Most smartphone manufacturers integrate first-party apps to promote their services. This could include an additional app store or an app linked to the brand’s e-commerce portal. Many smartphones even come pre-installed with third-party apps that are part of a carrier’s package or are included to subsidize the price of the phone.
Regardless of these apps, they are often referred to as bloatware. Bloatware is a term used to denote applications that may not be needed by the user and thus take up space and consume resources on a smartphone.
Thankfully, you can uninstall bloatware from your Android phone pretty easily.
What is Bloatware?
Android phones come with manufacturer-specific customizations, especially low-cost phones that come pre-installed with some first- and third-party apps. This can include streaming apps, social networking apps, and app stores that you’re not supposed to use.
Of course, what is considered bloatware for some may be important for others. So it’s up to you to decide which apps you use often and which ones are bloated and can be uninstalled.
Why You Should Uninstall Bloatware
All apps installed on your phone take up some storage space. They also consume resources like RAM and internet bandwidth. Uninstalling bloatware from your Android phone will save you all these resources. That means those resources will be available to the critical applications and services you use.
In some cases, bloatware apps also keep sending you unwanted notifications, which can be annoying. That’s why it’s a good idea to uninstall bloatware from your Android phone.
How to Uninstall Bloatware on Android
Uninstalling bloatware has been a popular practice on Android for a while. However, it is mainly limited to rooted devices. However, the method we are discussing also works for unrooted Android phones. So anyone with an Android phone can use it.
Some apps are important for your phone to function properly. Uninstalling some important apps can brick your phone and cause it to stop working. So be cautious and only uninstall apps that you know are not important like GetApps, Clean Master, Play Movies, Facebook or third party apps and service providers.
Set up ADB on your computer
Setting up ADB (Android Debug Bridge) requires you to know how to use Command Prompt or Terminal and be ready to troubleshoot in case something goes wrong.
Step 1: We will use ADB to uninstall bloatware from your Android phone. For this you will have to download the relevant files based on the operating system you use.
Step 2: Extract the ZIP file to a location of your choice. On Windows, hold Shift and right click on the extracted file and select ‘Open command window here’. On Mac and Linux, open Terminal and type CD and press Enter to change to the active directory.
Then drag the extracted folder and drop it into the Terminal window. You should now get the path to that folder on Terminal. Press the Enter key.
Step 3: Open the Settings app on your Android phone and navigate to About phone.
Step 4: Find the Build Number and tap it 7 times continuously to unlock Developer Options. If you already have it unlocked, skip this step.
Step 5: Go back to the Settings app and type Developer Options in the search bar. Tap the relevant result.
Step 6: In Developer Options you will find USB Debugging option. Enable the toggle next to it.
Step 7: Connect your phone to the computer via a USB cable. Make sure the connection mode is set to MTP/File Transfer.
Step 8: Once your phone is unlocked, in a Terminal window, type ./adb device and press Enter.
Step 9: You will now see a prompt on your phone asking if you want to allow USB debugging. Select ‘Always allow from this computer’ and click OK.
The Terminal window will display a string of digits in ‘List of devices attached.’ That indicates successful setup of ADB on your computer. Also, your phone appears connected.
Find the package name to remove
Step 1: Go to Play Store on your Android phone and download an app called App Checker.
Step 2: Open the app and browse through the list of installed apps on your phone. When you find an app that you want to uninstall, tap on it and you’ll see the package name listed below the app’s name.
Step 3: Make a note of all the packages of the app you want to uninstall. We will use these package names in ADB to uninstall the application.
Uninstall Bloatware App
Step 1: Once your phone is connected to ADB, type the following command and press Enter:
shell ./adb
Step 2: Now, type pm uninstall -k –user 0 PackageName. You will need to replace the word PackageName in the text with the actual name of the package in the previous step. Then press Enter.
Step 3: Your phone will uninstall the app and you will see a confirmation message in the Terminal window with the word ‘Success’. Repeat the process for each app you want to uninstall. Make sure to use the correct package name.
Disconnect your phone from the computer after all apps are uninstalled.
Reinstall deleted apps
If you accidentally uninstalled an important app and you want to get it back, here’s how you can do it.
Step 1: With your phone connected to ADB, type the following command and press Enter:
shell ./adb
Step 2: Now type pm install existing package name in the Terminal window. You will need to replace the word ‘PackageName’ with the name of the actual package you want to reinstall. Then press Enter to execute the command.
Now the app will be reinstalled on your phone.
Bloatware Removal
This is how you can uninstall unwanted apps from your phone and have a clean experience. No more annoying notifications from apps you don’t use!
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
