{"id":32985,"date":"2023-12-02T01:40:37","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T14:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.au\/blog\/how-to-disable-and-remove-android-bloatware\/32985\/"},"modified":"2023-12-02T01:40:40","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T14:40:40","slug":"how-to-disable-and-remove-android-bloatware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.au\/blog\/how-to-disable-and-remove-android-bloatware\/32985\/","title":{"rendered":"Delete the undeletable: how to disable and remove Android bloatware"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most smartphones have an average of around 80 installed apps<\/a>, of which at least 30%<\/a> are never used since most are forgotten about. But such \u201cballast\u201d is harmful: there\u2019s less free space on the device; potential bugs and compatibility issues multiply; and even unused apps at times distract you with pointless alerts.<\/p>\n

To make things worse, abandoned apps can continue collecting data about the phone and its owner<\/a> and feed it to advertising firms<\/a>, or simply gobble up mobile data<\/a>. Hopefully, we\u2019ve already convinced you to \u201cdebloat\u201d your smartphone at least a couple of times a year and uninstall apps you haven\u2019t used for ages \u2014 not forgetting to cancel any paid subscriptions to them<\/a>!<\/p>\n

But, unfortunately, some apps are vendor-protected against uninstallation, and so aren\u2019t all that easy to jettison. Thankfully, there are some ways to get round this problem\u2026\n<\/p>\n

Uninstall the app<\/h2>\n

\nSometimes you can\u2019t find an unwanted app under the Manage apps & device<\/em> tab of the Google Play<\/em> app. First, try to remove it through the phone settings: look there for the Apps<\/em> section. This lists all installed programs and has a search feature to save you from having to scroll through them all. Having found the unwanted app and tapping it, you\u2019re taken to the App Info<\/em> screen. Here you can view the app\u2019s mobile data, battery, and storage consumption, and, most importantly, find and tap the Uninstall<\/em> button. If the button is there and active, the job\u2019s done.<\/p>\n

\"List<\/a>

List of all installed apps and the App Info screen with the Uninstall button<\/p><\/div>\n

Disable the app<\/h2>\n

\nIf the app was installed on the phone by the vendor, it\u2019s likely to be non-removable and have no Uninstall<\/em> button on the App Info<\/em> screen. That said, it\u2019s not necessarily linked to the OS or core components of the smartphone \u2014 it could be, say, a Facebook client or a proprietary browser. Such apps are often called bloatware<\/em> since they bloat the phone\u2019s firmware and the list of standard apps. The easiest way to disable such apps is on the above-mentioned App Info<\/em> screen; instead of Uninstall<\/em>, the relevant button will be marked Disable<\/em>. A disabled app is not much different from an uninstalled one \u2014 it vanishes from the set of icons on the startup screen and won\u2019t run manually or when the phone boots up. Should you need it later, you can easily turn it back on with a single tap on that same App Info<\/em> screen.<\/p>\n

Disabling reduces the risk of data leakage, but does nothing to save storage space \u2014 unfortunately, the disabled app continues to take up memory on your phone. If you absolutely have to uninstall it \u2014 but there\u2019s no Uninstall<\/em> button \u2014 read on!\u2026<\/p>\n

\"For<\/a>

For non-removable apps, instead of an Uninstall button, the App Info screen shows a Disable button<\/p><\/div>\n

Stop the app<\/h2>\n

\nBut what if the Disable<\/em> button on the App Info<\/em> screen is grayed out and untappable? For especially important programs, vendors take care to block the disabling option \u2014 often for a good reason (they\u2019re vital to the system) \u2014 so you need to think very carefully before trying to disable or uninstall such apps manually. Open your favorite search engine and punch in the query \u201cexact smartphone model number + exact app name\u201d. Most likely you\u2019ll see Android user forum discussions at the top of the search results. These often give information about whether the given app is safe to disable or whether there could be any side effects.<\/p>\n

To perform a harmless experiment with an app that can\u2019t be disabled, you can use the Force Stop<\/em> button. This is the second button on that App Info<\/em> screen and it\u2019s almost always active \u2014 even for apps that can\u2019t be disabled. Force Stop<\/em> simply stops the app temporarily, without attempting to remove or permanently disable it. However, it no longer consumes power or mobile data \u2014 and can no longer spy on you. And if your phone continues to work as normal, then perhaps the app isn\u2019t that important after all.<\/p>\n

But stopped apps can start up again when certain events occur or after a phone restart, and stopping them manually each time \u2014 moreover regularly \u2014 can be troublesome and inconvenient. Fortunately, you can automate this task with the Greenify<\/em> app. It doesn\u2019t require superuser rights to work, but merely automates navigating to the now-familiar App Info<\/em> screen and tapping the Force Stop<\/em> button. You simply supply Greenify<\/em> with a list of unwanted apps and set a Force Stop<\/em> schedule to, say, twice a day. Other tools offer similar functionality, but Greenify\u2019s<\/em> advantage is its lack of \u201cextra\u201d features.<\/p>\n

\"If<\/a>

If the Disable button is inactive, try using Force Stop<\/p><\/div>\n

Freeze or uninstall the app despite its objections<\/h2>\n

\nIf you tested stopping a non-removable app and suffered no negative effects, you might consider freezing it or removing it altogether. Freezing is the same as disabling but is done using different tools. Before delving into the details, note that freezing requires technical skill and the activation of Developer mode on your phone. This mode itself creates certain information security risks by allowing connections to the phone via USB or LAN in special technical modes, plus the ability to view and modify its contents. Although Google has fenced off this functionality with many safeguards (permission requests, additional passwords, and so on), the room for error (thus creating risks) is high.<\/p>\n

One more thing: before you start tinkering, be sure to create the fullest possible backup of your smartphone data.<\/p>\n

If all of the above hasn\u2019t scared you off, see the guide in the box.\n<\/p>\n

\n

Freezing and uninstalling non-removable Android apps in Developer mode<\/h4>\n