Android Bloatware: What you need to know and how to get rid of

Remove Bloatware by taking control of your device. Carriers and manufacturers often pre-install their own software on Android phones. If you’re not using them, they can clutter your system or, worse, exhaust your battery.

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Disabling vs. Uninstalling

When it comes to removing bloatware from your device, you have a few options.

Uninstalling an app does just as it says on the tin: it removes the app from your computer completely. However, there are certain disadvantages to this. However, uninstalling certain preinstalled apps may cause issues or instability, and in some cases, may prevent your phone from receiving updates.

Besides that, you might not be able to restore these apps after they have been removed. You may not think you want them back right now, but who knows if you will in the future.

Some manufacturers have begun to distribute their apps through Google Play—Samsung has been especially cooperative in this regard—so if you uninstall anything like S Health and then need it back, you can get it from the Play Store. Others, though, are not.

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Finally, uninstalling apps normally necessitates rooting your device. Most users have never been through this procedure.

As a result, rather than uninstalling bloatware, we suggest removing such apps. This is a built-in feature of Android, and it should function with most users.

If you come across an app that refuses to be disabled—which is uncommon these days—you can “freeze” it with a third-party app, which is exactly the same thing—though you’ll need a rooted phone for this. As a result, it is the last option.

How to Use Android’s Built-In Setting to Disable or Remove Bloatware

On newer phones, removing bloatware is simple and shouldn’t require root access. For this tutorial, I’ll be using an unrooted Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, but the procedure will be the same regardless of which phone you have—the interface will just look different.

To begin, go to the Settings menu. By pulling down the notification shade and pressing the tiny gear button, you can do so. Notice that you will have to pull the shade down twice on certain phones before the gear appears.

Then scroll down and tap Applications

Locate and tap the app that is causing you so much trouble. For example “Dictionary” app.

On the app’s details page (assuming this is a pre-installed app), there are two buttons at the top: Disable and Force Stop.

When you press the Disable button, an alarming little popup warns you that it may trigger problems in other applications. “Disable” should be selected.

It’s worth noting that this disable option might not be available in all apps, but it should be in the majority of them.