The Pre-Installed Applications You Didn’t Know You Had

Every Android comes installed with a number of apps loaded by the manufacturer. Some apps are necessary for your phone to run properly, but others aren’t needed for your system to function the way it’s supposed to. Luckily, you can uninstall or disable these apps – called “bloatware” – using a few simple techniques. Remember, though, you can’t reinstall most of these apps even if you need them again, so be careful you’re not getting rid of apps that are important to your phone’s functioning.

Read More: The Best Apps for When You Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything

Disabling an App on a Newer Android Phone 

A disabled app lets you make sure an app doesn’t run without giving you the problems uninstalling a necessary app might. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open your settings.
2. Click onto “Apps” or “App Manager,” whichever is installed on your phone.
3. Find the app you want to disable. You might have to swipe over to “All” in the scrolling bar in your app manager.
4. Choose the app you want to disable and click on it.
5. In the app’s screen, click a button that says “Disable.”
6. When you’re prompted with a button that talks about problems with disabling, click “OK.”
7. If you do run into problems, you can always run through steps 1 through 4 again, and click “Enable” this time.

Disabling an app on an older Android 

If you find an app without a disable option or if you have an older Android, disabling apps isn’t quite as easy. You’ll need to download a third-party app, like Titanium Backup to do it. This app cost a little money, so you need to be committed to removing the apps you don’t want. Here’s how to use Titanium Backup:

1. Click on the “Backup/Restore” tab for a list of all the apps on your system.
2. Find the app you want to freeze.
3. Choose the app you want to freeze and a popup will appear with different actions.
4. Click “Freeze.”
5. Another message will pop up saying that your app is now disabled.