Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Amazon Prime Day
  • Back to school
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • Best VPN
  • ChatGPT
  • NYT Wordle today
  • Best laptop
  • Best web hosting
Recommended reading
A battery-saving setting shown on a Realme GT5 Pro.
Android Quick! Disable these Android features to boost your battery life
Android apps
Android 7 must-try Android apps you didn't know you needed until now
Man looking at smartphone
Security Hundreds of Android apps band together in massive scam campaign targeting millions - here's what we know
Google Fit
Android These are the 7 best fitness apps for Android (that aren't Strava)
One Sec
Websites & Apps I was tired of my phone demanding so much of my time, so I did something about it
Android greyscale
Phones I used greyscale on my Android phone to reduce my screen time – here’s what happened, and how you can too
Zen mode on a Realme phone
Android I've been using Android phones my whole life and here are 6 features I'm still waiting for
  1. Phones
  2. Android

How to remove bloatware from your Android device

How-to
By Simon Chester published 31 July 2015

We show you how to remove pre-installed apps using Debloater

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

How to remove bloatware from your Android device

How to remove bloatware from your Android device

There's often a host of system apps installed at the factory that you can't remove, even though you may not want them.

Since Ice Cream sandwich (Android 4.0), users have been able to disable apps through the Apps section of the Settings menu, but if you have a lot of apps to disable, this can sometimes take a bit of time, and you may want a quick way to disable known crap apps (crapps?) whenever you install a new rom, buy a new phone, or decide to help out a buddy of yours.

XDA-Developers.com member, Gatesjunior, had such a desire, and has whipped up a program, called Debloater, that makes removing these unwanted apps a fast and easy process.

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Debloater

Debloater

To begin, visit the XDA Forums page and follow the download link down the bottom of the first page.

The app isn't the only requirement for running through this process, however: you also need to install the correct USB drivers for your device. These are usually available from your manufacturer's website or a quick Google search.

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Setting it up

Setting it up

After installing the drivers, but before plugging in your phone, you additionally need to enable ADB (Android Debug Bridge) from within the hidden developer's menu in your device's settings menu.

To do so, open your Android Settings menu, then scroll down to 'About Phone', then 'Build number' (usually second from the bottom), and tap it seven or so times until a toast (pop-up message) appears congratulating you on your special developer status.

You have now unlocked the 'Developer options' menu within Android Settings. Now visit said menu and scroll down to the 'Debugging' section and enable 'Android debugging'.

Now plug in your phone. Windows should do its 'Installing new hardware' thing for a bit, and then you should be met with a message on your phone asking your permission to authorise this computer for ADB access – you need to click yes to this. If you never saw this screen, or are having problems using the program, you can reset the access permissions to trigger the pop-up the next time you plug your phone in by visiting the 'Developer options' menu and pressing the 'Revoke USB authorisations' menu item.

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Using Debloater

Using Debloater

Now that that's all sorted, it's time to get dirty within Debloater itself.

You'll first have to acknowledge the warning that this does have the potential to prevent your phone from booting, should you choose to block an important system package from running. If you do so, you'll pretty much have to factory wipe your phone to get it working again, so always be sure that you've selected the correct packages before you hit the apply button.

Now that you've come to terms with your phone's mortality, the first thing to do is press the scrolling 'Press here to begin' / 'Read Device Packages' button, which should come as no surprise to anyone, which then brings up a list of every package (app) on your phone, including those annoying ones.

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Choosing packages

Choosing packages

Now, this is where it becomes a handy little tool over the manual method: you can select each of the packages you want to disable, then hit the 'Apply' button (which takes the place of the 'Read Device Packages' button when you select something from the list).

Further to this, you can quickly find the package(s) that you're after by selecting the 'Filter' option, and typing in a part of the package name (say, the name of your mobile service provider).

Now, if you are sending your phone back for repair, you may want to re-enable those packages you disabled – again, this is super easy to do in a few clicks – just press the 'UnBlock All Packages' button up the top, then press the 'Apply' button.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Exporting packages

Exporting packages

One other feature that makes Debloater worthy of note is the ability to export a list of those unwanted packages. This means that – had you re-enabled the packages for whatever reason (perhaps troubleshooting something) – you can quickly disable the unwanted packages again by loading up your list and applying it.

To create such a list, first block the packages on your phone as above, then right click on the 'Read Device Packages' button to access the options menu, then go to 'Export' > 'Blocked Packages' and save it somewhere safe. To import, just visit 'Import' > 'Blocked Packages and choose the file you saved earlier.

It's as easy as that – your phone is now free from bloatware.

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Simon Chester
See more Phone How Tos
Read more
A battery-saving setting shown on a Realme GT5 Pro.
Quick! Disable these Android features to boost your battery life
Android apps
7 must-try Android apps you didn't know you needed until now
Man looking at smartphone
Hundreds of Android apps band together in massive scam campaign targeting millions - here's what we know
Google Fit
These are the 7 best fitness apps for Android (that aren't Strava)
One Sec
I was tired of my phone demanding so much of my time, so I did something about it
Android greyscale
I used greyscale on my Android phone to reduce my screen time – here’s what happened, and how you can too
Latest in Android
Sameer Samat, President of Android Experiences at Google
'I think you see the future first on Android' – Google's Android leader Sameer Samat
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review front handheld
Android 16 is causing lock-screen issues on some Pixel phones – here's what we know
Android 16 logo on a phone
Android 16 will soon flag fake cell towers and warn you if someone is spying on your phone
The bottom left corner of an Android phone, showing the Phone, Messages, Google icons and Google Search bar
Google Messages is preparing a new trick to get your friends and family to switch to RCS
Google Pixel 9 Pro
Drowning in Android notifications? This hidden Pixel feature has fixed the problem for me
Apple AirTag
This Android AirTags rival finally got the one big feature it's been missing
Latest in How Tos
Three members of staff wave towards a red helicopter in Billion Dollar Playground
How to watch Billion Dollar Playground season 1 for free online from anywhere
Jofra Archer in practice for England cricket.
How to watch England vs India 3rd Test: Live stream cricket online – England 387, India 145-3 after Day 2
The Amazing Race Canada presenter standing in front of the season 11 cast in an American Football stadium.
How to watch The Amazing Race Canada season 11 online FREE from anywhere
Big Brother Season 27 promo image
How to watch Big Brother USA Season 27 online from anywhere
Charlotte (Annabel Scholey), Jacob (Sam Palladio) and Mia (Aggy K Adams) in a nightclub in The Couple Next Door season 2
How to watch The Couple Next Door season 2 for free online from anywhere
Jonas Vingegaard riding in the 2024 Tour de France time trial at Stage 7
Tour de France 2025 Stage 5 live stream: How to watch cycling for FREE from anywhere
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    Prime Day is nearly over, but you can still snag a deal on these 3 TVs I’ve tested and recommend – and they’re all under $1,000
  2. 2
    Prime Day is almost over, but the Sonos Ace are still at the lowest price ever
  3. 3
    You don't have much time left to get one of the best Prime Day laptop deals I've ever seen - save $400 / £350 on the Dell 14 Plus
  4. 4
    Save big on the 21 best MacBook, Windows laptop, and Chromebook deals while Prime Day lasts
  5. 5
    A 4K Blu-ray player is the best way to upgrade your TV’s sound and visuals – and this one’s irresistibly cheap for Prime Day, but the deal ends today!

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...