Nothing has a fix for its Meta bloatware issue, solving a problem that never should’ve existed

• Nothing has announced that it will allow users to fully uninstall Meta apps in Nothing OS 4.0
• The move follows backlash after the Nothing Phone 3a Lite shipped with unremovable Meta Services features
• The fix will roll out towards the end of November

Nothing, the UK-based phone maker led by OnePlus founder Carl Pei, found itself facing controversy this week after users spoke out against pre-installed bloatware on the brand’s Phone 3a series of mid-range and budget smartphones.

As Android Authority reports, Nothing recently issued the Android 16-based Nothing OS 4.0 update to its current lineup of smartphones, and while the entire lineup got new features and fixes with the update, Nothing also made it impossible to remove pre-installed apps on the new Phone 3a Lite, including apps like Meta Services and Meta's Facebook app.

Naturally, this caused a stir among the passionate Nothing fan base. As a smaller phone brand, Nothing makes a point of privacy and simplicity – and whatever you think of Meta, there’s no denying that the tech giant doesn’t exactly share this reputation.

Worse still, there's no way to completely remove Meta Services, Meta App Installer, and Meta App Manager from a phone running Nothing OS 4.0 – though, as 9to5Google explains, users can fully uninstall Facebook and Instagram.

Luckily, Nothing has pulled a U-turn on this issue and released a fix. In an update to a prior statement on the Nothing Community forum, Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis announced that users will be able to completely uninstall Meta apps, the Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Services with a forthcoming update.

Nothing is targeting the end of November as a deadline to begin rolling out the fix.

In the updated post, Evangelidis wrote: “Previously, these [apps] could only be disabled. While we recommended keeping them active for better stability of pre-installed apps like Instagram or Facebook, we understand that some users prefer full control over what stays on their device.”

Solving an avoidable problem

To be frank, it’s disappointing that Nothing would push pre-installed apps after having such a great year when it comes to hardware.

We’ve been impressed by the Nothing Phone 3, Phone 3a, and Phone 3a Pro (which ranks amongst the best cheap phones), so this issue has flattened the launch of the Phone 3a Lite in comparison.

That’s why I’m hesitant to give Nothing much credit for this latest fix – it’s a solution to a problem that should never have existed.

I understand that economic pressures may lead phone makers to accept payment from major tech companies to pre-install apps, but not allowing users to fully uninstall said software is the real mistake here. That takes bloatware from a day one annoyance to a real problem you might deliberate before you buy a phone.

Anyhow, I’m glad Nothing has corrected course on this – if you’ve been affected by this Nothing issue, let us know in the comments below.

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