Database Info

HELP! Ad's poping up on my android home screen.

Hi I'm not sure if it's my carrier "Assurance Wireless" that's doing this or if I may have done this my self iv'e only installed a few apps the same apps I have on another phone that's not mine testing purpose "Virgin Mobile" but it dose not get full ads pop up on it. My question is their any aps I could use to scan get rid of or block these thank you.
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If you've only got a few apps installed, uninstall all of them and see if the ads go away. If they do, reinstall the apps one at a time, until the ads come back and you'll have the culprit. If they don't go away with no apps installed, you can try a factory reset.

In addition to what Char_G said I would recommend to try anti malware and spyware app to scan the phone maybe likely the app causing this issue would be blacklisted.

It could also be the device. Some oems encludes ads like that when they sale discounted devices.

New behavior
Something new is happening apps are being installed automatically with out me doing anything only happens on wifi but recently have had the apps letgo, Lucktastic, Yahoo Sports, And BOSS revolution installed. I have ran malwarebytes and AVG for android both apps report no viruses or malware detected. I'm going to reset my phone to factory settings and install nothing from the play store and see what happens.

zelendel said:
It could also be the device. Some oems encludes ads like that when they sale discounted devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A friend thought this as well as it's a smartphone that Assurance Wireless gives you through the government program I'm on. Not a known name brand "UMX" as far as I can tell it manufactured by a Chinese company "Teleepoch" I'm not expecting something fancy from this program but this is nuts lol.

Brian7k said:
A friend thought this as well as it's a smartphone that Assurance Wireless gives you through the government program I'm on. Not a known name brand "UMX" as far as I can tell it manufactured by a Chinese company "Teleepoch" I'm not expecting something fancy from this program but this is nuts lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UMX is known to me and I'm betting I am right. It is a common thing mainly for devices like that. The inclusion of ads help off set the price of the device.
You may have a chance but it would depend on unlockable status of the device. If you could unlock the bootloader then by some work you could make a rom that removes it all. But again that depends.

zelendel said:
UMX is known to me and I'm betting I am right. It is a common thing mainly for devices like that. The inclusion of ads help off set the price of the device.
You may have a chance but it would depend on unlockable status of the device. If you could unlock the bootloader then by some work you could make a rom that removes it all. But again that depends.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct reformat to factory settings did not install anything from the play store left my phone on with wifi on and got the same ads and apps on my phone. My question to you is their a firewall app I can download that would block this behavior or is it just something I will live with until I can get a better phone one day.

Brian7k said:
You are correct reformat to factory settings did not install anything from the play store left my phone on with wifi on and got the same ads and apps on my phone. My question to you is their a firewall app I can download that would block this behavior or is it just something I will live with until I can get a better phone one day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can manage to get root then an ad blocker might be able to help. Other then that you would need to flash a custom rom

No root solution found!
I have the same carrier and model of phone. I was getting the same kind of ads. But I also got ads in my notification area. I long pressed the notification to discover the app responsible was the in built gallery app (I had been curious of it's abnormally high data usage already). I disabled it and replaced it with an ad free gallery app from the play store and I haven't been assaulted with an advertisement since, 3-4 days ago. I actually created an account here for the explicit purpose of sharing this information because this was one of the top results in my search for answers and definitely the most helpful result. I hope it can help someone else.

Easy
I've had this before. It's basically an app. Except it's white and without a name so it's harder to find. Install a 3rd party installed apps list and you should find something white. Press on it and Uninstall it. Boom. Problem solved.
Unless if you're rooted, this may be a virus hidden deep in the system (not very commonly)

Not sure it could help, but have you tried installing a system-wide adblock app such as AdBlock from NoMobileAds? Here: https://nomobileads.com/

I have an app called "hidden apps." This is what i used to find a hidden app that kept throwing ads all over my phone and i was able to delete it

Goto your installed apps list, and check for all the app names. Malwares such as these have no names listed, so you should ideally be seeing a blank space in one of the apps, if you do see such an app, just uninstall it, and you should be good to go.
If you find no such app, then search for an app which has a peculiar name that you suspect.
I have had this same thing happen to me. I gave an app superuser access by mistake, and it kept doing this. I went to the app list, and found an app with no name listed. I uninstalled it, and everything went back to normal. Hope this helps.
For any reason, if you do not find a solution to this, flashing a new ROM will take care of this issue as all app data would be deleted. But this shouldn't be needed at all. Hope this helps. :good:

Just moved from T-Mobile Samsung Note 5 to Note 8. Only have a small number of my old programs moved over by SmartSwitch. Now, however, no matter what app I try to click on, about half the time I'm first presented with one or more pages of ads. I have to kill the app and restart it to get to it. This is being managed by something called appnews, which uses every facet of the phone, from monitoring contacts & email to embedding 1x1 transparent blocks on app screens, checking GPS and cell tower metadata to embedding itself in other apps (some apps even embed it intentionally for a payment) to gather info about me. Last night, my phone was charging and in hibernate mode when it woke up and gave me a strange ring at 3:00 AM. I picked up the phone and before I could even unlock it, a screen full of ads appeared.
My Note 5 was rooted, but I just got word that SafeSwitch is now available for the Note 8 (T-Mobile began locking bootloaders with the Galaxy S7, damn their hearts - friendly rooting was a major reason I switched from Verizon to T-Mobile). Will rooting give me access to appnews or do I have to root and load a custom kernel? EU members can opt out of appnews (there's a link in their EULA), but in no-privacy US, they don't offer the option.

ObamaPhoneMalware said:
I'm posting as a guest so I can get this out on the searchable web ASAP. I'll create a real account if anybody out there wants more info.
I found this thread by Googling "assurance wireless malware" BTW. I can confirm that this is also happening to me (across 4 devices) since October 2017.
This could potentially be a HUGE scandal - the Lifeline program serves some of the most vulnerable people, it's a multi-BILLION dollar yearly govt program, & the FCC chairman is already wanting to make cuts due to "waste, fraud, & abuse."
Plus the security implications of a botnet of compromised devices.
Plus the photos of Branson (Virgin CEO) palling around w/Obama (former US president ) whilst his company makes millions distributing malware-laden "ObamaPhones" & refusing to take responsibility.
I have hundreds of screenshots to prove the reality & the evolving symptoms of this malware. There's also a thread on the Virgin Mobile site where a mod confirms the Gallery app theory, but it's multiple programs also, in my experience. But no Assurance or Virgin phone rep will admit anything.
Anybody wanna help break a potentially huge story with me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree I'm pretty good at figuring out things like this and I have disabled and deleted what I believe were the apps/rouge apps doing this. It worked for a month or two and their back but I can't find them so they must be hidden within the rom or someplace I have no root access. I'm with you in believing this is manufactured malware and it's a shame they can get away with this.

Yes... this absolutely is malware that is built into a custom ROM
The phones are being shipped with a bad custom ROM that contains malware or adware there is no way to completely stop it. Especially when it comes to the pop up full screen ads. Also note that the security software in Android is not being updated properly, because the custom ROM has a fake updater app that doesn't get you any real updates.
The malware is built into the custom ROM that someone has flash to these phones. People are complaining that this happens to them with replacement phones that they get from Assurance Wireless not the original phone that they got in the first place.
There is no way to restore the original ROM because there are no copies of it online. So phones that have this problem are completely useless as they may also have some kind of spyware, keylogger or screenshot program that is recording what you do. I would stop using this phone altogether if I were you.
I just bought mine from eBay and I'm going to contact the seller to request a refund and I will send screenshots of the problem and pages from the forums that I have visited that talk about this problem as proof that this is a bad device.
Remember that the updater app is fake it is not the real one that is built into Android to check for updates and it is only getting 4 out of 60 updates available which means that the security in the phone is completely compromised so that the malware cannot be automatically disabled or deleted by the security updates.

[Guide][Debloat][No-Google] Apps/services safe to disable and their alternatives

*I'm no dev., and some of the statements here might be technically innaccurate. Please, forgive and correct me. I'm just sharing my experience.
*I'm creating this thread following @elvinguitar 's request to list the apps/services safe to disable and how to do it.
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Introduction
I've been google-free ever since I've rooted my Nexus 5 and flashed AOSP. Everything worked like a charm. I even experienced longer battery life and better performance. I've done the same to a Samsung Galaxy S, Motorola Moto G 2015 and a couple other Samsung, BQ and Xiaomi devices I don't remember the model now (family and friends). Really happy with the process. Of cause, you cannot use most Google apps if you don't have the google services (framework?) running in the background (consuming resources and collecting all sort of data).
Only downside when disabling Google core services is that most apps out there in the market use google services to show up a map. If you don't have google services, you won't see a map. However, it is possible to "trick" the apps into calling for openmaps instead. I haven't tried, though.
Android One lets you disable most apps/services via the default settings menu. But there are still some of Google's tentacles fused into the core of your phone you cannot get rid of. But heck, it's something. We'll have to wait until the custom ROMs start showing up.
The reason
There are endless reasons to use all Google products. But there are endless reasons to avoid them. It's up to you what you want to do with your privacy. Despite privacy laws and promises, it's well known that your data, once online it's not longer only yours. And smartphones sensors combined with big data management, they are capable of infinite ways of recording your lifestyle. Camera (obvious), microphone (obvious + knowing where you are and what are you doing by the background noise), location(obvious), GSM/wifi/bluetooth (knowing where you are, who you are with...), body sensors/movement sensors (activity you are doing all the time)... Without being paranoid, unless you are a VIP you are not being followed, and if someone really wants to follow you, they'll do so even if you get rid of all this apps. But ALL YOUR data is being stored and analyzed for their own profit and linked (securely) to your persona. Now, it's only for economical profit, but indirect censorship is already taking place. Try doing some research for something rather unpopular and then try looking up a mainstream celebrity. You'll see the difference. I'm sure you've all heard about the China "Social credit" they want to develop in China. It's what big internet companies have been doing for a while now. Orwell's big brother all over. It's kinda scary if you ask me.
Some reading:
https://www.socialcooling.com/
https://donttrack.us/
Some alternatives to Google products we all use
An example of rogue censorship (one of millions)
Interesting infographic about how google knows you
But well... let's go to the bone. These are the apps and services I've tried to disable and some alternatives I use/consider.
I strongly recommend using a powerful firewall that blocks all internet communications unless you say otherwise. I use AFwall+ (root). There are other alternatives like NetGuard (no-root) that use VPN. This way, even if you have an app you want to use, but you don't want it to be communicating with the outside, you can have it (nothing is bulletproof, though). - Let me know if you want a lit of internet enabled apps/services, too.
Disabled APPs / services
Note that I uninstalled the apps when possible. The unistalled apps won't be in that list. Also, I've stopped the device initial set up progress and, therefore, some apps had never been installed to my device. So, they are safe to disable.
Disabled via the settings menu:
Calendar
Carrier services @thorin0815 explained to me what they do. Thx.: "intended to allow you to take full advantage of RCS, which allows for extra features in the Android Messaging app)
Chrome
Contacts
Gboard
Gmail
Google
Google Backup Transport
Google Contacts Sync
Google One Time Init
Google Partner Set Up
Google Play Services
Google Services Framework
Market Feedback Agent
Messages
PAI
Photos
YouTube
Disabled via an app manager (root) or adb method without root
Device Setup
Feedback
Google Play Services
Spock
Google and tricky enabled apps I guess they can be disabled with no problem:
Android Setup
Android system webview (gotta look for an alternative)
Google text to speech engine
Maps
TalkBack
Google and tricky apps I do use and I won't disable because they are too critical for me (or I have no idea what they do and I'd rather not mess with them).
Android Services Library
Android Shared Library
Clock (there are alternatives, a lot. But it wakes me everyday, and it doesn't look to be to bad).
ConfigUpdater
PackageInstaller
Phone (I've tried a couple alternatives, but I didn't trust them (one crashed and the other one looked even worse (privacy-wise) than the original)
Print Service Recommendation Service
There are tons of other apps needed for the correct use of the device that shouldn't be disabled. Anything you can disable from the Settings/apps menu, you should be OK trying to disable it. Disable it, then try to use what you think the app might be used for, and if it works fine... there you go. Try and error!
Alternative APP to the disabled ones
When possible, I tried to use FOSS apps.
FOSS app catalog - F-Droid (most apps come from here)
Google Play - Yalp Store or Aurora store - Yalp works better, but Aurora is nicer. Both have Exodus Privacy check.
Maps - Here and OsmAnd (mountain) - there are a lot of good mapping apps out there.
Calendar - I use BusinesCalendar because I like the widget. But there are a lot of other apps. Eg.: SimpleCalendar. Personal preference.
Contacts - Again. Personal preference. I like the AOSP app.
Files - I have it. But I use Es File explorer. Not the best for privacy or anti-bloatware. But I like it.
Chrome - Firefox all the way! I use Firefox Beta. Previous versions of the non beta one used to be way slower compared to the beta one.
Gallery - Simple gallery
Mail - K-9 mail. It's ugly, but I love it. There is a material version. I also found another app worth trying, here in XDA, but cannot remember its name now. I'm switching to protonmail as my personal mail service (I still use Gmail, hotmail and others as I always have).
Phone - I use the stock app (google ) 'cause I didn't find a valid alternative.
Messaging - QKSMS. Signal is a neat app with more features and secure communication (thx @thorin0815)
Keyboard - I use SwiftKey (internet blocked)
Calculator - AOSP calculator.
YouTube - I use WebTube. NewPipe is a valid option, too.
Camera - Check the discussion threads about the camera
If you have any app not listed here, post a comment and I'll add it. Also, if there is any error or you know something I don't, let me know and I'll correct. Same with the apps/services I have no idea what they do.

IGNORE THIS POST
I have to talk to you about this, too. Among other things. (posting it here so I remember about them later)
AFirewall+
DAVdroid
Greenify
DuckDuckGo
Snowden
how to force disable

Just a suggestion for a Messenger alternative.
Signal, a nice and secure open source alternative for Whatsapp like and SMS apps.
Nice thread btw. I try to avoid Google and Microsoft stuff where I can aswell.
Too bad we don't have a nice mobile Linux for our phones.

Thanks for creating this thread. By the way, have you experienced some error when uninstalling some apps? I tried removing Gmail (via debloater) but after that, I keep getting crashes on some of my apps. Even magisk crashes.
Also, I tried uninstalling Chrome via debloater, but it seems like it's not working. What's your preferred way of uninstalling apps?

elvinguitar said:
Thanks for creating this thread. By the way, have you experienced some error when uninstalling some apps? I tried removing Gmail (via debloater) but after that, I keep getting crashes on some of my apps. Even magisk crashes.
Also, I tried uninstalling Chrome via debloater, but it seems like it's not working. What's your preferred way of uninstalling apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't experienced any issue unisntalling/disabling any of the mentioned. Except for google services. They are required by some third party apps to display a map layout. I uninstalled Gmail and Chrome with no problem.
What is "debloater"?
I preffer unisntalling apps via the traditional method when possible (settings/apps/unisntall). Same with disabling them. With Android One you can uninstall/disable most apps this way. I've experienced no issues.
For the apps thet the disable option is not available, I use an app known for being warez (I like it and I use it only for the powerful tools it provide). But there are other apps that'll do the job even better. In another device, I used APP2SD with another purpose, but I loved it. Titanium Backup is a powerfull tool that should work, too. However, you'll need the PRO package if you want to disable system apps. AppMgrIII and App Manager promise to get the job done, too. You'll need root with all of them, though.

thorin0815 said:
Just a suggestion for a Messenger alternative.
Signal, a nice and secure open source alternative for Whatsapp like and SMS apps.
Nice thread btw. I try to avoid Google and Microsoft stuff where I can aswell.
Too bad we don't have a nice mobile Linux for our phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Added Signal to the list. I'm more than happy with the other app because I only want it to recive sms. It's been ages since the last time I sent one. My brother uses SMS and he's happy with what Signal provides.
If you have any other ideas on how to stay away from the big guys, let me know

On my Moto G4 I always used the following app for freezing/disabling system apps with root.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iamaner.oneclickfreeze

adriakus said:
I haven't experienced any issue unisntalling/disabling any of the mentioned. Except for google services. They are required by some third party apps to display a map layout. I uninstalled Gmail and Chrome with no problem.
What is "debloater"?
I preffer unisntalling apps via the traditional method when possible (settings/apps/unisntall). Same with disabling them. With Android One you can uninstall/disable most apps this way. I've experienced no issues.
For the apps thet the disable option is not available, I use an app known for being warez (I like it and I use it only for the powerful tools it provide). But there are other apps that'll do the job even better. In another device, I used APP2SD with another purpose, but I loved it. Titanium Backup is a powerfull tool that should work, too. However, you'll need the PRO package if you want to disable system apps. AppMgrIII and App Manager promise to get the job done, too. You'll need root with all of them, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the tool that I'm using to debloat my device: https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/module-terminal-debloater-debloat-t3584163

elvinguitar said:
This is the tool that I'm using to debloat my device: https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/module-terminal-debloater-debloat-t3584163
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I didn't unisntall Gmail nor Chrome. I just disabled them with no problem.
I don't know how this debloat tool works. My suggestion (someone might advise otherwise) is to do as much as you can via the default settings menu. Is you device rooted? If so, I'd rather use one of the apps mentioned before (by me ir by @thorin0815 ) to disable the locked ones. Personal preference. Mostly because I'm quite new to all the "systemless" thing, but also because I don't really care about OTA updates, so I don't need the system partition intact. I'll update android once LineageOS is ready. But again, this is how I'd do it. You might preffer another way.
thorin0815 said:
Too bad we don't have a nice mobile Linux for our phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a pitty the Firefox OS project was abandoned

Hi, do you know a way to quit the Google search bar from the Home Screen? O dont like it and rather a clean Home Screen

yaco96 said:
Hi, do you know a way to quit the Google search bar from the Home Screen? O dont like it and rather a clean Home Screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For now, only way is to install another launcher. Any will do. There is a thread about it, too. Look it up

I suggest Lawnchair Launcher to get rid of the searchbar after freezing/disabling the Google app.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.deletescape.lawnchair.plah&hl=en_US
Lawnchair should have all the features of the stock one and many more.

Have you ever heared the sentence "I don't care about privacy. I have nothing to hide". Well...
Here is an interesting website on how important is privacy https://www.socialcooling.com/
I know most of you already know all of this, but it's a nice website to show family and friends and help them open their minds.
Also, watch the documentary and/or the movie about Snowden to see what's going on in the USA (most data and most popular internet servers are located there). Snowden and Citizenfour (available on youtube)

Hello, I disabled some apps via the adb method, including the inbuilt file manager, which causes some problems now. Could someone be so kind and either tell me where to find an apk of the file manager or maybe upload it somewhere? Thanks in advance

mr-obot said:
Hello, I disabled some apps via the adb method, including the inbuilt file manager, which causes some problems now. Could someone be so kind and either tell me where to find an apk of the file manager or maybe upload it somewhere? Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This one?
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/files-google/files-6-8-1-0-release/

Nice thread. Now we have microG to replace google services. It is compatible with deodexed roms.

MicroG is great.. But few challenges I came across:
1. No Validation of purchases - Apps & In-Apps
2. Few apps being used due to work, eg. Google Workspace Chat doesn't work.
3. AutoVoice integration - only works with Google Voice Engine
Has anyone figured out how to handle any of the above challenges

Debloat Miui and Google Apps

Just looking for a way to deboat Xiaomi Miui and Google apps from my device. I've been waiting to unlock it, so still haven't been able to root it.
I found there's an Xiaomi debloater link on XDA that is older via ADB, but haven't tested it. https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/miui-xiaomi-global-debloater-the4anoni-t3879739
Also found the Magisk Systemless link, which might be a better option. https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/module-terminal-debloater-debloat-t3584163
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=VKBdxR373ZM&feature=emb_logo
My preference would be installing a ROM that has this removed already, but if not possible, might have to go with one of these options.
Does anyone know of a better option to these or have any advice?
I basically want to get rid of all manufacturer and Google apps / services and only operate with the F-Droid store and FOSS software.

debloat apps
download Szakis latest tool (available on github or google) and you can remove nearly all apps from your phone
you need java and adb installed on a PC to use

I also used this tool. You can find it here.
I deleted this (see the three pictures):
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https://tweakers.net/i/LXkBi66Lwhdr...age/wwnGf9djLT5P7ihs5VkudvpC.jpg?f=user_large
https://tweakers.net/i/0lRK1wSAFlZb...age/V7CNBI2ffvb5xc958r0Ti6DH.jpg?f=user_large

Thanks I ended up finding so many different ways to do this I wasn't sure which one would be best. The tools from Szakis definitely look easy to use.
Do you know if you can completely remove the Mi Account from the settings? Just wondering what happens if you disable all the Xiaomi apps as it will likely break that option.
Would be great if Miui 12 could be released without Gapps and the Miui apps. Hopefully there will be some development and a working version of LineageOS

birleytweet said:
Thanks I ended up finding so many different ways to do this I wasn't sure which one would be best. The tools from Szakis definitely look easy to use.
Do you know if you can completely remove the Mi Account from the settings? Just wondering what happens if you disable all the Xiaomi apps as it will likely break that option.
Would be great if Miui 12 could be released without Gapps and the Miui apps. Hopefully there will be some development and a working version of LineageOS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can completely remove many things with this tool. But with the second tab of this tool you can bring back the things you want. It's easy to do.
See also the attached document for more information.

Hi guys, I'm a Linux user, so I should(techinically)be able to debloat any Google or Mi crapware with a few adb commands.
I've disabled, what I can for now, & the Google apps will be pretty obvious. However, couple of points I need clarity on?
1) Are there any insidious, that are doing shady things going to Chinese servers, apps on this that I need to know about? There are even dodgy apps on Oneplus phones, unless you debloat, so I'm pretty certain Xiaomi devices have em.
2) Will debloating, stop me from getting full system updates & not parsing or worse send into bootloop?
Would like to know before I do anything stupid really, cheers...

andi54 said:
1) Are there any insidious, that are doing shady things going to Chinese servers
2) Will debloating, stop me from getting full system updates & not parsing or worse send into bootloop?
Would like to know before I do anything stupid really, cheers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are what I want to know too, if I get stuck into removing things I want to know if there's a real reason to instead of just hiding the icons and ignoring them.
Also, will it cause it to fail a valid OS check before upgrade - I've definitely seen this on older devices after cleaning bloat that meant updating became more difficult.

Obviously, the phone has processes/applications that are completely integrated into the system itself and that its uninstallation or disabling could affect the entire system, from forced closings, crash or, of course, bootloop.Its very very difficult to said exactly who ones. For example, some apps can be safely disabled but not uninstalled, others completely disabled.
In the end, honestly, it's a matter of experience and trial / error. More than once I have finished with the terminal locked or in bootloop and I have been forced to rehabilitate or reinstall the applications through Shell from the recovery (obviously with unlocked bootloader). Over the years you learn to have some security that applications better not touch them.
On the other, and this is general advice for everyone. Most applications that we can run from the launcher can be disabled, but normally "privacy" problems usually come from applications-activities that do not have icons and that are system processes, some can also be disabled / uninstalled ...
Some of them, however, although they are safe to disable / uninstall, directly affect system functions and can cause some crashes when the system should use them, for example the gallery or the themes.
but for what purpose? If the idea is to clean the desktop or the app drawer they can be hidden, if it is "fear" of data theft or dependence on Chinese servers, it is infinitely more practical to root the terminal and block the desired domains with a simple host file. , which is what I do both at the router level and at the terminal itself.
In my case what I usually do:
1º. Unlock the bootloader and of course root it with Magisk.
2º. Uninstall directly from the application manager itself what the system lets me uninstall and I'm not interested in.
3º. Disable by terminal or Titanium those apps that after years I am sure I do not need and are sure to delete, from time to time I able to add some app new.
4º. Hide the icons of those apps that I prefer not to touch in order not to lose functionality
5º. Add my own host file to block all traffic with Xiaomi servers that I am not interested in, without touching or affecting what I do, such as updates and others.
6º. Installing a simple FW as a supervisor, from time to time is useful for me to know the domains to which each application is connecting and decide whether or not to add it to my host file.
Root is need for 5º and 6º.

Well was able to get the latest rom and root working today.
Played around with the Terminal Deloabter, which seems simple enough. Just trying to work out what apps I can remove to get rid of all Google Services and Xiaomi.
I got rid of many and in the end the phone wouldn't boot up again.
Otherwise I'm thinking of trying a GSI ROM version of AOSP, but they appear to have bugs at the moment.
Will keep trying and see where I get.
If a Miui rom could be created without Google and debloater that would be ideal. Or even with MicroG built in would be perfect

birleytweet said:
Well was able to get the latest rom and root working today.
Played around with the Terminal Deloabter, which seems simple enough. Just trying to work out what apps I can remove to get rid of all Google Services and Xiaomi.
I got rid of many and in the end the phone wouldn't boot up again.
Otherwise I'm thinking of trying a GSI ROM version of AOSP, but they appear to have bugs at the moment.
Will keep trying and see where I get.
If a Miui rom could be created without Google and debloater that would be ideal. Or even with MicroG built in would be perfect
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my point of view your mistake has been cleaning without any type of filter and together. In first place, I will never uninstall anything, I will just disable it, and start with what seems obvious that it will not affect the system. Rebooting from time to time and checking that everything works as it should. If there is an error it generally does not cause bootloop, it can be easily enabled again from the system itself.
In the case of Bootloop, as being little changes, it gives you the perfect idea that the application has had the problem, and simply by TRWP you can re-enabled again and "mark" that Apps as essential / necessary . It is practically like I have always been cleaning my systems... with time, patience...
And even with everything, from time to time, I still delete some additional that I see that is totally unnecessary.

Hey for removing Google. I found G-Killer on XDA forums, but looks like it's out of date and not working. Something like this would be ideal. https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...roma-google-services-debloater-t3668456/page7

Hi guys,
i uninstalled some apps from command prompt and so far everything ok. today, however, I wanted to continue with the lightening work and now the device does not install apk and system app updates. play store works well both in updates and in the installation of new apps.
the singular thing that the same apps I also uninstalled on the mi9t and everything works fine.
EDIT. Fixed. Reinstalled miui guard provider

How to stop Google from disabling already installed apps "for our protection"?

My Google Play Protect is turned OFF - yet Handcent Next SMS app was disabled from my phone as well as everyone else's recently. Why Google did it is a separate story [issue has apparently been resolved with a new version of app] - but let's talk about how Google does this?
I manually reinstall the old .apk which reactivates the app, but Google nukes it within 24 hours.
What can be done to stop Google from doing this?
If you feel that Google should do this 'for our protection,' I respect your opinion, but this thread isn't about that. What can be done in Settings to prevent / stop Google from disabling an already installed app on our phones? This is not about the Play Store. It's about already installed apps on our phones. Play Protect is OFF.
There are reasons people want older versions of apps - such as features no longer available on new versions of a given app.

Disable all Google apps that are set as System Administrator including Find my Device, etc.
Disable Google play Services when not needed.
If Google play Services in enabled on a reboot it will trigger that type of behavior.
This may or may not work on a non Samsung device. Google apks are drooling pigs... and only getting worse.

Thank your for your reply. Phone is unlocked Samsung Galaxy S10e.
It sounds like the suggestion is to disable a plethora of apps and services that would have the end result of transfroming the phone into more or less a device that doesn't use anythig Google, even services that we actually may need..
Is there an app that could accomplish this, I mean all that's needed is to block disabling one single app.
I don't need to password protect usage or anything else - just prevent anything from disabling the app / removing it. Thank you.
Can I do anything to lay a trap so that we could see the mechanism which Google uses to disable an already installed app on your phone - it's not Play protect, It's OFF on my phone.
I mean, I will eventually start looking for another app - it's not really about that - but I mean think about it, do you really want them to disable your apps, with *no warning*, no *hey we've discovered a security issue, you might want to be aware of* - instead they just nuke an app we've used for like a decade, no explanation, just because they feel it's good for us, I mean are we in China? Or worse yet, Russia?
Anyone else bothered by this? I'd just like to see if anyone knows a way for us to have a choice, that's all.

8
c627627 said:
Thank your for your reply. Phone is unlocked Samsung Galaxy S10e.
It sounds like the suggestion is to disable a plethora of apps and services that would have the end result of transfroming the phone into more or less a device that doesn't use anythig Google, even services that we actually may need..
Is there an app that could accomplish this, I mean all that's needed is to block disabling one single app.
I don't need to password protect usage or anything else - just prevent anything from disabling the app / removing it. Thank you.
Can I do anything to lay a trap so that we could see the mechanism which Google uses to disable an already installed app on your phone - it's not Play protect, It's OFF on my phone.
I mean, I will eventually start looking for another app - it's not really about that - but I mean think about it, do you really want them to disable your apps, with *no warning*, no *hey we've discovered a security issue, you might want to be aware of* - instead they just nuke an app we've used for like a decade, no explanation, just because they feel it's good for us, I mean are we in China? Or worse yet, Russia?
Anyone else bothered by this? I'd just like to see if anyone knows a way for us to have a choice, that's all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also very much bothered by it. Like, on my older phone google just outright disabled the font manager app, that was a system/vendor app. What risk would that app would pose, if it was risky it surely wouldn't be pre-installed! Moreover it was just a font manager!!!

Gmh rafi said:
8
I'm also very much bothered by it. Like, on my older phone google just outright disabled the font manager app, that was a system/vendor app. What risk would that app would pose, if it was risky it surely wouldn't be pre-installed! Moreover it was just a font manager!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The app may have been compromised. Scan the apk with online Virustotal.
Google on the other hand has long been compromised
Blocking Playstore with Karma Firewall will stop this behavior.

blackhawk said:
The app may have been compromised. Scan the apk with online Virustotal.
Google on the other hand has long been compromised
Blocking Playstore with Karma Firewall will stop this behavior.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isn't about if the app was compromised or not, it's just that google doesn't give us the choice. That's what iritates me. Just as @c627627 said, isn't it more like china or Russia? Dictating without our consent.

blackhawk said:
The app may have been compromised. Scan the apk with online Virustotal.
Google on the other hand has long been compromised
Blocking Playstore with Karma Firewall will stop this behavior.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyway, karma is the best firewall after all

Gmh rafi said:
Anyway, karma is the best firewall after all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's great. My one Note 10+ is still running on Pie. Karma's logging feature is fully active in that version. Even tags/time stamps each app that connects. That functionality was lost with Android 10☹ It still will block but it greatly reduces its use for fast troubleshooting.
One reason I still run Pie.
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I would still scan that app to be on the safe side. I use ApkExport to make installable copies of all my apps and updates and take Playstore out of the loop. This protects those apps is case of bad upgrades or deletion from Playstore. Makes reloading much faster and no guessing/searching.

I have discovered [the hard way] how to successfully deal with this.
Fact: Turning OFF Google Play Protect does not turn OFF Google Play Protect. Google *will* scan and disable anything it wants using Play Protect, *regardless* of whether your Play Protect is ON or OFF.
Play Protect OFF button is there as an illusion that you have a choice, you do not. Your phone may have any app disabled any time by Google... for your protection of course. For our protection.
Now here's the correct way to do this:
Google Play Store > [upper right corner] Tap your name icon > Play Protect >
You will see your disabled app listed, with two options:
Uninstall
and
Enable app
The *only* correct way to re-enable it, is to TAP on Enable App here > Enable [to confirm.]
Doing anything else, such as uninstalling/reinstalling/manually installing an .apk file will only _temporarily_ work.
Google will disable it again, 24 hours or so later...
So you must follow exact procedure above to Enable App if you wish to continue to use it, after it has been flagged by Google Play Protect.
Being able to re-enable it is a big deal. You don't get to do that in China or Russia so tank you Google for giving us this choice.

c627627 said:
I have discovered [the hard way] how to successfully deal with this.
Fact: Turning OFF Google Play Protect does not turn OFF Google Play Protect. Google *will* scan and disable anything it wants using Play Protect, *regardless* of whether your Play Protect is ON or OFF.
Play Protect OFF button is there as an illusion that you have a choice, you do not. Your phone may have any app disabled any time by Google... for your protection of course. For our protection.
Now here's the correct way to do this:
Google Play Store > [upper right corner] Tap your name icon > Play Protect >
You will see your disabled app listed, with two options:
Uninstall
and
Enable app
The *only* correct way to re-enable it, is to TAP on Enable App here > Enable [to confirm.]
Doing anything else, such as uninstalling/reinstalling/manually installing an .apk file will only _temporarily_ work.
Google will disable it again, 24 hours or so later...
So you must follow exact procedure above to Enable App if you wish to continue to use it, after it has been flagged by Google Play Protect.
Being able to re-enable it is a big deal. You don't get to do that in China or Russia so tank you Google for giving us this choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Blocking Google Playstore with Karma Firewall will probably stop it.
I have some apps long gone from Playstore, it ignores them if it runs. I don't know... maybe time to scan those apps you have getting wacked off with Virustotal, again.
They may have been compromised.
I always keep backup installable copies of all my apps for reloads or in case something else goes south.

Thanks for this but, in my case, a certain app has parts of its features stop working and THEN play protect disables it all. If I enable it in play protect section then some features are missing, until I uninstall the app and reinstall. But then I face the same issue with play protect slowly dismantling my app and the finally disabling it.
I wondered, what if I enable it once I get the prompt in play protect section then just install the app again without uninstalling it. Would that work without play protect disabling it again?

Help related to overheating/throttling?

Hello ppl. I'm user of xperia xzs but same is related to xz as they are similar models. Reason why i write here and not in "xperia XZs" section is cus forum section is inactive.
Phone is obviously heating too much, throttling, killing apps and android modules, afaik caused by bad snapdragon 820 power management etc. I belive there is ppl that have less of problems with their devices , which addres posible another issue: bad assembly of phones, in sense thermal pad/paste is not set correctly so even slight miss in assembly, bring overheating and other issues in fact that device is not for normal use.. I tried everything software related: downgrading to nougat, trying different firmwares etc, stamina mode, clearing cache/data etc etc, nothing help to bring my device in state: having a normalno decent phone capable of doing light surf. I dont use camera/games. My device is in very good condition, like new, battery work great. Anyone managed to fix problem somehow? Im thinking the last thing to do before trowing this crap to garbage, to dissasamble and try to check thermal pad/paste and somehow reaply. This is my definetly last smartphone from Sony which became a parody company for phones, not to mention their customer service which are some kind of very stupid AI or if not, that 'person' is on chimpanze level.
Best regards

Lol, you never dealt with Samsung tech support...
You need to find the root cause(s) using the tools available. Karma Firewall can help show which apps are accessing the internet excessively.
Battery trackers can be useful. Keep social media apps off the phone. Cloud apps are another potential trouble maker ie Google backup Transport.

Samsung is even worse? Damn, is there any human beings in that corporations..
Thx for respond! I tried app that you attach, it gives me some interesting infos for now. User apps block didnt do nothing so i did block all system apps and started burnout benchmark test which usualy stop working when im in ~2/7 test. I find out that Apps (UID 1000) and Apps (UID 10039) is trying to access internet many times. When i disable that 2 alone, burnout benchmark goes to end 7/7 (56c max) which is great. Then i tried to see which one is problematic, and that is Apps (UID 10039) which make problem and kill e.g. Burnout benchmark test . Any suggestion what to try from this point? Thx again mate!

slayernn said:
Samsung is even worse? Damn, is there any human beings in that corporations..
Thx for respond! I tried app that you attach, it gives me some interesting infos for now. User apps block didnt do nothing so i did block all system apps and started burnout benchmark test which usualy stop working when im in ~2/7 test. I find out that Apps (UID 1000) and Apps (UID 10039) is trying to access internet many times. When i disable that 2 alone, burnout benchmark goes to end 7/7 (56c max) which is great. Then i tried to see which one is problematic, and that is Apps (UID 10039) which make problem and kill e.g. Burnout benchmark test . Any suggestion what to try from this point? Thx again mate!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome. I've dealt with Sony before, they are a pain. For hifi equipment Denon is the one you wanted.
Disable Sony, app and carrier feedback. Disable Google Firebase.
You can temporarily disable Google play Services and see if that helps especially at night.
Accubattery is useful for it's charge/discharge history, allows you to track SOT usage easily by the hour %@hr. In time Karma helps you spot odd or unwanted behaviors.
Use this settings mod to globally block ads, it also blocks some blacklisted sites.
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blackhawk said:
You're welcome. I've dealt with Sony before, they are a pain. For hifi equipment Denon is the one you wanted.
Disable Sony, app and carrier feedback. Disable Google Firebase.
You can temporarily disable Google play Services and see if that helps especially at night.
Accubattery is useful for it's charge/discharge history, allows you to track SOT usage easily by the hour %@hr. In time Karma helps you spot odd or unwanted behaviors.
Use this settings mod to globally block ads, it also blocks some blacklisted sites.
View attachment 5689379
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you tell me where to find and disable 'Sony,app and carrier feedback, google firebase" ? Cant find private DNS option, i have android 8, there is no "more connection settings", i can find printing, its in "Device connection" its all. Thx

slayernn said:
Can you tell me where to find and disable 'Sony,app and carrier feedback, google firebase" ? Cant find private DNS option, i have android 8, there is no "more connection settings", i can find printing, its in "Device connection" its all. Thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never used 8, only 4, 5, 9 and 10.
Explore all of settings. Probably there, somewhere. Firebase is at the end of the Google settings in the phone settings.

blackhawk said:
I never used 8, only 4, 5, 9 and 10.
Explore all of settings. Probably there, somewhere. Firebase is at the end of the Google settings in the phone settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no dns option in oreo but there is 3rd party app for that, i will try. But still cant find Firebase option and carrier feedback dont know what u mean by that and where to find it? In google settings under "services on this device" there is "ads, auto-fill,backup,dev&sharing ....settings for google apps(connected apps play games etc" cant find there. HM

Maybe Oreo doesn't support Firebase, good!
Pie has better security at the cost of some functionality. Oreo is suspectable to the X-helper rootkit, a real nasty worm.

blackhawk said:
Maybe Oreo doesn't support Firebase, good!
Pie has better security at the cost of some functionality. Oreo is suspectable to the X-helper rootkit, a real nasty worm.
View attachment 5689419
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I turn on dev options and now i see firebase app indexing which is already disabled. I will try to look at Karma fw and accu battery for that "Apps (UID 10039)" which is main problem. So that gives me hope that it is all software problem. Another problem which is probably imposible to fix is that soc start bad throthling etc when it reach ~56c, if thats only few degree up..

slayernn said:
I turn on dev options and now i see firebase app indexing which is already disabled. I will try to look at Karma fw and accu battery for that "Apps (UID 10039)" which is main problem. So that gives me hope that it is all software problem. Another problem which is probably imposible to fix is that soc start bad throthling etc when it reach ~56c, if thats only few degree up..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's almost always software or a firmware problem you can work around.
Yeah but what's the battery temp? That the temperature I watch. At 102-3F I turn it off.
Not sure what that UID is.
The app, UID Lookup for Android might be helpful, I haven't tried it yet.

blackhawk said:
It's almost always software or a firmware problem you can work around.
Yeah but what's the battery temp? That the temperature I watch. At 102-3F I turn it off.
Not sure what that UID is.
The app, UID Lookup for Android might be helpful, I haven't tried it yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all thank you very much you helped me a lot... you show me the way a posible full-fix for my device! That app UID lookup is not working for me. What i find out is that UID 10039 = com.android.vending aka google play. I unistalled it via adb shell and then run benchmark test and it went all to the end 7/7. Later i installed latest google play apk and after that, benchmark start crashing again and phone overheats. Last thing i did is to DISABLE avg protection and now benchmark run to end 7/7. Avg is present in every xzs firmware by default, if thats reason why device behave this way then ...
ps playstore app crash again randomly during normal use of phone without using playstore. Something with playstore modules are maybe wrong hm...

Goggle Play or Google Play Store, a known trouble maker?
To optimize a stock device you need to play with it until you understand why (cause and effect) it's behaving the way it is. It takes some time, but after which it becomes almost second nature.
No coding skills needed as there's lots of ways to work within the UI framework including 3rd party apps like Package Disabler for non-Samsung devices but I've never used that version. That's my main means of debloating my Samsung's. PM if you want the link to the website, not on Playstore.

My brain is now throttling badly and temp is rising!!
Case 1: In Karma FW > disable AVG, disable google play store, enable Apps (UID 10039) = Benchmark go 100%
Case 2: enable avg, disable google play store, enable Apps (UID 10039) = Benchmark crash at 2/7
Case 3: enable avg, enable google play store, disable Apps (UID 10039) = Benchmark go 100%
So there is some rule in relation to avg-google play store-Apps(UID 100039) and i dont have a clue how they are interconnected, im only 100% sure in coherence with benchmark failing/finishing. I'm not smart..
One thing come to my mind right now, mighty sony support and how banal they are: did you reset your device? And similar anti-brain suggestions. HAHAH

Clear system cache.
I always disable location unless needed.
Try running the bench with internet disabled.
Try firewall blocking Playstore, I normally do.
Playstore, another good reason to hate it

Tried everything posible i think of, even unistalling chrome (so to enable default android webview), tried different ver of play store (even disabled it true adb). Nothing gives me hope except blocking Apps (UID 10039). I uploaded latest log of blocked uid while successfully running benchmark. I now understand less and less and have no idea what to do next. Is this Sony way to force us to buy a new phone? If so they definetly force me to buy another manufacturer phone.

Lol, this N10+ was a hot running, lagging battery hog at first. It took a lot time to optimize it. Turned out so good I got a second one.
Dependencies, sometimes it's another app or service causing the drain that's not being correctly reported. Or there's a conflict that creates constant, excessive polling. Trial and error to find them. Add tools that help you to do that... it takes some effort and thought.
Like I said I normally package disable and firewall block Playstore. It's a menace in more ways than one and eats some battery too. Google play Services is normally disabled unless I need it, which is once or twice a day usually. Modify notifications so it doesn't complain endlessly as it will when disabled. Turning off Google play Services and Google Backup Transport is not enough to fully disable it as it may still run in the background at night even.
My N10+ misreports as Google play Services I believe it is... instead Backup must be package disabled to kill it completely.
Your device may behave differently so this is an example of how cryptic this can get. Keep chipping anyway at it until you find the trouble makers and the solutions.
Make sure global power management is disabled or it will cause erratic behavior even more battery consumption.
Developer options>standby apps, all app buckets should show as active otherwise global power management is active! It can't be turned off here though. It's under battery management. In setting under individual apps you can limit data and background battery usage without effecting the global settings, sometimes this gets it.
This is what I'm talking about per Samsung. Sony will have something similar as the global power management/buckets thing is a Google Android apk that manufacturers modify for their flavor. The core functionality though still exists and will likely cause problems when enabled. Its not needed and complicates optimization.

Tried your instructions, it was not easy as i use different manufacturer with oreo and much less options then yours but i got everythink right i think. I found program called "Net blocker" and then go with trial&error to find that real cause of issue and thats 2 modules with same uid no (10039 remember) that karma didnt show me. Now my phone work stable, i can even use google play store. Only related apps like youtube dont work with this 2 modules blocked. Im still not 100% satisfied, i want to come to real solution so if i give my phone to someone, that person dont have to mess around like i did, e.g. after hard reset everything needs to be set with advance knowledge you know..
Here is pic of that 2 modules. Tell me if you know why they making so much problems to whole system and is there a way to fix. Btw Net blocker didnt give me option to disable just 1 of that 2 modules, both of them is selected at same time. Cheers mate and thanx again !

Try clearing cache and data (if possible).
This how mine looks:

blackhawk said:
Try clearing cache and data (if possible).
This how mine looks:
View attachment 5690793
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey mate. Tried clearing cache and data, guess what .. random crashes again non stop. So now im 100% sure root of problem is Google services framework. If i disable it, everything works fine except related apps(youtube etc etc) and if its enabled, i have to block in firewall. Clearing cache/data/restart/hard resent dont help my device, i tried different firmwares, its always the same. There is some incompatability with xz/s firmwares and that services framework.. i imagine fix is posible and easy but no1 cares.

slayernn said:
Hey mate. Tried clearing cache and data, guess what .. random crashes again non stop. So now im 100% sure root of problem is Google services framework. If i disable it, everything works fine except related apps(youtube etc etc) and if its enabled, i have to block in firewall. Clearing cache/data/restart/hard resent dont help my device, i tried different firmwares, its always the same. There is some incompatability with xz/s firmwares and that services framework.. i imagine fix is posible and easy but no1 cares.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry...
I always keep Framework disabled. Forgot about it, lol maybe that's why Playstore can't connect It was constantly draining power even at night.
Bah-ha-ha-ha I had forgotten about it and had been ignoring Playstore, Thanks for reminding me. tff
I may experiment with Framework again but it always ended up being a battery drain that was rarely needed unless I went to Playstore. I knew it was something simple
Damn, you're good.
So you see how giving the phone to someone that isn't willing to take any interest in the system what will happen.