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[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.

[APP] Force2SD

Force2SD moves user (not system) apps to SD that the OS normally doesn't allow movement of. Needs root and 2.2.
Source code available.
Official release is now in Market. For test versions, click the source code link.

I added apk file size to the display.
By the way, one reason I like this even for apps that can be moved to SD in normal ways is that it does its scan much faster, at least in my configuration, than apps2sd or Settings|Applications.

And I also added an option to move apks back from SD to internal storage.

is it normal that it only shows userapps? eg. maps, facebook etc does not show up on the list

doenis said:
is it normal that it only shows userapps? eg. maps, facebook etc does not show up on the list
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't show things in the system partition--those shouldn't be taking space away from user apps. Are these apps in the system partition (/system/app)?

yes, they are in the /system/app folder. are you saying that moving those apps to the sd wouldn't count towards free space on hte device? i am looking for a way to move maps to the sd, as it takes up the most space of all the apps that can't be moved.

doenis said:
yes, they are in the /system/app folder. are you saying that moving those apps to the sd wouldn't count towards free space on hte device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right: the /system/app folder is on a separate partition. Normally, apps install in /data.

This seems like a great tool for full wipes prior to loading a new ROM. Then TiBu would only be needed for the app data correct?
Sent from my Thunderbolt using the Tapatalk app.

Is there something different to "pm setInstallLocation 2"?

Nice app, it also seems to be working on android gingerbread (NAND HD2) 2.3
Edit: Except for widgets. but that's no problem

Great idea. Downloaded. Moved 2 apps to SD, then checked out list for SD to Phone (nothing moved, just looking around) and got a FC. Will keep for a while to check out future updates.
Ideas for future:
-app icons (so you can tell WHICH angry birds app you're moving )
-file size before / after move
-total available space
-multi-select (something that would GREATLY improve the app over settings)
Keep it up!
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App

only froyo huh.. =( great work though

Thank you.

i just wanted to check, can moving some of these apps that can't be moved normally cause the apps to stop working or should they just all carry on working as normal?
thanks for the great app
maff90

Hi,
this app is very good.
Add to Market!
with friendly greet
starbase64

Thanks seems to work on cricket zio froyo. Thanks again

Mustang302LX said:
This seems like a great tool for full wipes prior to loading a new ROM. Then TiBu would only be needed for the app data correct?
Sent from my Thunderbolt using the Tapatalk app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if it would work. On my Archos 43 when apps are moved to storage, the OS does not include them in packages.xml when it generates a fresh packages.xml after resetting Android. As a result, storage can contain orphan apps after a reset. Of course, if you restore packages.xml from a backup, that should work.
I just back /data up with tar.

maff90 said:
i just wanted to check, can moving some of these apps that can't be moved normally cause the apps to stop working or should they just all carry on working as normal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apps that are moved don't get their on-boot notification. If they absolutely need their on-boot notification to function (e.g., apps that start up some service on boot), they won't work. Likewise, input method apps (e.g., Swype) won't be available after a boot, though you might be able to enable it manually afterwards in the Settings. I wouldn't move Android Market. I did move Amazon App Store and AppsLib with no problems, though. I don't know what happens if you move a browser helper, like a pdf viewer or flash--these might need to register on boot or something like that.
See here for more information: http://developer.android.com/guide/appendix/install-location.html
Moreover, it's probably better not to move tiny apps, because apps moved to storage take longer to have their icons show up in the launcher after a boot. I moved most of my apps that are over 200kb.
If an app doesn't work after being moved, just move it back.

saynotopunx said:
Great idea. Downloaded. Moved 2 apps to SD, then checked out list for SD to Phone (nothing moved, just looking around) and got a FC. Will keep for a while to check out future updates.
Ideas for future:
-app icons (so you can tell WHICH angry birds app you're moving )
-file size before / after move
-total available space
-multi-select (something that would GREATLY improve the app over settings)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
0. I wonder about the crash. If you have adb set up and can duplicate the crash in the latest version (I posted 0.10), watch with adb logcat to see where the crash happens and send me the log.
1. App icons will really slow down the application list fetching. Maybe I could include app icons in the list for moving to SD, but the list for moving from SD is very slow.
2. The file size I show is the apk file size. This does not change with the move as far as I know.
3. Total available space shows up in the current version.
4. That's more work than I want to do.

Some more answers and comments;
1. I uploaded version 0.10. This fixes hangs in low memory situations due to the package installed broadcast being sent to all apps. The solution is drastic: as soon as the packagemanager reports success, I kill the thread. This may cause some problems. Let me know if it does. Seems to work fine for me, though. Also, version 0.10 lets you conveniently delete apps right from the list--just do a long-hold on the app, and you get an uninstall option.
2. Force2SD works pretty much like pm setInstallLocation 2, except it moves apps individually, after they were installed. I don't want to set all my apps to install automatically in storage. If you want to duplicate its functionality manually, what it does is: pm install -r -s /data/app/filename.apk
3. I don't really want to spend $25 at this point to register with Android Market. Once my open source astronomy app is done, I'll want to do that, I guess.
4. For people who want icons to tell different versions of Angry Birds apart, I have a simple "solution": just move them all to SD--they're large apks, and you'll save a lot of space. (Actually, they can be moved with the standard OS tools.)

KeySwap Associate Keyboards with Apps

Hi all,
I've started development on an application for Android that allows you to assign a keyboard to an application. Personally, I've found a need for it due to constantly going between the terminal, text messaging, browsing, etc. Who has time to manually switch?!
Anyway, it's for root only and I thought I'd introduce it here since noobs would never have a need for this app.
Caveats:
Start On Boot isn't functional yet
Keyboards occasionally force close (still tracking this down)
Needs to be put into /system/app
If you have adb set up, you can do adb push KeySwap.apk /system/app. Otherwise, you'll need to use a file manager like Root Explorer (make sure to mount the directory as R/W)
Enjoy and feedback is appreciated.
Matt

I love the idea for this app. But it keeps force closing after I start the service and navigate back to the home screen (or to another app). My phone is a Nexus One running CM 7.1.0 RC1. I mighty be able to get you some log files later. Also, I noticed that Superuse does not prompt me to give KeySwap root permissions.

CSorry to hear it's giving you problems. I'll try to work on the app this weekend and see what might be responsible for your trouble. If you get a chance, please post a log.
Thanks,
Matt

Ok, I've updated the architecture of the app a bit and it should provide much better log info.
Please make sure you have the app in /system/app and that the file permissions are all set to enabled. Also, I don't believe you'll get the Superuser prompt for apps in /system/app.
I've attached the updated apk to this post.

Any updates?
This sounds super useful but unstable. I might even root my phone just for this functionality. Have there been any updates to this since 2011-07? Is there a development workspace for it, on github for example?
mattanonymous said:
Ok, I've updated the architecture of the app a bit and it should provide much better log info.
Please make sure you have the app in /system/app and that the file permissions are all set to enabled. Also, I don't believe you'll get the Superuser prompt for apps in /system/app.
I've attached the updated apk to this post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

This is a great idea. Any chance you could open-source the app?

Make an application to system application

Hi
I want to change an application to system application. Is there any application which can do this?
Sent from my MB525 using XDA App

it's really easy to do in a terminal, or through adb
find the app like this:
Code:
su
cd /data/app
ls
then find the file name of the app you want to move, and:
Code:
mv /data/app/<name_of_app>.apk /system/app/
You could probably use any of the root file explorers on the market to do this too - just find the file in /data/app and move it (or cut and paste it) to /system/app
You need to restart after this, because the apps in system only change on startup

What do you mean exactly?
Want to grant the access to ALL the system's resources?
Or do you just want to move an application to the system/app folder?
First case, you can't. Your application would need a platform key.
Second case, just root your phone and use a file explorer with root functions. By the way, this won't give to the application any special power...

Would this keep an application from being killed in the background if it is moved to /system? For example, on a MIUI rom, using 'alternate drawer' it will close after X amount of time and then reload when you open it, which defeats the purpose of having a quick loading app drawer. If I move it to /system would it prevent this?

civicvx94 said:
Would this keep an application from being killed in the background if it is moved to /system? For example, on a MIUI rom, using 'alternate drawer' it will close after X amount of time and then reload when you open it, which defeats the purpose of having a quick loading app drawer. If I move it to /system would it prevent this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think so.
Any process which does not belong to the Android core can be killed when the OS claims memory.
Moving an app to /system/app does not turn that app into a piece of the OS nor turn its process into a critical process that must be preserved.
I've never tried a MIUI rom, so i don't know much about it..

xdaid said:
I don't think so.
Any process which does not belong to the Android core can be killed when the OS claims memory.
Moving an app to /system/app does not turn that app into a piece of the OS nor turn its process into a critical process that must be preserved.
I've never tried a MIUI rom, so i don't know much about it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah I see..Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure what the criteria was for Android to kill a background app and really have only experienced this issue/question with MIUI and the alt drawer app.

Oh, even I am facing this problem. After some amount offers time the applications gettingkilled somehow, in my barebones rom with cm7., so making it system won't help it.
Sent from my MB525 using XDA App

@obscurant1st, @civicvx94
Rather than the android internal task killer it could be the problem is related to the rom you use.
You are on GB, if i am not wrong both, CM7 and MIUI, undervolt the cpu. Try to increase those values, give a little bit more volts and see what happens.
If the problem persists, look for the internal task killer settings in the scripts loaded at startup (look for info at the rom's page) and try to adjust them.

xdaid said:
@obscurant1st, @civicvx94
Rather than the android internal task killer it could be the problem is related to the rom you use.
You are on GB, if i am not wrong both, CM7 and MIUI, undervolt the cpu. Try to increase those values, give a little bit more volts and see what happens.
If the problem persists, look for the internal task killer settings in the scripts loaded at startup (look for info at the rom's page) and try to adjust them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Barebones rom with CM7 - Can you provide a little more info?

There is an option to do it in titanium backup, not sire of it's effectiveness though.

obscurant1st said:
I use Barebones rom with CM7 - Can you provide a little more info?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is taken from Barebones page:
Code:
Reduced vsel:
- 300mhz-30 > 20
- 600mhz-46 > 38
- 1000mhz-58 > 50
Check for SetVSel app, if you can't find it in your rom download it from market.
Adjust the voltage using that app, it's quite easy.
Also, once rebooted, open SetVSel again and check your settings in order to see if they're still effective.

HTC Info Logger/Security Q

For some reason the previous thread was closed and I'm not sure what to delete from my phone since I don't seem to have the htclogger.apk file in my apps folder.
I used root explorer to search for "logger" and get these results:
/data/data/com.htc.loggers
/data/data/com.htc.loggers/bin/htclogger
/data/data/com.htc.loggers/bin/htcloggerd
/system/lib/libhtc_logger.so
Delete 'em all? Rename them?
Thanks!
(took me two searches to find them, the first time I just searched in my app folder for a logger app, it doesn't exist there. I had to do the search from the regular default start screen of Root Explorer).
Oh, I'm running DroidTh3ory's ShiftS3ns3 v 1.5x, which is android version 2.3.4 and Sense version 2.1.
I'm certain I was on 1.4 and upgraded to 1.5x, I think prior to that I may have been on AOSP based ROMs - I was flashing quite a bit for a while there, but this ShiftS3ns3 is my DD for now (his forums are still down).
Any suggestions on what to do w/those files is GREATLY appreciated.
Tx

People are pretty sloppy with capitalization, which is significant in Linux. It's /system/app/HtcLoggers.apk

mike.s said:
People are pretty sloppy with capitalization, which is significant in Linux. It's /system/app/HtcLoggers.apk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I look in that folder I have listed in alphabetical order:
HtcLockScreen.apk
-then-
htcmailwidgets.apk
Reasonable thought would be that if I had HtcLoggers.apk it would land right in the middle of those two listings in the /app folder, correct?
For whatever reason, I don't think I have it.
Should I try another app other than rootexplorer? I haven't been able to ask my ROMs developer about it (I'm not on twitter and I'm waiting for his site to come back up).

I have used RootExplorer to remove HtcLoggers.apk so the file manager does show it so it would be reasonably certain that if you're not seeing it, it's not there.
I've successfully removed the apk and com.htc.loggers w/o any problem. Can't say about /system/lib/libhtc_logger.so.

if you don't want to bother manually scanning/deleting stuff, you can try the app AntTek App Manager. it's like Titanium Backup(but free) and works well.

Cant we just freeze the apk instead of uninstalling?