phone calls. It’s actually just a minor problem and based on our experience, we can fix it by doing a couple of troubleshooting procedures. But take note that this process is also integrated into the firmware and it might also be a sign of a serious firmware issue so we really need to troubleshoot. With that said, here’s what you should do about it:

Step 1: Clear the cache and data of the process com.android.phone

It’s the process that crashes so you’ll have to go after it first. Common processes are often more like apps which can be reset and that’s exactly what you need to do. By doing this, you’re ruling out the possibility that this error is caused by a minor problem with the process. Here’s how you do it:

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap Application manager.
Tap the com.android.phone.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

After doing this, try to open the phone app and see if the error still shows up. If it doesn’t, open contacts and any app that has something to do with phone calls. If it doesn’t fix the issue, then do the same thing to the Phone app itself.

Step 2: Clear the cache and data of the Phone app

We now have to go after the app that’s using the process that keeps crashing, in this case, it’s the Phone app. Again, the phone app is the frontend or the interface but it could also be the trigger of this error. Follow these steps to reset the app…

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

If the problem still persists after this, then move on to the next step.

Step 3: Reboot your phone in Safe Mode to see if the error still shows up

We are now trying to find out if your third-party apps have something to do with the problem. By running your phone in safe mode, you’re actually temporarily disabling all third-party apps and some of them may be the cause or the trigger of this error. So, all you gotta do is run your phone in safe mode and open the phone app to see if the error shows up…

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 clear enough that the cause of the problem is one or some of the third-party apps. You need to find that app, update and reset it or even uninstall it to see if the issue gets fixed.

How to update third-party apps on your Galaxy J7

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Play Store.
Tap the Menu key and then tap My Apps. To keep your apps automatically updated, tap the Menu key, tap Settings, and then tap Auto-update apps to select the check box.
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.

How to Reset applications on your Galaxy J7

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

How to uninstall applications from your Galaxy J7

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap Application manager.
Tap the desired application
Tap Uninstall.
Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

If the error still shows up in safe mode or if the previous steps were unsuccessful in fixing the problem, then you have to do the next step.

Step 4: Delete all system caches so they’ll be replaced

It’s possible some of the system caches got corrupted and they might be the reason why this process is crashing. The fact is, we don’t know if there’s are other processes that are also crashing in the background. So, in this step, I want you to delete all system caches so that firmware can create new caches that are completely compatible with the firmware. This is how you delete those caches:

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.

The phone will take time rebuilding the caches but wait for it to become active before trying to open the Phone app again. If the error, however, still shows up even after you’ve wiped off the cache partition, then you have no other choice but to do the next step.

Step 5: Backup all your files and data, then reset your phone

It might just be an issue with the one of the processes but it seems like it’s rooted somewhere else. In this case, you need to reset your phone to bring it back to its factory default settings or configuration that works. It is almost certain that a reset can fix this problem, however, all your files and data will be deleted if you it, therefore, make sure you make a backup so that you can just restore them after the reset.

After backing up your files and data, disable the Factory Reset Protection (FRP) so you won’t be locked out of your phone after the reset.

How to disable Factory Reset Protection on your Galaxy J7

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
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 More.
Tap Remove account.
Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

How to reset your Samsung Galaxy J7

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 the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Backup and reset.
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 Factory data reset.
Tap Reset device.
If you have screen lock turned on, enter your PIN or password.
Tap Continue.
Tap Delete all.

I hope this troubleshooting guide can help you get rid of the error message so you can continue using your phone for calls.

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