If you've bought a new phone or PC in the past few years, you may have discovered that it comes with a little more than you bargained for! Despite the fact that the device is brand new and sealed, it will come with apps pre-installed on it. These apps can be boring at best and cumbersome at worst. So what are they and why are they installed on your device even before you start it for the first time?
SummaryWhen bloatware strikesWhy is Bloatware installed?Can you remove it?Beat the bloat
It can be frustrating to unbox a new phone only to find it comes with pre-installed apps that can't be removed. Why are these apps even installed in the first place?
Just because the manufacturer thinks you won't use these apps! They are usually set up as part of an agreement with the application companies. The app developer pays the manufacturer a fixed fee if they put their app on customers' phones during the manufacturing process. The manufacturer gets a tidy sum just by installing an app on the phones, and the app developer makes a return on people who use the apps and decide to pay for premium features.
Typically, these apps aim to give new users something to try. These can be games that a new user can try out before figuring out how to install others. These may include productivity suites such as word processors and PDF viewers, in the hope that the user will enjoy them enough to pay without checking the App Store for alternatives.
Depends! Some bloatware apps, such as those installed with Windows 10, can usually be uninstalled by the time you receive the computer. Smartphones, however, can sometimes get a little nefarious with their bloatware. Manufacturers often embed applications in the original ROM. This means that apps are part of the system software itself and you cannot uninstall them without root access.
If you are in this boat, do not despair! If you can root your phone, it will give you elevated permissions on your phone. This includes the ability to remove system apps (including bloatware). Root your phone, dive into the root directory, and clean up bloatware to free up space!
Bloatware is a very annoying problem, but some users don't understand why some apps on their phone cannot be uninstalled. Now you know how bloatware works and how to get rid of it.
Is bloatware a major plague in your life? Or have you sworn to only use operating systems without bloatware issues? Let us know below.
Image credit:Root my HTC Hero Android phone
