Fix: ‘Plugin Has Stopped’ on Samsung Gear Smart Watches

Samsung’s smartwatches are quite popular for their sleek design and easy to use interface. The watches provide connectivity with mobile phones and make it easier for users to use some basic smartphone functions on the go. Normally they can last up to 60+ hours with a single charge. However, quite recently a lot of reports have been coming in of the “Gear S Plugin has Stopped” message on the watches which also reduces the battery timings to 10-12 hours.

What Causes the “Gear S Plugin Has Stopped” Error on Samsung’s Watches?

After receiving numerous reports from many users we decided to investigate the issue and devised a set of solutions which fixed the problem for most of our users. Also, we looked into the reasons due to which the error is triggered and listed them below.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the nature of the problem we will move on towards the solutions. Also, it is recommended that you implement these solutions in the specific order in which they are provided to prevent any conflicts.

Solution 1: Deleting Application Cache

If the cache of Samsung’s Gear Plugin is corrupted it can interfere with certain elements of the applications and might cause it to malfunction. Therefore, in this step, we will be deleting the application’s cache. For that:

1. On Samsung Watch, swipe up to access App menu.
2. Inside the App menu, touch “Settings” and then “Connections“.
3. Check the “Airplane Mode” checkbox and touch “OK” on the prompt Message.

   

4. Now grab hold of your mobile phone, drag down the notifications manager and select the “Settings” icon.

   

5. Inside settings, tap on the “Applications” option and then inside the applications tab tap on the “Gear S Plugin” option.
6. Tap on the “Force Stop” button and then on the “Storage” one.

   

7. Click on the “Clear Cache” button and navigate back to the “Applications” tab.

   

8. Now tap on the “Samsung Gear” option and then on the “Force Stop” button.
9. Select the “Storage” option and click on the “Clear Cache” button.
10. This will cause a reset on the Gear application; connect it to your phone and check to see if the issue persists.

Solution 2: Checking for Updates to Galaxy Apps

It is possible that certain Galaxy Apps are not updated due to which they might be causing certain conflicts while connecting the watch to your phone. Therefore, in this step, we will be checking for updates to the Galaxy Apps. For that:

1. Tap on the “Galaxy Apps” application and click on the “Galaxy Apps” option on the top left side.

   

2. Tap on the “My Apps” option and then tap on “Updates” to check for new updates.

   

3. Tap on the “Update All” if updates are available to the installed Galaxy Applications.
4. Wait for the Updates to be downloaded and installed.
5. Connect the watch to the phone and check to see if the issue persists.

Solution 3: Deleting Malfunctioning Applications

It is possible that certain Galaxy Applications might be interfering with the Samsung Gear application and preventing it from working properly. Therefore, in this step, we will be deleting some Galaxy Applications. Here you can troubleshoot which app is causing the problem. For that:

1. Drag down the notification panel and tap on the “Settings” icon.

   

2. Inside the Settings, tap on the “Applications” button and then tap on the Samsung Weather App (for example).
3. Click on “Force Stop” and then on “Uninstall“.

   

4. A prompt message will be displayed, tap “OK” on it and wait for the application to be uninstalled.

   

5. Check to see if the issue persists.
6. If the error message still shows up repeat the above process for more applications that have the word “Samsung” in them except for the “Samsung Gear” and “Samsung Plugin” applications.
7. Also, grab hold of the Smartwatch, and press the power button to go to the list of the apps.

   

8. Scroll down and tap on the “Play Store” icon.
9. Scroll down from top of the screen and select “My Apps“.
10. Tap the “Weather” app, scroll down to the bottom and select “Uninstall“.
11. Now connect to the phone and check to see if the issue persists.