The error message “Unfortunately, Gallery has stopped” in your Samsung Galaxy A3 is basically just a notification telling the user that the default multimedia manager has crashed for some reason. More often than not, the error is a sign of a minor app problem however, considering it’s a pre-installed app, it might also be a sign of a firmware issue. We have to do some troubleshooting procedures to know what this is all about and how to get rid of it.
In this article, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your phone. We will try to look into every possibility and rule them out one-by-one until the issue is fixed. If you’re one of the owners of this phone and are currently experiencing this problem, continue reading as this post may help you one way or another.
For those who are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our A3 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues with this phone. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you still need our help, contact us anytime through our Android issues questionnaire.
Fixing Galaxy A3 with “Gallery has stopped” error
The purpose of this troubleshooting guide will be to determine why this error message keeps showing up and how to get rid of it so you can continue using your phone without any hiccups. Before we go any further, read one of the problems sent by our readers so you’ll a better picture how this error occurs.
Problem: Hi guys! I have been following your blogs since I bought myself a Galaxy S5 a couple of years ago. Now, I have a Galaxy A3 I bought in April and ever since, I never really have issues with it. A week ago, when I took a picture of my niece and tried to view it, I got the error message “Unfortunately, Gallery has stopped” and I couldn’t view the picture. Not quite sure what to do about this since I have a lot of pictures in my phone. Can you please help me? Thanks.
Troubleshooting: Our troubleshooting will start from the assumption that this problem is just a minor app issue and as we rule out every possibility, we’ll progress into thinking that this might be a problem with the firmware. That being said, here’s what you need to do about it…
Clear cache and data of Gallery app
If this is just a minor problem with this app, then doing this procedure will fix it. It actually resets the app back to its default settings and deletes the cache and other files created by it. As a result, when you open the app, it would be like you’re opening it for the first time. Don’t worry, none of your pictures and videos will be deleted when you do this…
- From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Applications.
- Find and tap Gallery.
- Tap Clear cache to delete all of app’s caches.
- Tap Clear data and then tap OK to delete files created by the app.
Try rebooting your phone after this to refresh its memory and then open the app in question. If the error still shows up, move on to the next step.
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Reset Camera and other apps that trigger the error
The reason why I want you to reset the camera app as well is because both the Gallery and Camera run when you take pictures or record videos. It’s possible that the camera is also the one triggering the issue. However, if you’ve noticed some apps that might have something to do with the problem, you need to reset them as well.
- From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Applications.
- Find and tap Camera (or any app you suspect).
- Tap Clear cache to delete all of app’s caches.
- Tap Clear data and then tap OK to delete files created by the app.
After this, try to trigger the problem to see if it still occurs and if so, move to the next step.
Run your phone in Safe mode and trigger the error
It’s always possible that there’s one app that’s causing this problem and you may not have known it yet. To isolate the problem, try running your phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party apps and then open Gallery to know if the error still shows up. Now, here’s how you boot your A3 in safe mode:
- 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 when in this mode, the next thing you have to do is find the app that’s causing the problem. Begin your search from the most recent installation or take into consideration apps that use the camera or the gallery. If you already have a suspect or two, uninstall it…
- From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Applications.
- Tap the desired application in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display preinstalled apps.
- Tap Uninstall.
- Tap Uninstall again to confirm.
However, if the error is still popping up when you open Gallery in safe mode, then we can assume now that this is a firmware-related issue. Move on to the next step.
Reset all settings in your Galaxy A3
There is a chance that this error is due to some incorrect settings in your phone. We need to rule this possibility out before we proceed so follow these steps to reset all settings in your phone. Don’t worry, only the settings and your preferences will be brought back to defaults but your apps, files and data will never be touched.
- From a Home screen, touch and swipe up or down to display all apps.
- From a Home screen, navigate: Settings > Backup and reset.
- Tap Reset settings.
- Tap Reset settings, to confirm.
- If applicable, enter the PIN, password or pattern.
- Tap Reset settings.
If the problem persists after this, try the next step.
Wipe cache partition
By wiping the cache partition you’re deleting all system caches regardless if they’re good or corrupt. Once the phone boots up, all of those caches will be replaced with new ones so if the problem gets fixed after doing this, it would mean that the error has been triggered by some bad caches. Don’t worry because none of your files and data will be deleted if you did this:
- 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.
Backup files and do the Master reset
After wiping the cache partition and the problem still persists, then you have no other choice but to reset your phone. That is if you can’t live with an error like this. If you’re hesitant to do this, try using third-party gallery apps to view your pictures. However, if you want to do with this, then make sure you make a backup of your important files and data so that they won’t deleted during the reset process.
Also, take note of your google ID and password as you will be using them to set up your phone after the reset. It’s also recommended to disable the Factory Reset Protection by removing your google account prior to the reset. Once everything is set and ready, follow these steps to reset your Galaxy A3…
- 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 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.
The error message “Unfortunately, Gallery has stopped” is a minor app problem and the reset can definitely fix it. I hope this post has helped you one way or another. If you still need our assistance, feel free to contact us.
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