You just went out and bought a shining new Android smartphone and you took it out of the box. You are now ready to install your favorite apps and you will find that your new smartphone already comes with several. The situation is even worse if you are purchasing a carrier-locked device because now the phone will have some carrier-promoted bloatware apps. Bloatware is a huge problem that has plagued Android users since its inception. It pisses me off that there is no direct way to uninstall these apps. Heck, even Apple now lets you uninstall system apps in iOS 10 and 11.
While there are ways to remove bloatware, these methods were limited to rooted Android devices. Fortunately, there is a new way to uninstall system apps on Android and it works on non-rooted devices as well. So without further ado, Here’s how to remove bloatware on Android without root:
Note: Some system apps are required for your phone to work properly. Choose wisely before uninstalling apps as uninstalling the wrong apps can render your smartphone unusable. However, if that happens, a simple factory reset will bring back all the uninstalled apps.
Prerequisites for Uninstalling Bloatware
Before we get into the rush, we will have to go through certain steps so that the bloatware removal process continues without any interruptions. So if you’re ready, let’s get started.
1. Installing App Inspector
Before you start deleting your apps, you need to know exactly. file path of the application, because this will be used to execute the command to delete the app. For now, go to the link below and Application Auditor Application from Play Store.
2. Enabling USB Debugging
This is a common practice and if you follow Beebom’s website, you may already know how to do this. For the inexperienced, just follow this path, About Phone-> Build Number and tap on it 5-6 times. This will enable Developer Options. Now go to Developer Options and enable “USB debugging”.
3. Install Android Debug Bridge (ADB) on Your Computer
We will need the help of the ADB tool to run our process. Basically, ADB is a command line tool that helps you interact with your Android Device and run commands using your computer. There are many different ways you can use to install ADB on Mac or Windows. I shared the easiest method I found.
Installing ADB on Mac
First, open Terminal on your Mac. Now paste the following command and hit return/enter.
/usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)”:
Now paste the following command. This will install ADB on your Mac.
brew cask install android-platform-tools
Installing ADB on Windows
To install ADB on Windows, visit: Android SDK download page and scroll down until you find the link shown in the picture. Click the link to download the zip file. Extract the zip file and run the .exe file. deselect everything except “Android SDK Platform tools” and then click Install. This will install the ADB tool on your PC.
Removing Bloatware
note: I’m using my OnePlus 3 to demonstrate this method, but it will work on any Android device. I’m also using a Mac. Windows users should follow the same command. The only difference is that Command Prompt is used instead of Terminal.
1. First, Open Application Inspector Tap the app and “Application List”. Scroll down to find the app you want to uninstall and tap to open it. In my case, I will uninstall the Hangouts app. Note the application path for your application. See picture for reference.
2. Now connect the phone to your computer and select the file transfer mode.
3. To check if your device is identified by the ADB program, Open Terminal/Command Prompt and enter the code below and hit enter/return.
adb devices
After the command is run, you will be able to see an alphanumeric code representing your device and the word device written next to it.
4. Now enter the command adb shell You should now be able to see your Device’s name to enter shell mode.
5. Now you just need to copy and paste the below command to uninstall the app.
pm uninstall -k --user 0 <name of package>
change containing the path to your app
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.google.talk
6. Now it remains only to press enter/return key and the application will be uninstalled and you will see the word. “Success” in your Terminal/Command Prompt as shown in the picture above. Congratulations, the app is now uninstalled. Let’s search the app on the phone to be sure.
Similarly, enter the path of the apps you want to uninstall one by one and get rid of them. As I mentioned earlier, if you accidentally delete an app, Bring it back by performing “Factory Reset” your phone.
SEE ALSO: How to Enable System Wide Immersive Mode on Any Android Phone
Remove Bloatware on Android without Rooting
Bloatware takes away the fresh feeling that comes with being tied to an Android smartphone when you buy it. While the software already feels used, the hardware is all new and shining. Not only that, from time to time they waste space and annoy you. It’s time to say goodbye to those annoying apps. Remove them and make your phone feel brand new just like running stock Android. What is the worst app you want to get rid of? Let us know in the comment section below.
