Database Info

[Q] WHY can't you delete preinstalled apps?

Hi folks,
As you can tell from the title I'm a smartphone noob and didn't realise you couldn't do this (see the amount of people I've spoke to who didn't even notice you can't delete apps that come with the phone! What's with that?).
But as you can see I emphasised the 'why', 'cause I've searched everywhere but can't find a reason as to why. I'd assume it was just so you can't delete bloatware, but even the Nexus that runs on stock Android has the same issue.
Does anyone know why (or guess why) you can't delete preinstalled apps?
Thanks!

If your device is rooted, all you have to do is download Root Explorer from the market and delete the APK files from the system.
They're located in: /system/app/
You have to press "Mount R/W" on the top right of the application before you can read and write. Make sure hit "Mount R/O" in the same spot after you're done editing though. Also, make sure that what you're deleting isn't something you need and you should probably back-up the .APK files to be safe. If you mess up and don't back up, you can still just re-flash or re-download GAPPS without a problem. Have fun .

Thanks
I was thinking about rooting my phone actually, I'll check that out (I'm sooooo going to back up everything lol).
But! The question was WHY you can't delete the preinstalled apps. Does anyone know the reasoning behind it?

You're welcome mate .
Just for safety I suppose. And you should definitely root your phone, it'll open a whole new world for you!

manufacturer /operator agreements...

tmpchr said:
manufacturer /operator agreements...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That and basically without rooting your phone it's basically like a comps guest profile. A lot less can mess up if you can't play around with certain files/settings.

Makes sense.
Thanks folks

I am also unhappy that i cannot uninstall apps that came with the phone and i have yet to find a good reason as to why not. most of the apps i want to delete are free on the market, already compatible with my phone and can be deleted or uninstalled without causing any major issues.
tmpchr says "manufacturer /operator agreements..."
ok ill buy that, sounds like a good business opportunity, (i would do it) good advertising, shared/reduced costs...etc. but the end user should still have the option to remove.

I totally agree with you guys, at the very beginning I had so big apps installed on my device (motorola xt720), for instance MotoNav was about 1.5 GB and spoiled my battery life. Luckily I discovered how to root the device and now, using "root uninstaller" that you find in the market, all of them are just a memory

You could also use Titanium Backup to remove programs.

[Q] Evo Shift Remove Bloatware on 2.3.3?

I am brand new to the Android stuff and the learning curve is rather large. I am pretty well versed in modding iPhones and RIM devices. From what I have read thus far and am trying to confrim.
2.3.3 Just recently has been temp rooted on this device?
Temp or Full rooting is required to remove the bloatware crap?
SDK is installed and ADB is working. I followed the temp rooting method and was able to get SU #.
With that being done is that enough to start removing the junk?
What app should I used to delete the apk's? or should it be done in ADB Shell?
Is there anything that I should backup while I'm at this?

ounvme said:
I am brand new to the Android stuff and the learning curve is rather large. I am pretty well versed in modding iPhones and RIM devices. From what I have read thus far and am trying to confrim.
2.3.3 Just recently has been temp rooted on this device?
Temp or Full rooting is required to remove the bloatware crap?
SDK is installed and ADB is working. I followed the temp rooting method and was able to get SU #.
With that being done is that enough to start removing the junk?
What app should I used to delete the apk's? or should it be done in ADB Shell?
Is there anything that I should backup while I'm at this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can delete the apk's in system/app
I normally use the Root Explorer app, but you can use adb shell as well
just cd into /system/app and do rm Twitter.apk for example
Root will disappear on reboot, and the bloatware will return unfortunately =/

Stuke00 said:
You can delete the apk's in system/app
I normally use the Root Explorer app, but you can use adb shell as well
just cd into /system/app and do rm Twitter.apk for example
Root will disappear on reboot, and the bloatware will return unfortunately =/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the reply. I will wait for a more permanent solution. Are the apps reinstalled on reboot or are they never truely removed? It's annoying to have programs forced on a device that I paid for. If I didn't install it then I dont want or use it. I'm a big fan of simple and clean. I am sure something will be out soon to allow this. Thanks again!!!
This reminds me of buying a laptop that has all kinds of junk on it and looking for drivers to make it work with a clean install.....Such a pain in the ass.

ounvme said:
Thank you for the reply. I will wait for a more permanent solution. Are the apps reinstalled on reboot or are they never truely removed? It's annoying to have programs forced on a device that I paid for. If I didn't install it then I dont want or use it. I'm a big fan of simple and clean. I am sure something will be out soon to allow this. Thanks again!!!
This reminds me of buying a laptop that has all kinds of junk on it and looking for drivers to make it work with a clean install.....Such a pain in the ass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried it with the temp root, I didn't even have to reboot before the apps reappeared. :S We gotta wait for either permanent root or S-OFF (not really too different in this case I think) to remove the apps, and by that time we can just go and install a custom ROM with the apps removed already.
I'm looking forward to permanent root at the moment, this being my first Android phone. And with recent developments, like the temp root and Revolutionary being tested on the Shift, I'd say the future looks good. So keep an eye out.

Racer_X_NFS said:
I tried it with the temp root, I didn't even have to reboot before the apps reappeared. :S We gotta wait for either permanent root or S-OFF (not really too different in this case I think) to remove the apps, and by that time we can just go and install a custom ROM with the apps removed already.
I'm looking forward to permanent root at the moment, this being my first Android phone. And with recent developments, like the temp root and Revolutionary being tested on the Shift, I'd say the future looks good. So keep an eye out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol that sucks. Yeah... need to get S-OFF!

I am gaining much interest in the custom rom idea. I however have the time and the drive to want to read up and learn to do it myself. If full device customization is available I would like to be able to do so.
I have done some reading here and some google searching but is there any 1 place where I can find full info on cooking my own rom?
The main things that I want to change is disable the side button to not control ringer volume. Add native volume control for all audible things. Remove bloatware and add certin apps.
I know there are apps to control all of this, but if its possible to have it funcion at the system level...why not learn how to do it. Things like this are fun to me and I like mind challenging tasks.
Like I stated I have the time I just need to be schooled where the proper most current place to start is.
Obviously this will just be practice and learning until a full root/backup is available.
Thanks

[Q] Which applications can I safely uninstall on a rooted MT4GS?

There's a bunch of crap that comes with this phone, including Bejeweled 2, dT Sync, KidZone, My Account, My Device, Notes, Slacker Radio, T-Mobile Mail, T-Mobile TV, TeleNav GPS, qik Video Chat, and Zinio Reader.
Which of these can I uninstall (using Titanium Backup) and not mess things up? I ask because Media Room has T-Mobile TV and Slacker Radio tiles and I don't want to lose access to my videos and FM radio if Media Room refuses to start after uninstalling say Slacker Radio.

There are already lots of threads about that in this forum... Just search or browse and you'll find lots of useful info. You can freeze Media Room, T-Mobile TV, and Slacker Radio without any problems at all, but if you freeze one or the others and they're trying to access the other program that may cause problems. Just make a NANdroid backup and experiment! That's what we're all doing!

unclespoon said:
There are already lots of threads about that in this forum... Just search or browse and you'll find lots of useful info. You can freeze Media Room, T-Mobile TV, and Slacker Radio without any problems at all, but if you freeze one or the others and they're trying to access the other program that may cause problems. Just make a NANdroid backup and experiment! That's what we're all doing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I was searching for 'uninstall'.

T-Mobile tv
Slacker radio
Any themes you dont like
Doubletwist
T-Mobile carbon device
Gmail
Maps
Google search
T-Mobile telenav
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using xda premium

This thread sums up our pool of knowledge, spread over a couple of threads and condensed into one.
We were bouncing back and forth between freezing and uninstalling, in various configurations right after we got root, and I re-wrote everything into posts 19 through 25.
You can pick and choose what you want to get rid of - the only apps that have a dependency on something else are:
-The two "my account" apps, which is explained in the thread and:
-Widgets after removing the Sense launcher.
Removing the Sense launcher (rosie.apk) means you can't use a majority of the pre-installed widgets that come on the phone. It's safe to remove any and all widgets without affecting the apps they link to, whether you remove the Sense launcher or not.
In that thread I linked, we do not cover removing any of the Sense frameworks or deep system files, just surface .apks - so it's all pretty safe there. The stock camera app will still function, as well as anything else that depends on Sense frameworks to run correctly.
You can pick and choose what you want to get rid of in the list - and it's very specifically listed where the .apk and /data files are located so you can make sure everything got removed ok.
I would recommend using Absolute System Root Tools to uninstall the apps, and make sure to clear the data first.
Go back afterwards and use Root Explorer to delete the empty data folders left behind, and the .odex files that Absolute system (or any other uninstaller) won't get rid of.
Again, all the paths and full names of the .apk and .odex files, as well as the /data folders are listed explicitly in the thread, so you should have no trouble finding everything for each specific app you want to get rid of.
It was a big effort from quite a few people here to track it all down, and we are still adding more stuff to the list. If you find something you can get rid of that we haven't covered, add it to the thread so others don't have to re-invent the wheel.
Happy hunting!
Edit -*(you can use Absolute System to remove those folders and files left behind with the root system file browser I believe, but I prefer root explorer and if you're gonna do this kind of stuff you should pick it up anyway - it's worth the money)
I have no experience with titanium backup, but if you can do all the functions of that with it, then more power to you, post up here if you can use that to delete the empty folders and .odex files that it probably won't get.

[Q] Native Apps

There is some way to remove the native apps from my rooted razr maxx hd?

braianh said:
There is some way to remove the native apps from my rooted razr maxx hd?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, however it is much better to freeze the app. You can use Titanium Backup to do that https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup&hl=en
When you freeze it, under the default setting of Titanium Backup, it will still get updates and remain frozen (won't be used by the system or be in the app drawer or on the home screens). This is much safer than removing it because if the phone misbehaves you can always unfreeze the app as well. There's no real reason to remove the app by deleting it.
If you do want to delete it, then native apps live in the /system/app/ folder, which is mounted as a read only filesystem. Since you are rooted, you can remount it so that you can read and write to the folder and delete the app, however that said, its much better to simply rename the app. I haven't renamed apps in the system folder on this phone (just got it) but have on the Samsung SGS II, which is a much safer phone to play around with like this from the look of it so far, though.
Every app on a stock install has two files, one with a .apk file extention and one with and .odex file extention. From experience with the other Android phone, you can just rename something to, for example, videoplayer.apk.backup and videoplayer.odex.backup. It can be renamed back later if you need to. You want a file browser that will remount the filesystem so that its rewritable. Root Explorer is what I've used but there's plenty of others that are gaining in popularity. It can be done at the command line as well.
All of the above said, though, you really, really, really, want to make sure that you aren't freezing or deleting or renaming an app like this that will interfere with your ability to undo it. If you do something that gets the phone stuck with lots of things crashing and making the phone unresponsive, or worse unbootable, then that's a very bad situation. It was always really easy to deal with from the recovery screen on my SGS II but I haven't yet tried things out on my RAZR HD in this fashion and things are differant when it comes to it. I haven't tried much out yet.
Also, and I really don't want to come off as being rude, and I hate it when people do on this forum, but because you had to ask if it was possible on a rooted phone at all sort of indicates that you might want to get as much advice about what you want to freeze or delete before doing it. Its prudent on any phone and less is more until you've gathered more information; and from the amount of support on this phone's section (low number of people having the phone and tinkering at this point) of the forum my guess is that this it will take some time and patients to get all the answers and information that you want before going balls deep.
Good luck, and remember that less is more, and that support will grow over time.

If you delete you will have a difficult time taking the next OTA. Freeze them. There is almost no space to be had by removing them.

Newbie Root information from my journeys....

Customizing my Android phone, I've learned some things along the way that I thought other newbies like myself would be interested to know. This information can be found all over the web, but I thought speaking about these key points would be helpful...
1. If you're interested in rooting your phone, I've found the Towelroot method to be easiest. You can download the apk file for free and it makes the rooting process easy.
2. I have a method of disabling apps to improve performance that has never resulted in me crashing my phone. If you are not rooted, this probably won't be helpful. First off, get Greenify Pro and the Xposed framework, along with the ROM Toolbox. For apps that you know can be frozen safely, use ROM toolbox to freeze them, along with killing startup receivers of apps that you can safely disable from stsrtup, but can't freeze because you want to use them. Then use Greenify to hibernate apps you choose not to disable, but don't want running. I've found this method most efficient.
3. Many root their phones to remove apps that are pre-installed from your service provider, like my AT&T apps for example. I've come to realize that removing apps will not give you back usable storage space, so unless you are sure it's garbage, freezing apps is safest. Also, if you remove an app, it would be wise to backup the apk file first, just in case you need it later.
4. Since I'm a newbie, I have stayed away from custom ROMS and the sort. I've come to realize that this process is for skilled users only and many bad things can occur if this process goes awry. Always make full backups before attempting this at minimum.
5. Certain launchers, such as TouchWiz cannot be removed from Android easily, so I'd suggest you add your launcher of choice and leave the factory installed Launcher alone....
I hope this was helpful to all you newbies, good luck!!!!