Samsung Galaxy S7 pops up “Messages has stopped” error after Android 7 Nougat update [Troubleshooting Guide]

Texting problems seem to become more common nowadays and while they occur any time, many have encountered similar issues after the anticipated Android 7 #Nougat update. In fact, we’ve already received quite a lot of reports from our readers who own #Samsung Galaxy S7 (#GalaxyS7) units because many complained about the error message “Unfortunately, Messages has stopped.” We’ve already tackled this problem before but there are still a lot of our readers who are bugged by this error so we still have to address this problem especially that a new firmware has recently been rolled out.

If you own this device, recently updated it to Android N and you’re currently bugged by this error message, then read on for you to understand why this error message shows up on your high-end smartphone that’s running the latest firmware version. Also learn how to troubleshoot it so that you can continue using your device like before.

Here’s one of the actual messages we’ve received from our readers that best describes this issue…

“Hello guys. My Galaxy S7 just got an update, which I downloaded and I think it was properly installed as the phone rebooted on its own after the download. After the update, I received a text message from a friend, saw the notification and tapped on the message. When the app was about to open, there was a message that popped up, it said “Unfortunately, Messages has stopped” then when I tapped OK the app closed. Tried opening the app manually but the error still shows up every time. What can I do?”

Now, before we jump right into our troubleshooting, if you happen to find this post because you were searching for a solution to a different problem, then visit our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed hundreds of issues sent by our readers since we started supporting Galaxy S7. find issues that are, in one way or another, similar with yours and then try to use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need further assistance, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us. Give us the information we need and we’ll help you find a solution.

Troubleshooting Galaxy S7 that shows “Unfortunately, Messages has stopped” error

Problem: I have the Samsung Galaxy S7 I purchased a few months ago and since I got it, there were a few updates I downloaded and my phone just worked fine through them. The recent update, however, messed up my phone pretty badly to the point that I can no longer read my messages due to the error “Unfortunately, Messages has stopped.” I don’t know what to do about this so if you guys can help me that would be great. Thanks.

The error message basically speaks of the default messaging app called Messages that crashed or force closed for some reason. In this case, we’re dealing this issue that occurred after the Android N update on the S7 so there’s a chance that the new firmware has some issues affecting some apps prompting them to crash or vice versa. Of course, there could be other causes or reasons why a pre-installed app crashes and we have to look into those possibilities. Here’s what needs to be done…

Step 1: Reset the Messages app to its default settings

The rule of thumb is to go after the app that’s explicitly mentioned in the error message so in this case, we’ll go after the Messages app itself. However, you may lose all your text and picture messages if you did this but it can potentially fix the problem.

1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Find and tap on Settings.
3. Touch Applications and then Application manager.
4. Swipe to ALL tab.
5. Find and touch Messages.
6. Tap Storage.
7. Tap Clear cache and then Clear data, Delete.

After doing this procedure, open the Messages app and then compose a message and send it to your own number just to see if the error shows up or triggered. It may be the only procedure you can do to fix this problem, however, if the error still pops up, then the next step might help.

Step 2: Try to see if the problem is caused by a third-party app

Third-party apps have a tendency to mess up pre-installed ones that’s why it’s imperative that as early as now you isolate the problem to know if one or some of your downloaded apps is causing the problem. To do so, just boot your phone in safe mode (diagnostic state) to temporarily disable all third-party apps, follow these steps:

1. Press and hold the Power key.
2. As soon as you can see the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7’ on the screen, release the Power key and immediately hold the Volume Down key.
3. Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device finishes rebooting.
4. You may release it when you can see ‘Safe mode’ in the bottom left corner of the screen.

After the phone has successfully rebooted in this mode, compose a text message and send it to your own number to try to trigger the error. If the problem is fixed, then there is an app that’s causing this problem. Try to uninstall third-party apps you suspect and then boot your phone in normal mode and send a test message to yourself. You may have to uninstall more than one app to determine which one’s the culprit.

On the other hand, if the problem still persists even in safe mode, then it’s possible we’re dealing with a firmware problem. Move on to the next step.

Step 3: Delete the system cache so they’ll be replaced

The system cache can easily get corrupted especially during firmware updates that’s why it’s recommended to clear them from time to time because while they don’t have adverse effects on the performance when deleted, they can slow your phone down when the new system continues to use obsolete or corrupt ones. You don’t have access to individual caches that’s why you have to wipe off the entire content of the cache partition to delete them. Here’s how you do it…

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
5. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
6. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
8. Wait until your phone is finished wiping the cache partition. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
9. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

After this, send a text message to your number again to see if the error gets triggered and if so, then the next step is your last resort before seeking assistance from a technician.

Step 4: Perform the Master Reset to bring your phone back to default settings

At this point in our troubleshooting, there’s not much we can do about the problem so we really have to bring the phone back to its factory default settings to know if it has something to do with the configuration or if some of the system files and data got corrupted. However, make sure you backup all your files and data saved in your phone’s internal storage before doing the actual reset as they will be deleted and can no longer be restored after that.

1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
5. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
6. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
8. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
9. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

After the reset, don’t install any app yet but try to send a text message to your own number to trigger the problem. If the issue still persists, then seek help from a technician who can do further tests on your phone.

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