Even after the Year of Android came out, “Unfortunately, settings have stopped” is still one of the most common problems that people have with their Android phones. If it stops people from using any service or certain features, it is bad. Wasn’t it a little annoying that you wouldn’t let me go into the settings and change them? So, if you get this error, you can use this article to figure out how to fix it by following the steps below.
Fix Troubleshooting Guide “Unfortunately, settings have stopped working on Android.”
If your Android device suddenly stops working, there could be several reasons. We don’t know the root cause of this, so we can’t say for sure. Check out the following steps to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Then, before we get into troubleshooting, try restarting your phone or tablet. Our device has both non-volatile and volatile memory, which means it can store long-term files like photos and videos, but it can also process short-term files, which are called ROM and RAM. Whenever you restart your phone, you’ll be able to find missing files, which may have been checked by the system app. You can then try to fix them on your own.
If it won’t be able to be fixed on its own, you’ll need to do some troubleshooting. Which might be able to help you fix your Android quickly. Check it out without further ado.
Reason for “Unfortunately, settings have stopped” Error
In this case, there isn’t a single reason why you have been getting the stopped error. There could be a lot of different reasons why you have been getting it. If you get the message “Unfortunately, settings have stopped,” here are some of the most common ones.
- Bugs or failures in your device’s firmware or ROM. And that’s what you should look out for.
- Insufficient memory on the device, low RAM
- The versions of Google Play Services don’t work with each other.
- Some files are missing from your system app and the apps you downloaded.
- Installing a custom ROM.
- Not having enough room.
- Older versions of Android.
Clear recent and unused apps
Because your device uses more RAM, it may not work well because some apps need a certain amount of RAM to work well. Doing this might help you if you have too many apps running in the background on your phone. You could also try uninstalling or deactivating old apps.
Uninstall the last installed app.
It’s possible that the last app you installed on your device might not work well on the settings page on your phone or tablet. After you remove the last app from your device, do the same thing. We think it makes more sense if you install it from the Google Play Store instead of from a third-party source.
Is it fixed? Then look at the most recent version of the app and report it to its creator if it does not work. Do not download the app outside the Google Play Store if you got it from the Play Store.
Purge the Settings cache
As a result of cache data, it could be that you have had an error. Memorising your device’s cache data might help you fix it. Here’s how you can clear the settings cache by following the steps in the text below.
- Open the device settings.
- Head over to “Apps and Notifications.”
- Tap on “App Info,” and then from there, choose “Settings.”
- Next, tap on “Storage & Cache.”
- Now, click on “Clear Cache.”
- That’s it.
In the end, you were able to get rid of your device’s settings cache. Try again to do what you want to do. You may no longer see your Android device crash so quickly.
Force-Stop Settings
You might be able to get things back to normal if you forcefully stop the game. It’s the same as the guide above, but here’s how to do it.
- Open the device settings.
- Head over to Apps & Notifications.
- Next, click on App Info and click on Settings.
- Tap on “Force Stop.”
- That’s it!
Purge the Google Play Service’s cache
It might be because of the Google Play Service if clearing the cache and stopping the settings doesn’t work for you.
- Open Device Settings and head over to Apps and Notifications.
- Next, tap on App Info and then scroll down to find “Google Play Services.”
- Choose “Storage & Cache,” and then from there tap on “Clear Cache.”
- That’s it!
It’s still possible that there is a problem with the Google Play service. Which is probably going to be fixed with the new version of Google Play Services. Then, if you update, you might be able to fix it.
Update the Google Play Service
To update your Google Play service, here is a step-by-step guide.
- Open the device settings.
- Head over to “Apps & Notifications.”
- Tap on App Info, and then from the list, choose “Google Play Services.”
- From there, use Advance to expand the drop-down menu to access more functionality.
- Select and tap on the app details, and if you find any new updates, do an update; otherwise, you can use the deactivate/activate button to restart Google Play.
- That’s it!
Alternatively, by reinstalling, you can clear any corrupted or missing files. Check out the following guide mentioned below.
- Open Device Settings and head over to Apps & Notifications.
- Click on App Info, and then go to Google Play Services from the list.
- Tap on the triple-dot menu that appears in the upper-left corner of the screen.
- Choose Install Updates, and then confirm your action by clicking OK.
- That’s it!
Note: By uninstalling your apps, you will restore them to the factory version of Google Play Service, which means your profiles and updates will be cleared on your device.
Update your device.
A problem with your Android OS may be the reason why none of the above guides work for you; to fix this, you’ll need to update your Android OS. Do check the manufacturer’s support page to make sure that the navigation isn’t in a different place than it is on Google’s stock OS.
- Open the device settings.
- Scroll down to find System, click on it, and then from there go to System Update.
- Click on it, and then tap on “Check for updates.”
- Do an update if you find an update on your device by clicking on Download and Install.
- That’s it!
Reboot your Android device into safe mode.
When you run an Android device in safe mode, it only runs system apps and doesn’t run any other apps that you’ve installed. This means that third-party apps won’t work. So, if the above doesn’t work for you, this is the best way to check your device settings. Check out the next set of instructions that are down below.
- Power off your device, and then press and hold the device’s power button.
- After some time, it will show a pop-up saying “Reboot to Safe Mode.”
- Tap on OK to continue, and once you finish testing the settings app on your device, simply reboot your device to get back to general mode.
- That’s it!
Wipe-cache Paration from Recovery Mode
After you have done what you can in safe mode, if it is still bothering you, you can do a wipe check in recovery mode. Down below, there is a list of steps. This is a step-by-step guide.
- Simply put your device to sleep by pressing the power-off button.
- Next, press and hold the power and volume keys at the same time to get into recovery mode on your device. (Note: Some devices have other functions to enter boot mode, like for Samsung, pressing and holding Volume Up + Menu + Power button.)
- From there, click on “Recovery Mode,” and then it will boot into the recovery mode of the device.
- Go to the Wipe cache partition, and use the power button to select the menu.
- Once it finishes rebooting the device.
Factory reset your device.
There is no way to solve your problem without doing a factory reset on your phone or tablet. Not only that, but it will also delete all of your data and set your phone back to factory settings. Before you do a factory reset on your device, we recommend that you make a copy of all of your data.
- Open device settings and head over to System or General Management of your device.
- Tap on Reset, and then from the following options, choose “Erase all data” (factory reset).
- Then, confirm your action, and when it finishes resetting, follow the on-screen wizard to finish the setup of your device.
- That’s it!
You should be able to set up your Android device’s settings now, and we think you’ve figured out why “settings have stopped.” Android users often get an error message that says, “Unfortunately, settings have stopped working.” This message was added to the Android Kitkat version update. In the last few years, a lot of Android users have complained about this.