Remove Bloatware: Uninstall System Apps From Any Android The Easy Way (2024)

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Almost all smartphones these days come with some sort of bloatware. This can cause all sorts of problems on a smartphone, especially a budget device with limited hardware. The most common one is performance degradation followed by out-of-storage issues and ultimately severe battery drain. There there is a problem with duplicate apps. Thanks to projects like Universal Android Debloater, you can now easily uninstall any system app or bloatware from your Android device in a jiff.

What is Bloatware? In simple terms, Bloatware is any unwanted service or app that comes pre-bundled onto an operating system by either the manufacturer or the carrier. This can range from anything like carrier bloat such as the SMS app, bill & payments app, Chat Support, Device Manager, Cloud, Find My Phone, and many more.

It also comes bundled with OEM proprietary apps such as their own cloud storage apps, curated news apps, personal assistants (looking at you Bixby), and calendar apps. This becomes a major problem when the device maker and the operating system has duplicate apps and all try to nag you to make it your default app.

There are multiple instances of duplicate apps on Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, Infinix. Let’s take Samsung for example. It has its own personal assistant called Bixby, news app, calendar, the find my device, Samsung Internet Browser. Now Google pre-installs the same apps on every Android device. Google has the Assistant, news, calendar, find my device, Chrome browser. Both do the same thing.

The worst part is Samsung apps such as Bixby cannot be uninstalled or disabled. Essentially making them system apps. Also, disabling Google Assistant is well buried under the settings of the Google app.

That’s not even the tip of the iceberg. Facebook comes pre-installed on all Android devices from Samsung and can’t be uninstalled! Essentially making Facebook a system app. Also, it comes with 4 apps for some reason. The main FB app, FB App Installer, FB App Manager, FB Services.

Furthermore, Facebook has been proven heavy on the battery, memory, and storage.

Don’t even get me started on Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, Infinix, Pixel devices. They are full of bloatware apps.

Enough of the rant. Let’s get started with the tutorial. Here, I will show you how to uninstall system apps from any Android device from any manufacturer.

Before you proceed, you may want to visit:

  • List of Bloatware you can Remove or Uninstall from your Android Device Without Root

How to Uninstall Bloatware from your phone without Root Access

There are two methods to uninstall any app from your Android phone. Method 1 includes the Universal Android Debloater tool by 0x192. The second method is the old-school ADB method to uninstall any system app.

Method 1: Remove Bloatware using Universal Android Debloater

The Universal Android Debloater tool by 0x192 has a GUI that lists all the apps on your Android device. You can search the package name of the application and simply click the uninstall button next to it. The best part is that it supports Windows, MacOS, and Linux operating systems.

It can uninstall all kinds of bloatware from:

  • GFAM (Google/Facebook/Amazon/Microsoft)
  • AOSP
  • Manufacturers (OEM)
  • Mobile carriers
  • Qualcomm / Mediatek / Miscellaneous

Plus, it supports all OEMs including

  • Archos
  • Asus
  • Blackberry
  • Gionee
  • LG
  • Google
  • Fairphone
  • HTC
  • Huawei
  • Motorola
  • Nokia
  • OnePlus
  • Oppo
  • Samsung
  • Sony
  • TCL
  • Wiko
  • Xiaomi
  • ZTE

Download Universal Android Debloater Quickly

Here is how to use Universal Android Debloater:

  • Backup your data before you proceed. If you uninstall any important app, you may lose some functionality. Luckily, you can always restore the app.
  • First, EnableDeveloper Optionson your smartphone. To do so, go to Settings > About phone. Tap on the Build Number 7 times.
  • Turn onUSB Debuggingfrom the developer panel. Go to Settings > Developer Options > Check USB debugging. Also, check OEM Unlocking, just in case.
  • For some devices, you may need to disconnect from any OEM accounts under settings. (when you delete an OEM account package it may lock you on the lockscreen) You can skip this and proceed.
  • Install ADB on Windows or MacOS or Linux.
  • Now, go to where you have setup ADB and Fastboot on your PC.
  • Download the latest Universal Android Debloater for your system from here. Note: Click on Assets to view all download options. Get theopenglversion only if the default version (with a Vulkan backend) doesn’t launch.
  • Place the debloater app inside the ADB folder.
  • Connect your phone to PC. Allow ADB access.
  • Open a command prompt or terminal window inside the ADB folder. Type cmd in the address bar and press enter.
  • Type adb devices to see if the connection is successful. It should list the device.
Remove Bloatware: Uninstall System Apps From Any Android The Easy Way (1)
  • Launch the Universal Android Debloater.
  • It should automatically recognize your device and list all the apps from your phone.
  • Select All packages in the drop-down menu at the top besides Recommended.
Remove Bloatware: Uninstall System Apps From Any Android The Easy Way (2)
  • Search for a specific app or group of apps.
  • In this case, we are selecting all Bixby packages.
Remove Bloatware: Uninstall System Apps From Any Android The Easy Way (3)
  • Search Bixby and select all the packages.
  • Click Uninstall Selection at the bottom. Or uninstall each app individually.
  • You can also restore an app if you have accidentally removed it.
Remove Bloatware: Uninstall System Apps From Any Android The Easy Way (4)

Visual tutorial on how to remove bloatware using Universal Android Debloater:

Remove Bloatware: Uninstall System Apps From Any Android The Easy Way (5)
Remove Bloatware: Uninstall System Apps From Any Android The Easy Way (6)
Remove Bloatware: Uninstall System Apps From Any Android The Easy Way (7)
Remove Bloatware: Uninstall System Apps From Any Android The Easy Way (8)

Method 2: How to Uninstall System Apps on Android Device with ADB commands

This method can be used to uninstall or remove any Bloatware or package from the system. We are going to use the old school ADB command to access ADB Shell on Android device using USB Debugging and uninstall system packages.

  • Backup all of your data before you proceed. If you uninstall any important app, you may lose some functionality.
  • First, EnableDeveloper Optionson your smartphone. To do so, go to Settings > About phone. Tap on the Build Number 7 times.
  • Turn onUSB Debuggingfrom the developer panel. Go to Settings > Developer Options > Check USB debugging. Also, check OEM Unlocking, just in case.
  • Install ADB on Windows or MacOS or Linux.
  • Now, go to the folder where you have setup ADB and Fastboot on your PC.
  • Connect your phone to PC. Allow ADB access.
  • Open a command prompt or terminal window inside the ADB folder. Type cmd in the address bar and press enter.
  • Type adb devices in the command prompt or terminal to see if the connection is successful. It should list the device.

adb devices

  • Once you see the device ID, your phone has established a successful connection and is ready to proceed.
  • Open ADB shell. Enter the following command:

adb shell

  • You can list the Facebook packages using the following query:

pm list packages facebook

Note for ADB Mac OS and Linux:

Use the following adb commands

./adb devices

./adb shell

Note 1: Here, you can modify the string to get a list of all packages like

pm list packages|grep'<App or Package Name>'

Just replace <App or Package Name with the actual name>. For instance, to know all the Samsung packages enter:

pm list packages | grep 'samsung'

Note 2: You can also use apps like Package List to get the exact package name for various Bixby services.

  • To know the package names for Bixby, enter the following command:

pm list packages bixby

  • You will get a list of packages related to Bixby.
  • Uninstall each and every Bixby related package using the string:pm uninstall -k –user 0 <package name>
  • Ideally, the list would be:

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.samsung.android.bixby.agent
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.samsung.android.bixby.es.globalaction
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.samsung.android.bixby.wakeup
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.samsung.android.bixby.plmsync
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.samsung.systemui.bixby
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.samsung.android.bixby.agent.dummy
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.samsung.android.bixby.voiceinput

  • List of Bloatware you can Remove or Uninstall from your Android Device Without Root
Remove Bloatware: Uninstall System Apps From Any Android The Easy Way (9)
  • Reboot the device once.

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Remove Bloatware: Uninstall System Apps From Any Android The Easy Way (2024)

FAQs

What is the easiest way to remove bloatware? ›

How to remove bloatware on Android
  1. First, go to your smartphone's Settings. ...
  2. Scroll and look for the Apps submenu, then tap on it.
  3. Look for the App you want deleted, and tap on it. ...
  4. Once you are in the application's settings, move the Switch to uninstall or disable the app.

How do I completely remove system apps? ›

Uninstall/Disable the bloatware
  1. On your Android phone, go to “Settings -> Manage Applications.”
  2. Find the app that you want to uninstall and tap on it.
  3. If there is an “Uninstall” button, tap to uninstall the app.
29 Dec 2021

How do I completely remove all Android apps? ›

Delete apps that you installed
  1. Open the Google Play Store app .
  2. At the top right, tap the Profile icon.
  3. Tap Manage apps & devices. Manage.
  4. Tap the name of the app you want to delete.
  5. Tap Uninstall.

What is a bloatware on Android? ›

Bloatware -- the term for unwanted pre-installed software on a computer or device -- has been around since the dawn of PCs. Bloatware started with OEMs installing software by default on their computers to both make money and provide consumers with additional software they might want.

Is there a program that removes bloatware? ›

Avast Cleanup's bloatware remover feature gets rid of junk, forgotten programs, and other unneeded files clogging up your machine. Give your PC a performance boost with Avast Cleanup and our top-rated Windows bloatware removal tool.

How do I remove bloatware from my Android without rooting? ›

How to Uninstall Bloatware from your Phone without Root Access
  1. Step 1: Enabling USB Debugging on your phone. Open the Settings app on your phone and scroll down to About Phone. ...
  2. Step 2: Interfacing your phone with ADB. ...
  3. Step 3: Finding the name of the packages to uninstall. ...
  4. Step 4: Uninstalling the Bloatware.
25 Aug 2021

Does factory reset remove preinstalled apps? ›

A Factory Reset doesn't affect Android's /system partition but only the /data partition. So if browser and Google Play were pre-installed as user-apps ( in /data partition ) then they get restored by a Factory Reset: there is no way to prevent this, AFAIK.

How do I force a system app to disable? ›

For the third party bloatware, most of them can be easily uninstalled. 1. On your Android phone, go to “Settings -> Apps & notifications.”
...
Uninstall/Disable the bloatware
  1. Open “Hidden Settings for MIUI.”
  2. Go to “Manage applications” and find the application you want to disable.
  3. Tap on the “Disable” button.
23 Jun 2021

Why can't I uninstall system apps? ›

Some apps are granted Android administrator access. These will prevent you from uninstalling them unless you revoke their administrator privilege. Sometimes, malware can also use administrator privilege to wreak havoc on your phone.

How do I remove uninstalled programs from apps and features? ›

In the search box on the taskbar, type Control Panel and select it from the results. Select Programs > Programs and Features. Press and hold (or right-click) on the program you want to remove and select Uninstall or Uninstall/Change. Then follow the directions on the screen.

What apps should not be on my Android phone? ›

17 dangerous Android apps you should delete from your phones right now
  • 117. Document Manager.
  • 217. Coin track Loan - Online loan.
  • 317. Cool Caller Screen.
  • 417. PSD Auth Protector.
  • 517. RGB Emoji Keyboard.
  • 617. Camera Translator Pro.
  • 717. Fast PDF Scanner.
  • 817. Air Balloon Wallpaper.
5 Jul 2022

What is a system tracing app? ›

The System tracing utility is an Android tool that saves device activity to a trace file. On a device running Android 10 (API level 29) or later, trace files are saved in Perfetto format, shown later in this topic. On a device running an earlier version of Android, trace files are saved in the Systrace format.

What apps should you not have on your phone? ›

CamScanner, Screen Recorder and even TikTok: Here are 10 apps you need to remove from your phone now
  • Game and puzzle apps. ...
  • CamScanner on iPhone or Android. ...
  • Sketchy astrology app. ...
  • Find another way to fax. ...
  • Say no to this logo creator. ...
  • An unsecured screen recorder. ...
  • Data-hungry Facebook. ...
  • QR code scanners.
24 Jun 2021

What causes bloatware? ›

It can come from multiple sites, especially malicious websites and third-party platforms. Some bloatwares stay hidden in application bundles and can have malware or adware in it. The bloatwares that get downloaded from the web usually display advertisements on your system and slow down the device.

How do I know if I have bloatware? ›

How do I identify bloatware?
  1. The app is difficult to uninstall. Bloatware is usually not that easy to remove. ...
  2. You don't recognize the app. ...
  3. It aggressively offers you to purchase some additional features. ...
  4. Your browser started to display annoying pop-ups. ...
  5. It's almost useless.
26 Apr 2021

Is bloatware a problem? ›

Bloatware exposes users to a greater number of cybersecurity risks. If it connects to the internet, it exposes the computer to malware by introducing a host of applications designed to exploit computing power and personal information, including financial information.

What does removing bloatware do? ›

When it comes to Android devices, bloatware often comes in the form of apps. For the safest way to eradicate any on your device, you'll want to disable them. This will ensure the apps don't run in the background of your device, meaning slowing it down, but they will still use storage space.

What happens if you remove bloatware? ›

Disabling bloatware is much more risk-free. It will ensure that the app does not take up valuable RAM by running in the background, but it also means that the app is not really 'gone', in the sense that it is if you have uninstalled it.

How do I deactivate a device administrator app? ›

How do I enable or disable a device administrator app?
  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Do one of the following: Tap Security & location > Device admin apps. Tap Security > Device admin apps. Tap Security > Device administrators.
  3. Tap a device administrator app.
  4. Choose whether to activate or deactivate the app.

How do I remove hidden apps from my mobile? ›

Open the settings on your phone and tap the Home screen option located under the Display tab. Alternatively, you can also long-press on the home screen and select the Home screen settings option to speed things up. The next step is to open the Hide apps menu, tap the apps you want to hide, and select the Done option.

Does factory reset get rid of bloatware? ›

With bloatware typically the pre-installed apps are meant: they by default are located in Android's /system partition ( read: directories /system/apps & /system-priv ). A Factory Reset DOESN'T TOUCH this partition thus apps housed there neither get deleted nor get added. A Factory Reset simply removes all user-data.

How remove installed apps from Android carrier? ›

If you are bothered by such pre-installed apps and want to remove them from your Android device, then you've come to the right place.
...
Disable pre-installed apps
  1. Tap and hold the icon of the app you want to disable.
  2. Select App Info.
  3. On the App Info screen, tap the button that Disable.
  4. Select Disable App.
10 May 2022

What happens if you disable built in apps? ›

Disabling an app will remove it from the apps screen and stop it from running in the background. Disabled apps will no longer receive updates. Depending on where you bought your device, different apps may be preinstalled.

What is the difference between removing and uninstalling apps? ›

What is the difference between deleting and uninstalling it? The delete feature is used to remove documents, pictures, and other files used by programs on your computer. Uninstall is used to remove a program installed on a computer.

Can we uninstall inbuilt apps? ›

You can't delete some system apps that came pre-installed on your Android phone. But on some phones, you can turn them off so that they won't show on the list of apps on your phone. To learn how to disable apps, contact your device manufacturer.

What happens if you force stop Android system app? ›

No matter how many times you terminate them, they stay running in the background. Force Stopping an app will completely (and immediately) end all foreground and background processes related to that particular app.

Which startup apps can I disable? ›

As a general rule, it's safe to remove any startup program. If a program starts automatically, it usually provides a service that works best if it's always running, such as an antivirus program. Or, the software may be necessary to access special hardware features, such as proprietary printer software.

How do I disable ADB on Android? ›

To stop the adb server, use the adb kill-server command. You can then restart the server by issuing any other adb command.

How do I force a program to uninstall from Control Panel? ›

In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs. In Add/Remove Programs, verify that the program for which you deleted the registry key is not listed. If the program list is not correct in Add/Remove Programs, you can double-click the Uninstall.

How do I uninstall a program without Control Panel? ›

Use the Uninstall Command Displayed in the Registry

Click Start, click Run, press CTRL+V to paste the uninstall command, and then click OK.

What is 3D Viewer and do I need it? ›

3D Viewer is a simple but functional and powerful program with extensive functionality for editing and viewing 3D models. It can display each function differently in different file formats. This is worth considering if you want to edit the file.

How do I find hidden apps on Android? ›

Tap on the three dots that are present at the upper-right of the device screen. Click on the home screen settings. It will navigate you to the Hide apps menu; tap on it. Here, you will see the hidden apps that are not showing in the app list.

What is Quickstep app in Android? ›

Quickstep is the fastest, most convenient way to deliver well-organized collections of documents, videos and other information to your audience's devices. Distribute service manuals to technicians, programs to conference attendees, reading materials to students and more, Available for Android and iOS.

What apps are watching you? ›

Settings > Apps & Notifications > Scroll down and click Advanced > Permission Manager > Select which settings you'd like to examine, from call logs, to camera permissions, to microphone permissions > Once you're under a category, you can click on any of the apps to toggle the permission to Allow or Deny.

What apps should every phone have? ›

12 essential apps for any Android phone
  • Dropbox. Dropbox lets you access your files from anywhere. ...
  • Plex. Plex streams your media files to your device. ...
  • Pocket. Pocket helps you catch up on your reading. ...
  • Snapseed. Everything you need from an image editor. ...
  • VLC Player. ...
  • SwiftKey. ...
  • Google Podcasts. ...
  • CamScanner.
20 Jan 2019

What are spy apps disguised as on Android? ›

Comparison of Some Android Spyware Apps
Tool NameBest For
mSpyMonitoring chats, photos, videos, and location of Android and iOS devices.
XNSPYView photos, videos, and social media chats on your kids' android smartphone.
eyeZyFeature-heavy cell phone spying app for Parents and Employers.
10 more rows
25 Oct 2022

What is private compute services app used for? ›

Private Compute Services provide a privacy-preserving bridge between the Private Compute Core and the cloud, making it possible to deliver new AI models and other updates to sandboxed machine learning features over a secure path.

What app tracks Android phones? ›

Google Find My Device is a free app that allows you to trace your phone. You can track any device on your Android phone with this software. To protect the data, you can create a password. The app also has remote lock and delete capabilities.

What is traceur APK? ›

With the release of Android Pie, this inconvenience was addressed with the introduction of the Traceur package, which is a tool that captures raw trace data directly on an Android phone.

What is bloatware and how do I get rid of it? ›

Bloatware is a type of software that comes preinstalled on a computer, smartphone, or tablet.
...
Option 1: Uninstall
  1. Open the Start menu and click the Settings cog to open your Settings. ...
  2. Click Apps.
  3. Select the application you want to remove and click Uninstall.
29 Oct 2020

Does factory reset delete bloatware? ›

With bloatware typically the pre-installed apps are meant: they by default are located in Android's /system partition ( read: directories /system/apps & /system-priv ). A Factory Reset DOESN'T TOUCH this partition thus apps housed there neither get deleted nor get added.

How do I get rid of bloatware without rooting? ›

How to Uninstall Bloatware from your Phone without Root Access
  1. Step 1: Enabling USB Debugging on your phone. Open the Settings app on your phone and scroll down to About Phone. ...
  2. Step 2: Interfacing your phone with ADB. ...
  3. Step 3: Finding the name of the packages to uninstall. ...
  4. Step 4: Uninstalling the Bloatware.
25 Aug 2021

Does bloatware decrease FPS? ›

Without bloatware, we're running 109 FPS AVG, 78FPS 1% lows, and 70FPS 0.1% lows. With bloatware, those numbers fall to 90FPS AVG and in the 50s for 0.1% low FPS. Just for the average, that's a change of 20.7% only by disabling all the pre-installed software that comes with the laptop.

What happens if you disable a preinstalled app? ›

Some smartphone manufacturers allow you to disable pre-installed apps. This won't remove the app from your smartphone, but the app will stop running in the background and will no longer show up in the app drawer.

What happens if I reset all apps? ›

A factory data reset erases your data from the phone. While data stored in your Google Account can be restored, all apps and their data will be uninstalled. To be ready to restore your data, make sure that it's in your Google Account.

Does removing app delete everything? ›

Then, hit “Remove.” Next, choose between “Delete App” and “Remove from Home Screen.” Deleting an app will erase all its data.

How do I uninstall preinstalled apps on Android without root? ›

Uninstall/Disable the bloatware
  1. On your Android phone, go to “Settings -> Apps & notifications.”
  2. Tap on “See all apps” and find the app you want to uninstall and tap on it.
  3. If there is an “Uninstall” button, tap to uninstall the app.
23 Jun 2021

Does deleting apps improve RAM? ›

As we have discussed in our past article, closing apps all the time is not a good idea. Removing apps from the RAM is counterproductive for the system. You hardly get any benefits from it. It doesn't increase your battery life, and the foreground apps don't run any faster by closing the background apps.

Does removing apps improve performance? ›

Uninstall unnecessary apps

While some apps just take up storage space, others can run in the background to refresh their content or do other tasks, thereby wasting crucial system resources that can be better used by the apps you actually use. So, uninstall any Android apps you don't use frequently.

Does deleting apps improve performance? ›

Both Android and iOS have a recent apps list. Pull up the list and you will find a seemingly endless register of apps that you have opened at some point. Despite what you may think, removing apps from the list won't speed up your smartphone.

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