How to remove pre-installed applications from your smartphone. Why you may need to remove pre-installed programs

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 in which it is written: “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 said 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 checkmark 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.

The era of unprecedented flowering of computer technology sets the pace of life. And now a person of the 21st century cannot imagine his existence without a smartphone, tablet and other such useful and irreplaceable devices. Sooner or later, the owner of a fashionable gadget has a question that worries hundreds of users of one of the most popular Android operating systems: how to remove unnecessary applications. Sometimes such a seemingly simple task can become a serious problem. This article will tell you how to delete an application on Android, while saving your time and nerves.

How to delete an application on Android

1. The “for dummies” method.
For those new to using Android devices, the easy way is the way to go. You need to open the “Menu” / “Settings” / “Applications” tabs (the latter may also be called “Application Manager”, “Application Management”). Select the application you want to remove and click the appropriate button.
Attention: when using this method, the inconvenience is that all applications are presented in the list, including system ones. If there is no “Delete” button on the screen, then most likely the selected application is standard, and the algorithm for working with it is somewhat different. (Read below for information on how to remove standard Android applications.)

2. Using special programs
Programs such as or allow you to quickly and easily remove applications that have been installed on Android by the user. They are more convenient because they do not include standard applications in the list.

3. Using a file manager.
The menu of file managers usually contains a tool with which you can remove installed applications. For example, suitable for this purpose, etc.

4. Via Google Play Market.
You need to launch the Market application. Downloaded programs can be seen in the “My Applications” tab. The delete function is also available there.

How to remove standard Android applications

So, let's look at 2 ways below on how to remove pre-installed Android applications:
1. Using a file manager that supports displaying hidden system files. One of the most popular is. After installing it, you just need to enter the /system folder, find the required application in the /app subfolder and delete it. (Please note: many applications have not only an .apk file, but also an .odex file. In this case, you need to delete both of them).
2. Using special programs such as or. You must install the program on your device and follow the instructions.

Attention: It should be noted that experts do not advise deleting system applications forever, but resorting to “freezing” them. This can be done in standard “Settings”. Select the “Applications” tab, then click on the required program icon and “Disable”. Thanks to these actions, the application will not appear on the device, but it can be activated at any time.

If you didn’t know how to remove Android system applications, or thought it was impossible, this information will tell you the main ways to solve this problem.

Very often, Android smartphone manufacturers equip their firmware with a large amount of software that users will never need. At the same time, such software takes up a sufficient amount of memory on the internal storage and cannot be moved to the card. Moreover, all these programs “hang” in RAM and “eat up” a significant part of the RAM and CPU performance. Today we will talk about how to deal with this and teach you how to remove system applications on Android.

You need to carefully remove unnecessary applications (for example, maps, the launcher itself, music, cloud, Facebook, Google movies, YouTube, etc.). The fact is that some of them are necessary for the operation of the system and, if they are removed, its functionality will be impaired. For example, if we remove the standard browser and do not install a third-party one, then when we try to access the Internet, the OS will throw an error.

Moreover, if you delete, for example, the wireless connection service (and this can be done easily), Wi-Fi or Bluetooth will simply stop working and can only be restored by flashing the firmware. The list of necessary components can be continued for a long time.

Therefore, before you start uninstalling, be sure to make sure that the program is not needed for the OS to work and its absence will not harm it. Also pay attention to the prompts of the uninstallers themselves.

Methods for removing and disabling system software

So, let's get straight to working on the standard programs on your phone or tablet. This can be done in a variety of ways, both using third-party software (in most cases) and standard tools. You should know that all of these options, except one (does not remove all programs) require Root rights. You can get them in different ways depending on the firmware (Android 2, 3, 4, 5.1, 6.0, 7, 8) and smartphone model. The KingRoot program often helps.

Root permissions are administrative privileges in Android that allow you to modify the firmware files itself.

Disabling using standard means

This method is the simplest and works without Root rights. However, it also has disadvantages. The fact is that not all programs can be disabled. Let's look at how it works:

1. Lower your device's notification bar and go to its settings. This is usually a gear icon.

1. Scroll the contents of the window a little lower and find the settings item called “Applications”.

1. Next, select the application you want to disable.

1. If this program supports the shutdown function, you will see a corresponding button. Just press it.

1. Next, select the item marked in the screenshot from the pop-up menu.

1. Programs disabled in this way are not deleted: they simply stop until you run them yourself.

Attention! When you disable the standard software using the described method, the updates that were installed on it will be automatically deleted.

Program "Remove system applications"

Next we move on to using third-party software. The first application on our list will be “Uninstall system applications”. You can download it from the Play Market, which is what we will do now.

1. Go to the Android application store and write the name of the program in the search bar. As soon as the desired result appears in the results, click on it.

1. Install the program by tapping the button marked in the screenshot.

1. We allow access to location, multimedia, Wi-Fi and other functions.

1. The download of the program we need will begin. Since its size is small, it will not take much time.

1. So, the download is complete, so let’s proceed directly to working with the application.

1. At the first launch, we will need to provide the same Root rights that were mentioned in the introductory part of the article. Click the button marked in the screenshot.

1. A list of all applications, including system ones, will open. We check the boxes that we want to delete and press the button marked “2”.

1. We will be warned that we have identified applications that are important for the operation of the system. Think twice if you see such a message. In our case, everything is correct, so click “Yes”.

1. The removal process will be completed in a matter of moments.

Ready. The program will disappear from your smartphone at the same moment.

Let's consider another option, which, if it differs in some way from the first, is only in appearance. We will also download the program from the Play Market.

1. We begin to write the name of the utility in the search bar of the Google store and, as soon as our program appears in the search results, tap on it.

1. Next, press the familiar green button.

1. Allow Easy Uninstaller all required permissions.

1. We are waiting for 5 MB to be downloaded from the network and installed on our Android.

1. We go to the home screen and see a new shortcut in the form of a trash can. This is exactly what we need.

1. In the list of programs available for removal, mark one or more items and press the button marked “2”.

1. Once again we confirm our intentions by clicking on “OK”.

That's all. The application or applications will silently disappear so that they no longer burden our phone.

CCleaner

Here's another interesting option. Surely, few of you knew that the well-known program for cleaning the disk and phone storage is capable of removing pre-installed applications. Nevertheless, it is true. Below we will show how it works.

1. In the same way as in previous cases, we are looking for the application in the Play Market.

1. We install it by pressing the familiar button.

1. We are waiting for the download of all the files necessary for CCleaner to complete.

1. Let's launch our cleaner. Today it will act as an uninstaller.

1. So, when the program opens, go to its main menu. To do this, click the button with the image of three horizontal stripes (marked in the screenshot below).

1. In the menu that slides out from the left side, click on the “Application Manager” item.

1. A list of installed and system software will open. To begin the removal procedure, click on the icon with the image of a trash can.

1. And again we are warned that if we thoughtlessly “demolish” the standard software, we can easily “kill” our operating system, which, unlike a computer, is not so easy to repair. If you understand this, you can continue. Click the button circled in the picture.

1. Mark the programs or games that need to be uninstalled and tap on the “Delete” button (marked with the number “2”).

After this, the program, game or their combination will be removed from Android.

Via file manager

This option for removing unnecessary applications from Android differs from the above. Here we will do everything ourselves, while the previously described uninstaller programs worked in automatic mode. So let's get started.

1. We will use one of the best file managers. This is ES Explorer. Let's download it using Google Play.

1. Click the button labeled “Install”.

1. We allow the application all types of access that it needs to function properly.

1. The program is downloading. Since it “weighs” a little more than 10 MB, it will not take up much of your time.

The application is installed and ready to use. Next, we will look at how to remove standard programs. Launch the tool.

1. Open the main menu of ES Explorer. We have marked it in the picture below.

1. Now we need to allow our file manager to work with operating system components. To do this, enable the “Root Explorer” function using the trigger marked in the screenshot.

1. Naturally, in this case we will need to provide the program with Root rights.

1. When access to the firmware files is allowed, return to the main ES Explorer screen and go to the menu.

1. Next, we need to go to the “Device” directory. This is our file system, and not the file system of the drive, but the system disk or firmware.

1. So, to uninstall the same application, you need to erase files from several places. Let's visit the first one first. Go to the “system” directory.

1. Then open the “app” folder.

1. In Android 5 and above, you will see application folders. They contain APK files. In earlier versions of the operating system they will be located here without directories. One way or another, we need to delete the selected application with or without a folder. To do this, click on the object and hold it until the button marked “2” appears.

We confirm our action by tapping “OK”.

So, we have cleared the first path, let's move on to the second.

1. We return to the root directory of the firmware and go to “data”.

1. Then we open the “app” directory and “remove” all traces of the unnecessary program.

1. Go to “data” again.

1. We go to the directory marked in the picture below and delete the data of the unnecessary program from here.

That's it. The method is one of the most complex and dangerous for the OS. We recommend using it only for people who are well versed in the topic.

We are gradually moving on to another option for removing pre-installed Android applications. This time it will be another utility called Root Uninstaller. Let's look at how to work with it.

1. In the old fashioned way, go to the Play Store and enter the name of the tool in the search bar. When the desired object appears in the search results, tap on its icon.

1. Click the button marked in the screenshot.

1. We wait for the installation of all the necessary files to complete.

1. Go to the home screen or menu and select the application you just downloaded.

1. As in other cases, we will need to provide access to the operating system files. Otherwise, nothing will work.

1. When the program opens, we will see a list of all third-party and standard applications, as well as, if any, games. Tap on the one that needs to be removed.

1. An additional menu will open with several options.

Identification of the various buttons:

• Freezing. The application or game is blocked: it does not occupy RAM and does not load the processor. However, the occupied disk space is not freed and the program is not removed;
• Delete. The application is completely removed from Android;
• Backup. A backup copy is created, which in case of failures will help correct the situation and restore what you deleted;
• Reset. The software is cleared of all updates and data received during operation.

There are also a number of additional functions that are not particularly important to us.

1. As soon as we click the delete button, a warning will follow in which we will need to confirm the action taken. In order to do this, click “OK”.

Attention! To ensure data safety and guarantee stable system operation, be sure to use backup tools before deleting each program!

From the name of this program it is clear that it requires superuser privileges to operate, although they are required for our entire list. So, let's look at how to work with Root App Deleter in more detail.

1. The first thing we will need to do is download the application to our phone. To do this, we will use the Google Play store. Enter the name of the program in the search field and select the desired result from the results.

1. On the Root App Deleter home page, click the familiar button labeled “Install”.

1. The program “weighs” only 700 kilobytes. This is very little, especially compared to competitors.

1. So, the list of uninstallers has been replenished with a red icon, click on it.

1. There are several tiles in the main menu of our application. We will work with the uninstaller. Click on the item marked in the screenshot.

1. Next, we will be asked to select one of the program removal modes. This could be a newbie that automatically creates a backup copy of the existing software before uninstalling it. There is also an expert mode in which programs are deleted immediately and irrevocably. Choose the algorithm that suits you.

1. As a result, a list of programs available for removal will appear. We will uninstall the most unnecessary of them. At least in our opinion. Click on the application name.

1. Since this is beginner mode, there is no delete button, but there is a disable button. This way we can test the operation of the system and, if everything is fine, we will remove the software completely in expert mode.

1. As in other cases, you cannot do without Root rights. Tap on “Provide”.

Ready. The program is disabled and no longer consumes phone resources.

Titanium Backup

Next up is the famous backup app. Among other things, the tool can remove any software, and if SuperUser is present, even system software. So let's figure out how to work with it.

1. So, go to Google Play and look for Titanium Backup there. The main thing is to find the Root version. Otherwise, nothing will work. See screenshot attached below.

1. Then, as in other cases, press the button indicated in the screenshot.

1. We are waiting for the download of the small file to finish.

1. And we launch our Titanium Backup by tapping on its icon on the home screen.

1. When starting, the program will request access to the firmware files - we provide it.

1. And here a small obstacle awaits us. The fact is that for Titanium Backup to work properly, you need to enable USB debugging on your phone. Don't be alarmed - there is nothing complicated about it. Initially, click “OK”.

1. Next, let's move on to the settings of our device.

1. Scroll to the bottom of the list and select “About phone”.

1. Next, you need to quickly start tapping on the “Build number” item. In our case, there is a non-standard add-on to Android - MIUI, so here we click on its version.

After this, an additional item called “For Developers” will appear in your settings.

We just need to switch the trigger marked in the screenshot to the active position.

Now you can continue the instructions for removing useless system applications from Android through Titanium Backup.

1. Go to the “Backups” tab and click on the program that we want to “demolish”.

1. Here we see several points of working with the software. Below is their designation.

1. After clicking the delete button, we will be warned one last time that we have not backed up the program and that if we delete the system software, the operating system may crash. Despite everything we click “YES”, we still advise you to create a backup.

A little earlier, we removed standard applications from the system using the same program. However, now we will use another tool, which is also included in the functionality of ES Explorer. It works like this:

1. Launch ES Explorer from the icon on the desktop or in the application menu.

1. On the main screen, tap on the marked icon.

1. Select the application that you want to remove.

1. Click the “Uninstall” button.

Root rights are not required in this case, since the system remembered ES Explorer after the first grant of permissions.

1. The uninstallation will begin, which looks exactly the same as a standard Android uninstall.

That's all - the program or game has been deleted.

There is also an option to remove built-in applications using a PC through the Debloater program, but it does not always work and is quite complicated. It is better to use one of the methods described above.

Results and comments

So, now the question of how to remove factory applications on Android is completely revealed to you. We have provided a lot of methods, one of which will definitely work. It is important to perform a backup before any action, so that you can restore the data later if necessary. You can also disable the software rather than uninstall it in order to check the functionality of the system without it.

One way or another, if something doesn’t work out and you still have questions, describe the situation in the comments, and we will certainly try to help.

Video

Also, for greater clarity and completeness of the picture, we suggest watching a training video on this topic.

Manufacturers of Android smartphones very often build into their firmware many applications that the user does not need. These take up space on the system disk and, working in the background, create a load on the device’s processor.

Manually removing built-in applications

You can also avoid using Root Uninstaller and instead uninstall built-in apps manually. It will be a little more difficult and time consuming, but it is possible.

To manually remove built-in applications on Android, you will need a file manager that can use ROOT rights. In this article we will use the ES File Explorer file manager. You can download it absolutely free.

So, after you have downloaded and installed ES File Explorer, you must configure it. To do this, swipe to the right and open the ES Explorer side menu. Here you need to find and enable the “ROOT Explorer” function.

After this, a window will open asking you to confirm the granting of Root rights. In this window you need to click on the “Ok” button. If this is not done, then ES Explorer will not be able to work normally with root rights.

After that, tap again on the “ROOT Explorer” function in the ES Explorer application and hold your finger on the screen until the settings menu appears. In this menu you need to select the “Connect as R/W” item.

In the window that opens, select the “RW” option for all folders. Then click on the “Ok” button to save the settings.

At this point, the setup of ES Explorer is completed, and you can begin to remove built-in applications on your Android device. To do this, go to the /system/app folder, which is located on the internal memory of the device. In this folder you need to delete the APK and ODEX files of the built-in applications that you want to remove. This can be done very simply by selecting the required APK and ODEX files and clicking on the “Delete” button.

If you have Android 5.0 or a newer version, then in the /system/app folder the files will not be all piled up, but sorted into folders. In this case, we simply find the folder of the desired application and delete it in exactly the same way.

The next step is to remove the updates. To do this, go to the /data/app folder, find the necessary APK files there (or folders if you have Android 5.0) and delete them.

The final stage on Android is deleting cache files and databases. To do this, open the /data/data folder, find folders with updates there and delete these folders.

After that, we reboot the device and enjoy pure Android without unnecessary built-in programs.

The user of a new Android device, regardless of manufacturer, discovers pre-installed programs that he will never use, but cannot remove. In this material, we will tell you how to remove unnecessary applications on Android in order to rid the system of useless “garbage”.

Types of Applications

OS Android, in the form in which you receive it on your new device, contains applications that can be divided into several large groups:

1. Custom. Everything is clear with this category. It includes programs that are installed and used by the device user. They can be removed, updated, or reinstalled at any time.
2. Manufacturer installed or factory installed. Present at the time of purchase of the device. The user can update them, but cannot delete them without root rights.
3. System. These include Google services and standard Android programs. Applications in this category cannot be uninstalled without the risk of damaging the device's operating system.

Root

The term root or superuser came to Android from Linux. In this OS, this is an account whose owner has the rights to perform any operations, including with system partitions. There are more than 30 ways to obtain administrative rights on Android. They differ depending on the device manufacturer, installed processor and even OS version. On smartphones of the same brand, for Android 5.0 and Android 6.0 these can be completely different procedures. For example, for Meizu MX 4Pro, which runs on Android 4.4.2, it all comes down to a simple registration on the manufacturer’s website, during which you accept an agreement about responsibility for your actions.

For this reason, we will not dwell on obtaining root rights, implying that you will find a way for your device. We have a separate article for this.

Required programs

It's painless to remove built-in applications; it's safer to use third-party programs. You can download them from the Google Play store after gaining administrative access to the device.

ES Explorer

After installation, to ensure full access to the smartphone’s file system, you will need to enable root explorer in the settings.

The next step is to directly remove interfering applications. Let's use a file manager with administrative rights to go to the system partition /system/app. It stores all installed programs in the form of apk files.

A long press will bring up an additional menu at the bottom of the screen and a selection position next to application icons. At this stage, using administrative rights, you can remove previously uninstallable programs, including those related to Google services.

The system will warn you that these actions are irreversible. By confirming your choice, you will use your root rights. Any action performed using them is perceived by the OS as unconditionally correct, so be careful and remove truly “unnecessary” applications.

This program can not only clean the system, but also remove standard applications on Android after you give it the appropriate access. The choice fell on CCleaner because it has versions for all popular operating systems and is familiar to users. The program has the ability to clear the software cache and batch uninstall.

Using the built-in application manager, you can disable or remove them at your discretion.

When working with system services, you will receive a warning. Any program that uses root access when working with Android-related files will warn you to be careful.

Warnings issued by the system provide the time necessary to convince you that the actions being taken are correct. With the ability to uninstall applications that are not otherwise uninstallable, the user must be careful and careful not to cause breaking changes.

Another free manager, specially created to work with the system after obtaining root rights. Its main purpose, unlike previous programs in our review, is to remove applications built into the device by manufacturers.

As you can see, Jumobile's functionality allows you to perform all types of operations. By moving built-in applications to the memory card, you can free up space on your device without deleting them.

An attempt to remove Facebook Lite pre-installed on the system raises a familiar warning about a possible violation of the integrity and stability of the system.

A useful feature implemented by Jumobile developers is the ability to batch work with deleted files. The selection can be made alphabetically or by installation date in the system, as is more convenient for the user. By checking the boxes for the program to be uninstalled, you confirm that you understand the consequences of the actions being performed and clear the device of the “garbage” in it in one click.

In conclusion

The ability to clear your smartphone of bonuses imposed by manufacturers is always present, in every version of Android, on a device of any brand. The owner's main concern will be obtaining root access and choosing the program with which these actions will be performed.

Let us remind you that obtaining root access is considered by manufacturers as an action that removes the device from warranty service. No one will refuse repairs if the protective glass on a rooted phone is broken, but if the malfunction is a consequence of the fact that native applications or services have been removed from the device, the case will not be considered under warranty. Therefore, before performing changes or modifications to the smartphone software, make sure that this will not harm the operation of the operating system.