You’ve probably noticed that not all the preinstalled apps on your device are useful. By deleting apps you don’t use or need, you’ll enhance your device’s performance and free up some storage space, as well. There are, however, some stubborn apps that won’t let you remove them that easily. Those apps are dubbed bloatware. Luckily, there are some methods you might want to try to get rid of such inconvenient apps.
Uninstall or Disable the Bloatware
When it comes to getting rid of bloatware, you have two options – uninstall or disable. Why are these options different? Well, the first one is more drastic, meaning you’ll have to delete some files from your device permanently. The other option is much more accessible. Disabling an app means that you won’t permit it anymore to take up valuable RAM. Depending on the app, your choice could put or not your device at risk.
The ‘disable’ option is available since the Android 4.0, so the apps won’t consume the resources anymore while they’re not active. You can start disabling an app by:
- Going to Settings and then choose Apps;
- You will notice three options: All Apps, Disabled, and Enabled;
- Tap on an app and see if it can be uninstalled;
- When disabling an app, you’ll be notified that some programs might not run properly afterward – meaning that there are apps that relied on the app you chose to uninstall/disable;
Disable or Delete Samsung’s Preinstalled Apps
Samsung’s UI varies from stock Android a little bit, and it arrives with another process to disable the bloatware apps. However, you might as well try the following steps:
- Open the App Drawer;
- Long press on any apps you want to disable or uninstall if possible;
Remember that a disabled app won’t receive any updates, and it won’t run in the background anymore.
Disable Standard Google Apps
Curious about which preinstalled Google apps you can disable? The following apps can be disabled, but remember that you can do this only after you’ve set up an alternative:
- SMS/MMS;
- Camera;
- Downloads;
- Email;
- Browser;
- Video Studio;
- Email;
- Gallery;
- Sound Recorder;
- Voice Dialer;
In short, that’s how to uninstall or disable bloatware on Android.
