Solutions to Galaxy S8 Plus “Unfortunately the process com.android.phone has stopped” error

In our years of supporting Android devices, we often come across all types of errors related to Android apps. One of such errors is “Unfortunately the process com.android.phone has stopped” pop-up. If you’re getting this error on your #GalaxyS8Plus, then this troubleshooting article will help you fix it.

Solution #1: Do a soft reset on your S8 Plus

In almost all instances, “Unfortunately the process com.android.phone has stopped” error keeps one from using the phone because this popup floats on the screen and won’t go away. Restarting the phone might help fix the problem but if you can’t restart it normally, you should try a soft reset instead. If you haven’t tried this one yet, here’s how to do it:

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: Reseat SIM card

“Unfortunately the process com.android.phone has stopped” error is network-related error so it makes sense if some users claimed that removing and re-inserting the SIM was able to successfully fix their issue. We’ve never really validated this claim ourselves but we can’t see any reason why you should not try it as well. After all, the SIM card interacts with the Phone app one way or another. As Android environment is complicated, it’s really possible that “Unfortunately the process com.android.phone has stopped” error may be caused by a bug that’s associated with the SIM services.

Before you take the SIM card from the phone, be sure to turn the device off first.

Solution #3: Clear some storage space

Another uncommon workaround some Galaxy owners did to fix “Unfortunately the process com.android.phone has stopped” error was to delete some personal data to make more storage space. This workaround is obviously possible only when you can get to the Gallery app in the first place. We are yet to test this solution though so we can’t say with enough certainty if it works or not.

Solution #4: Force Stop Phone app

In majority of cases, “Unfortunately the process com.android.phone has stopped” error and Phone app are related so it makes sense if you can deal with the app directly. In order to do that, you want to try interrupting Phone app first. As a pre-installed app, Phone app regularly runs in the background so stopping it for a moment may stop the bug that causes “Unfortunately the process com.android.phone has stopped” error. In order to force stop Phone app, follow these steps:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap More settings (three-dot icon) at the upper-right.
Select Show system apps.
Find Phone app and tap it.
Tap FORCE STOP.

Solution #5: Clear cache data of Phone app

If force stopping Phone app won’t do the trick, the next potential solution is to clear its cache. This cache is app-specific so it won’t delete your personal data such as contacts and phone logs. However, if you want to keep your phone logs and other Phone app information, be sure to create a backup before doing the next step if wiping the cache won’t help — clearing Phone app data.

To clear Phone app cache and data, follow these steps:

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

If clearing the Phone app cache won’t work, then your next move would be to clear its data. The steps should be the same but instead of tapping on Clear Cache button, tap Clear Data instead.

Solution #6: Force stop SIM toolkit app

Some Galaxy users were able to successfully fix “Unfortunately the process com.android.phone has stopped” error by force stopping SIM Toolkit app. This app is the one used by your SIM card in order to work with Android. Just like any app, it can develop bugs or by affected by them. To force stop it, refer to the steps for Solution #4.

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: Cache partition wipe

Whether there’s a problem or not, clearing your phone’s cache partition should be performed regularly. This is not just to fix problems but also to minimize bugs. In your situation, wiping the cache partition may help by making sure that Android uses a fresh set of cache when loading apps. Here’s how to do it:

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 #9: Boot to Safe mode and observe

With a lot of apps in the Play Store that you can install, there’s always a chance that one of them may problematic. To see if one of the downloaded apps is causing this problem on your S8 Plus, try to boot the device to safe mode and see if the error goes away. To boot 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.

Remember, booting to safe mode is not a solution but a way to help you determine if one of your third party apps is causing a problem. If the error won’t pop up in this mode, that means that our suspicion is spot on. To fix the problem, you must identify the culprit by uninstalling apps one by one.

Solution #10: Factory reset

Finally, if nothing works, consider wiping the phone thru factory reset. This will return all software settings to their defaults and can effectively remove bugs that may have developed over time. Before you factory reset your phone, be sure to create a backup of your personal data to avoid losing them.

To factory reset your S8 Plus, follow these steps:

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.