How to fix “Unfortunately, System UI has stopped” on Android phones

Most android devices running stock OS don’t usually get the “Unfortunately System UI has stopped” error. This error is common among smartphones running customized Android operating systems. Some examples of customized OSs include Samsung’s Touchwiz, ASUS’s ZenUI, HTC’s Sense UI and Huawei’s Emotion UI. This error is mostly caused by a faulty or buggy software update and is usually fixed by another update. This can also happen if you have certain third party launcher installed. Here are some of the possible fixes for “Unfortunately the System UI has stopped” error on Android smartphones and tablets particularly Samsung Galaxy Note, HTC and ASUS Zenfone devices:

Method 1: Remove third party launcher

If you have any third party launcher app like NOVA, Trebuchet, Apex or Go launcher installed, uninstall them. Such launcher apps may conflict with your system UI because your system is not granting it sufficient permission to function stably.

Method 2: Remove apps that you recently installed

Sometimes normal apps may also conflict with your system UI. Identify your most recently installed apps and uninstall them.

Method 3: Wipe Cache Partition

A simple reboot may be all you need to fix this error. So try it. If that didn’t fix it, try booting into recovery and clearing caches. The best option is to “wipe cache partition”. First of all figure out the button combination to boot into fastboot. Usually, you turn off your phone and hold the volume down + power button until the recovery menu appears. Then you can use the volume buttons to highlight “recovery” option. Once inside the recovery, again use the volume button to select “wipe cache partition” and then press power button to select it.


If the problem still persists, all you can do is ignore it and wait for another system update to fix this issue. You may also try downloading the previous version of the Android operating system for your device and then install it manually via recovery. However, going the OS flashing route, will require you to unlock your device’s bootloader, which can void your device warranty. But if you have no problem with losing warranty, you can even install other custom ROMs that will surely fix the “Unfortunately System UI has stopped” error on your device.