Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2018 March 20

Welcome to the Wikipedia Computing Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

March 20

Unwanted apps

Some apps got planted on my phone (Android 5). How to get rid of them, please ? Jon Ascton  (talk) 16:43, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

Some apps pre-installed by the manufacturer can not be uninstalled. So, you should live with them. Ruslik_Zero 19:07, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

If not uninstalled, possibly they can be disabled on the same screen where you go to clean their cache. I don't know if Android 5 supports this. If you recently got the phone or switched carriers, this could be carrier's bloatware in which case disabling is the best you can do. If not, it could be malware.

Alternatively, you can root the phone to remove all the apps you don't want, and possibly install a custom ROM (operating system). However, this takes some computer skills and it can ruin your phone permanently if done incorrectly. 93.142.91.255 (talk) 22:21, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

If you're going to install a custom ROM, look for a stock or default ROM first using the exact model number of your phone and instructions from the manufacturer on how to flash that ROM. If they have a "developer's ROM," that may fix your problems (it did with a Xiaomi I had). Instructions from the ROM developers (especially LineageOS, which I'm gonna look at switching to very soon) tend to be pretty good. XDA-Developers is a good place to find ROMs. The only times I've had any trouble are:

• When I got a phone from a Chinese manufacturer (like Huawei or Xiaomi), because they started locking the bootloader and recovery mode.
• When the seller lied to me about the model number (even regional variants of what are supposed to be the same model use different ROMs).

Other than that, read the instructions entirely before trying anything, and read them again before and during each action. The magic word is RTFM. Note that flashing a ROM can be all but starting from scratch, so back up any photos, contacts, or whatever before trying it. Ian.thomson (talk) 22:48, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

You cant delete them because some companies need your data to earn money, win someones election, know where you are, with who, what you do, how much money you spend on what and if you need viagra. Besides even if you find the hour long, secret, difficult and dangerous way of breaking out of this it will most likely all be restored in the next update. --Kharon (talk) 23:39, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

@Kharon: Please explain how flashing a custom ROM will not get rid of apps. Go on. We're listening. Ian.thomson (talk) 23:53, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

I didnt say it was impossible but you may get into trouble with updates. Also a custom ROM does not delete apps - it may grant you root on your device more easy. Additionally your warranty is most likely void the moment you load up your custom Rom/firmware. I think some companies build in traps to discourage users from changing the economic base they build and want to keep. --Kharon (talk) 00:10, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

Every time I've flashed a ROM, my phone was blanked and I had to re-install apps because internal storage was wiped. Not sure how you're flashing ROMs in a way that keeps the apps. I've also never had trouble with updates, because my updates go through the ROM developers instead of the manufacturers. Ian.thomson (talk) 00:28, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

So every update you have to additionally wait till your ROM source implements that into their custom Rom? Isnt that more or less the point i tried to make? --Kharon (talk) 01:06, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

If that was the case, you did not make that apparent at all. it will most likely all be restored in the next update implies that the update would come from the manufacturer (how else would the manufacturer's bloatware get back on there?). It's easier to understand your prior comments as having the implication that the manufacturer somehow maintain backdoors that custom ROMS somehow cannot close despite replacing pretty much everything, which manufacturers will use to prevent updates of custom ROMs. If that was not your intention, you should have been clearer. Ian.thomson (talk) 01:14, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

Also, Google updates Android. The ROM (be it stock or custom) goes on top of that. You have to wait for the ROM update either way. How long it takes the custom ROM to update is unrelated to how long it takes the manufacturer to update the stock ROM. Ian.thomson (talk) 01:20, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

Im no expert in android or cellphone Roms. I trust you know that way better than me but i know some history of roms and companies that may lead me to early warnings which seem unsubstancial at the moment. So lets simply conclude that i admit that i am wrong and you are right. For now. --Kharon (talk) 01:31, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

Not to contradict you, but histories of a lot of carriers and phone makers are sketchy too, and most phones only get security updates from the vendor or maker for a year or two after their release, if even that. People who use pre-installed Android have woefully insecure phones or waste thousands on the yearly new phone treadmill. 93.142.91.255 (talk) 03:22, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

(edit conflict)For now...? Look, hoping to "get even" for this in future interactions is rather against the nature of the site. Ian.thomson (talk) 03:38, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

Holy cow, it seems that all of the responders have jumped to a major conclusion, that the apps which the OP wants to remove are nonremovable system apps. There's nothing in the OP to suggest that. Before suggesting rooting the phone and installing custom ROMs, shouldn't we start by trying to remove the unwanted apps in the usual way? And if that doesn't work, then try disabling the apps? Only if all that fails would it MAYBE be reasonable to consider rooting the phone (but probably not even then). CodeTalker (talk) 02:19, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

The OP did say apps got 'planted'. Even given WP:Engvar, this seems to imply they weren't voluntarily installed. So if they weren't actually stock apps, I'd be more worried about how these apps got installed in the first place. If you haven't signed up for some service which installs such apps but is at least run by reputable party, you probably do want to at a minimum reset to factory defaults. Frankly I'd be much more worried about such apps than I would be about stock apps, even stock apps from unknown Chinese manufacturers. Nil Einne (talk) 03:28, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

My experience with stock apps from unknown Chinese manufacturers (while living in China, granted) was that some of them are adware and a few even border on malware. That's what got me into flashing ROMs. Ian.thomson (talk) 03:38, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

That's precisely my point. They're bad, but compared to stuff which was somehow installed on your phone without intentional action on your part, they're nothing. CodeTalker seems to be suggesting that if these are not non removable system apps then don't worry and just uninstall them. But I'd counter that given indications are that these OP didn't intentionally install these apps, if they are not non removable system apps it's actually even more of a concern and would suggest a factory reset at the minimum. (Other than the OP agreeing to some trustworthy service which installed apps, the only other scenario I can think of where the OP didn't intentionally install these apps but this wouldn't apply would be if the OP did install them from some reliable app store but didn't do it intentionally, perhaps from pocket 'dialing' although that's not very easy to do.) Nil Einne (talk) 16:07, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

(edit conflict)Yeah, we did assume clue a bit too hard re uninstallation. The IP, however, did suggest that if programs cannot be uninstalled, they can be disabled (but still didn't provide instructions). Then we got side tracked by alarmism. Ian.thomson (talk) 03:38, 21 March 2018 (UTC)