The firmware of many smartphones and tablets running Android contains so-called bloatware: applications pre-installed by the manufacturer of dubious usefulness. As a rule, it is not possible to remove them in the usual way. Therefore, today we want to tell you how to uninstall such programs.
In addition to bloatware, virus software cannot be removed in the usual way: malicious applications use loopholes in the system to pretend to be the administrator of a device for which the uninstallation option is blocked. In some cases, for the same reason, it will not be possible to remove a completely harmless and useful program like: it needs administrator rights for some options. System applications like the Google search widget, the standard dialer, or the default one are also protected from uninstallation.
The actual methods for removing uninstallable applications depend on whether your device has root access. It is not required, but with such rights you will be able to get rid of unnecessary system software. Options for devices without root access are somewhat limited, but in this case there is a way out. Let's look at all the methods in more detail.
Method 1: Disable Administrator Rights
Many applications use elevated privileges to control your device, including screen lockers, alarm clocks, some launchers, and often viruses that masquerade as useful software. A program that has been granted access to Android administration cannot be uninstalled in the usual way - if you try to do this, you will see a message stating that uninstallation is impossible due to active device administrator options. What to do in this case? Here's what you need to do.
- Make sure that developer options are enabled on your device. Go to "Settings".
Pay attention to the very bottom of the list - such an option should be there. If it is not there, then do the following. At the very bottom of the list there is an item "About the phone". Enter it.
Scroll to "Build number". Tap on it 5-7 times until you see a message about unlocking developer options.
- Enable USB debugging mode in the developer settings. To do this, go to "Developer Options".
Activate the options using the switch at the top, then scroll through the list and check the box next to "USB Debugging".
- Return to the main settings window and scroll down the list of options to the general block. Tap on an item "Safety".
On Android 8.0 and 8.1 this option is called "Location and Protection".
- Next, you should find the device administrators option. On devices with Android version 7.0 and lower, it is called this "Device Administrators".
In Android Oreo this feature is called "Device Administrator Applications" and is located almost at the very bottom of the window. Enter this settings item.
- A list of applications that are allowed additional functions will appear. As a rule, there is remote device control, payment systems (S Pay, ), customization utilities, advanced alarm clocks and other similar software inside. There will probably be an application on this list that you can’t remove. To disable administrator privileges for him, tap on his name.
On the latest versions of Google's OS, this window looks like this:
- In Android 7.0 and below - there is a button in the lower right corner "Switch off", which you need to press.
- You will automatically return to the previous window. Please note that the check mark next to the program for which you have disabled administrator rights has disappeared.
In Android 8.0 and 8.1 - click on "Disable device admin app".
This means that such a program can be removed in any available way.
This method allows you to get rid of most uninstallable applications, but may not be effective in the case of powerful viruses or bloatware embedded in the firmware.
Method 2: ADB + App Inspector
Complex, but the most effective method of getting rid of uninstallable software without root access. To use it, you will need to download and install Android Debug Bridge on your computer, and the App Inspector application on your phone.
Having done this, you can proceed to the procedure described below.
- Connect your phone to your computer and install drivers for it, if necessary.
- Make sure that the archive with ADB is unpacked to the root of the system disk. Then open "Command line": call "Start" and type the letters in the search field cmd. Right-click on the shortcut and select "Run as administrator".
- In the window "Command line" write the commands sequentially:
cd c:/adb
adb devices
adb shell - Go to the phone. Open App Inspector. A list of all applications available on your phone or tablet will be presented in alphabetical order. Find the one you want to delete among them and tap on its name.
- Take a close look at the line "Package Name"— we will need the information recorded in it later.
- Go back to your computer and "Command line". Type the following command in it:
pm uninstall -k --user 0 *Package Name*
Instead of *Package Name*, enter the information from the corresponding line from the page of the application to be removed in the App Inspector. Make sure the command is entered correctly and press Enter.
- After the procedure, disconnect the device from the computer. The application will be deleted.
The only drawback of this method is that it removes the application only for the default user (the “user 0” operator in the command given in the instructions). On the other hand, this is a plus: if you deleted a system application and encountered problems with the device, you can simply do this to return the deleted one to its place.
Method 3: Titanium Backup (Root only)
If your device is rooted, the procedure for uninstalling uninstallable programs is greatly simplified: just install Titanium Backup, an advanced application manager that can remove almost any software, on your phone.
This method is the simplest and most convenient solution to the problem of uninstalling programs on Android. The only negative is that the free version of Titanium Backup is somewhat limited in its capabilities, which, however, are sufficient for the procedure described above.
Conclusion
As you can see, uninstallable applications are quite easy to deal with. Finally, let us remind you - do not install dubious software from unknown sources on your phone, as you risk running into a virus.
System applications are taking up too much memory on the device. The Android operating system does not allow you to delete them, even if they are not used at all, they take up a lot of space in the RAM and phone memory and interfere with the normal operation of the smartphone. Then users wonder: how to remove built-in applications on Android? There is a solution.
What are built-in applications
Built-in applications are applications that are provided by the operating system. Even on a brand new cell phone or tablet, programs from Google are installed: mail, movies, books, YouTube, maps, Hangout, music, Google+, Google Drive, Google Chrome browser and others. As well as a gallery, files, settings and programs standard for all phones.
Even if the applications are not used, the developers do not provide the ability to delete or disable them. If there is such a possibility, then disabling programs begins to negatively affect the functioning of the entire device and there is a need to change the firmware.
To reduce the likelihood of negative consequences and clear your phone of unnecessary utilities, there are special applications on Google Play. But you shouldn’t trust them too much, no one gives 100% guarantees. Deletion is only your choice, and you will bear all responsibility.
Precautions
Many application developers advise getting rid of system programs and claim that the risk is minimal. You shouldn't believe this. No one guarantees that after removal the phone will function normally. You should not delete applications with the Android icon. There is no harm in deleting Gmail, Google Drive and Maps.
In addition, it is better for inexperienced users not to get into the system at all and not to “put things in order” there. Manually deleting files can also lead to irreparable consequences.
Manual way to remove system applications
You can remove unused software manually, without special tools. But you definitely need to get root rights. Without root rights, the removal process will not be successful.
After receiving special rights you need to:
- Select the folder with system applications system/app;
- Select the desired apk and odex file;
- Click delete on both files;
- Updates installed on utilities also need to be removed;
- Clear application cache.
On some smartphones, applications are located in different folders. You need to delete all information that was downloaded by the utility to your phone.
If you cannot get root rights, then try updating applications less often. This will save some memory. If possible, they can be transferred to an external storage device - a memory card.
Removing built-in applications using special programs
There is a large selection of special programs that are ready to help not only in completely removing additional installations, but also standard ones. Almost all developers indicate in the description that root rights are required.
Simply select the desired program from the list and tick it. Then select “Delete”. You can freeze the application first - this will allow you to check the operation of the device without this application.
Special applications for removing system programs:
- Root Installer;
- CPU X: System & Hardware info;
- Root App Deleter;
- Easy Uninstaller and others.
Thus, it is possible to remove system applications, but this must be done very carefully. If you are not sure that cleaning the system will not harm it, then it is better not to risk it. Try alternative options to free up memory on your smartphone or tablet, such as transferring to external storage.
This can happen to anyone - when you try to delete an application, it turns out that it cannot be deleted. Moreover, in this case we are not talking about a built-in application in the firmware, which cannot be removed without root rights, but about the most common one, which you installed on your device.
For example, some time ago we talked about this and also showed an application called Volume Unlock, thanks to which you can turn on the device by pressing the volume up button. When running, the application receives administrator rights, so there is no easy way to remove it. But let’s show you clearly what it looks like.
Go to settings and find the “Applications” section.
Here we see a list of applications. Select the one you need (in our case, Volume Unlock).
And what do we see? That's right, the "Delete" button is inactive.
If you encounter a similar problem, no problem, it can be solved. To do this, go to Google Play and type in the search the word “uninstall” (without quotes) or uninstaller. Select an application from Rhythm Software and install it. This is an extremely small free application that does not even require additional rights.
After installing the application, open it and see a list of all installed applications. Select the one you need by tapping on it once, and then click on the “Delete selected applications” button, which is located at the top of the screen.
We agree with the deletion and see a window in front of us that says: “It is impossible to delete the package because it is selected for device administration." Click “Administration Settings”.
A window opens and uncheck the application.
In a new window, disable the application’s administrative rights by clicking on the “Disable” button.
After this, we get to the application page and see that the “Delete” button is activated.
Click on it and the application is deleted.
Of course, this way you can remove virus applications that cannot be removed in the usual way. To remove system applications, you must have root rights.
Second way
For this method, we thank the user with the nickname Android, who in the comments suggested a less complicated method for removing such applications. He talked about another method that requires enabling USB debugging. A user with the nickname Valery reported that you can use this method without USB debugging, for which we thank him. And yet, we show an example with USB debugging - just in case. We advise you to immediately open the “Security” section (see the last three screenshots) and if this does not help, try enabling USB debugging.
Go to settings. Here, find the “About phone” (or “About tablet”) section.
After opening this section, it will appear in the settings:
Go into it and check the box next to “USB Debugging”.
Here you will see a check mark for an application that cannot be removed in the usual way.
Simply uncheck the box, then click Disable.
The application can now be uninstalled as usual.
It's no secret that when you buy a new Android phone or tablet, the device already has many standard games and applications installed. As a rule, most pre-installed programs are marked as “system” and cannot be removed in the usual way.
For owners of expensive models with a large amount of memory, this will not create inconvenience; but for owners of cheaper budget devices, it can be a serious problem. Because due to a large number of unnecessary applications, there may be a lack of system or RAM memory, which in turn will lead to slowdown and freezing of the device itself.
In fact, you can remove standard applications on any Android device. But since these applications are part of the firmware, to remove them you will need:
1. Ruth is right(administrator rights) – if you don’t have them, you can read the instructions for getting root.
2. File manager– the most convenient for this is Es Explorer or Total Commander, but you can use another manager, the main thing is that it supports root rights.
Instructions for removing standard applications
Below are instructions based on the example of the Es Explorer application.
We will not make a description for each individual manager, since the removal process is identical and differs only in minor details.
Es Explorer is a free file manager for Android devices with root support.
1. Install the application.
2. Provide access to the root.
3. In the settings, find and enable “Root Explorer”. 
4. Go to the “system applications Apps” section.
5. Mark the applications you want to remove.
6. Click the “Uninstall” button and then “Uninstall” (the updates will be removed first, and then the APK file itself). 
7. Remove residual files from the /data/app partition. 
These days, many cellular operators and OEMs, unfortunately, lock their devices and pre-install a lot of applications on them that the end user does not need. It even happens that some program can even monitor all the actions of the phone owner and send data to the server via an unencrypted communication channel. This undoubtedly jeopardizes the safety of personal data and also adversely affects battery life. Since, as already mentioned, devices may be locked, it may not be easy to remove such applications.
Quite often this happens due to the desire of the manufacturer or operator to know how a particular device is used and then make a profit from this data. Also, developers can pay for each pre-installed application and the manufacturer, again, receives additional benefits from this.
There are several ways to get rid of this kind of “garbage”. For example, on Google Play you can find several programs that allow you to remove unnecessary system applications. But often such utilities either require root rights or can work on devices from a specific manufacturer. However, it's rare to see a one-size-fits-all solution to this problem, and in today's guide, you'll learn how to manually uninstall these system apps without root privileges. All you need to do is enter a few simple ADB commands in the command line.
Guide to Uninstalling System Apps
- Create a folder named Android at the root of the disk C:\.
- Install USB drivers for your device (you can find links to universal drivers for some devices).
- In some cases, installing drivers will require you to disable authentication.
- For Windows 7:
When turning on the computer, after loading the BIOS, you must press the key F8. In the menu that appears " Additional download options" choose " Disabling mandatory driver signing" This method may not work the first time, so you should repeat the action or open a command prompt as an administrator and enter two commands:
« bcdedit.exe /set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS»;
« bcdedit.exe /set TESTSIGNING ON». - For Windows 8:
You need to press a keyboard shortcut Win+I, hold down the key Shift and select "". When you turn on the computer, select " Diagnostics» > « Extra options» > « Boot Options» > « Reboot" When loading, select the “mode” by pressing the key F7. - For Windows 10:
You need to hold down the key Shift and select menu " Start" > "". After downloading, select " Troubleshooting» > « Extra options» > « Boot Options» > « Reboot" Then select " Disable mandatory driver signature verification", pressing the key F7.
- For Windows 7:
- Download the archive and unpack the files into the Android folder.
- Install the App Inspector application on your smartphone.
- Activate the item " USB Debugging» on a smartphone.
This can be done in the section " For developers" You can find out how to open it. - Connect your phone to your computer via a USB cable.
It is recommended to use an original or good quality cable, as well as the USB 2.0 port located on the motherboard (for PC). - Change connection type from " Charging this device" on " Transferring files».
- Open the command line and go to the created Android folder with the command “ cd c:\Android\"(commands are written without quotes).
- Make sure that the computer finds the device via ADB.
To do this you need to enter " adb devices" to the command line. When a request appears on your phone for permission to debug via ADB on this computer, you must click “Ok” and select “Always allow from this computer.” If the device is visible, the text “List of devices attached” and a list of all devices (for example, xxxxxxx device) will be displayed. If instead of “device” it says “offline” or the list is empty, then you need to update ADB, check the drivers/cord, change the USB port/computer. - Launch the App Inspector utility and select App List (Ordered by name). Find and select the application to remove. The package name and version will be displayed below the program name.
- At the command line enter " adb shell».
- Then enter " pm uninstall -k --user 0 name.of.package", where name.of.package is the name of the package to be removed, which was previously recognized in the App Inspector.
Instead of a warning
Removing system apps can have undesirable consequences, so always know what you're getting rid of before following these steps. Otherwise, your phone may become unusable until you perform a data reset. In addition, deleting one system application may cause another application that depends on it to not work. However, as mentioned above, resetting the data will always return everything to its place and restore all previously deleted system programs.
You should also know that the apps are not actually completely removed from the device, they are only removed for the current user (user "0" is the primary one). Therefore, if you omit the “-user 0” and “-k” part of the command, this method will not work. These two commands respectively indicate that the system app will be uninstalled for the current user only (and not all users, which requires root access), and that the system app cache/data will be preserved (which also cannot be uninstalled without root access). So even if you "uninstall" the system app using this method, you will still be able to receive official OTA updates.
This method, as practice shows, works on all current devices, as well as a number of smartphones and tablets running older versions of the Android OS. Try it and tell us in the comments below if this method worked on your device.