Fix Galaxy S7 Edge “Unfortunately, com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity has stopped” error

Galaxy S7 Edge “Unfortunately, com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity has stopped” is an error reported recently. This is the first time I have encountered this problem. Basically when an app crashes, it causes this error.

com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity is a new service that has the tendency to crash very often. Usually it happens when you put the phone on charge no matter if it’s a wired charger or wireless. In the beginning I was confused how it’s possible that a service that has to do with devicessecurity crashes when phone charges.

But if you look carefully in the error message you will see also two letters “sm”. They refer to phone’s Smart Managers. In the first sight you would say that still it has nothing to do with charging because smart manager manages RAM and storage memory.

Well… it doesn’t manage only RAM and storage but also the battery. But what does this mean?

Is the Smart Manager app that crashes?

No,not really. The error is referring to one one single service: com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity. If we manage to fix the service, we will fix problem as well. If it’s not fixed than we will need to go after the Smart Manager and if the problem still remains we will need to take a look at the firmware.

Well, this may sound like a lot of work to do but the only thing you should learn when you encounter such errors is to know how to troubleshoot them. If you ca be able to troubleshoot a service you may be able to fix it when it crashes.

How to fix Galaxy S7 “com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity” has stopped error

The good thing about this error is that it mentions only one app. In these cases when an app crashes the first thing we do is clear cache and data. In our case com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity doesn’t have cache so we have to clear only the data. To do so follow the steps below:

• Take your device and go to Settings.
• Tap on More tab.
• Select Application Manager and then All Applications.
• You will see a list with all the installed apps. Find and tap com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity.
• Tap on Storage.
• Clear Data, then delete.
• Reboot your phone.

If the problem is related only with this service the above steps will fix it. If not you should go after the Smart Manager and if the problem still remains we should take care about the software.

So let’s assume the above procedure wasn’t enough to fix the com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity has stopped on Galaxy S7. Here’s what steps you should follow next:

• Get your Galaxy S7 and head over to Settings
• Navigate to All applications and then select Application Manager.
• Swipe to All tab and tap on Smart Manger.
• Tap on Storage.
• Clear Cache, then Clear Data and Delete.
• Reboot your phone.

The problem should be fixed. If the issues still remains still don’t worry there is also something else you can do.

Safe Mode

In the next procedure we are going to boot Galaxy S7 into Safe Mode. It will disable all the third-part apps and isolate the issue. com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity is a default service but it may happens that third-part apps use it and it crashes. So to try this other method follow the steps below:

• Press and hold the Power key.
• Once you see the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge’ on the screen, release the Power Key and hold the Volume Down key.
• Continue holding the Volume Down key until the device finishes rebooting.
• Once you see “Safe Mode” in the bottom left corner, release them.

Once your phone successfully boot into Safe Mode check if the problem still persist. If it is fixed it means that any third-party apps is causing the issues. If the issues still remains than we should go after the firmware.

Delete System Cache

Deleting cache doesn’t mean you will delete all the files forever. You will delete the old files but the system will replace them with new one. If some of these files were corrupted and causing the error, following the steps below will definitely fix it.

• Take your phone and turn it off.
• Wait few seconds and then press and hold Volume Up + Home, then press and hold the Power Key.
• Release the Power key once the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen. Release only this button but continue to hold the Home and Volume Up keys.
• When Android logo appears release all the buttons and leave the phone about 60 seconds.
• Using the  Volume keys navigate to “wipe cache partition”.
• Press the power key to select it.
• Highlight the option ‘Yes’ and press the Power Button to confirm.
• The phone will wipe the cache partition. Wait until it finishes and reboot it.
• The phone will reboot and it may last more than usual.

That’s all! These steps should fix Galaxy S7 Edge com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity has stopped.

Factory Reset

If the problem still exist there is one last thing you can do. You have to Factory Reset your phone. This always comes in the end because it will delete everything on your phone. You may want to save your personal files somewhere else before doing a Factory Reset.

If you make up your mind and backed up all your personal files, it’s time to follow the step below to Factory Reset Galaxy S7 Edge.

• Take your Galaxy S7 Edge and turn it off/
• Press and hold Home + Volume Up then press the Power key.
• Once the Galaxy S7 Edge appears on the screen, release the Power key but still hold the Home and Volume up.
• When Android logo shows, release all the buttons and leave the phone for about 60 seconds.

Note: It may appear a message ‘Installing system update’. This is the first phase of the entire process.

• Using the Volume keys navigate to ‘Wipe Data/Factory Reset’.
• Press the Power key to select it.
• Again using the Volume buttons highlight the ‘Yes’ option and confirm using the Power key.
• Wait a bit until the phone delete all the user data.
• When it finishes, reboot the system.

That’s all we can do to fix this. I hope this guide was useful for you to fix Galaxy S7 com.samsung.android.sm.devicesecurity has stopped error. If the problem is not fixed using these steps than you should ask for a professional service and flash a stock Samsung firmware.