Android Lollipop might make it easier to uninstall carriers' junk apps

Android Lollipop is the most significant change to Google's mobile operating system in years, but not every change is a black-and-white improvement.

Then again, some are, like the new Lollipop feature that lets Google Play install carriers' bloatware junk apps for them.

These unwanted apps are usually installed to devices' system partition, making it difficult or downright impossible to delete them.

But if they're installed through Google Play - even if it's done automatically when you first boot up a phone or tablet - they'll land on the data partition, and users can subsequently remove them, Google Vice President of Engineering for Android and Nexus Dave Burke and Android team Group Product Manager Gabe Cohen told Ars Technica.

Of course there's a 'but'

The obvious concession is that this is an optional feature that carriers have no reason to take advantage of.

After all, what's the point of making all those terrible crapware apps if your customers won't be forced to look at them day in and day out?

The Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 will launch with Android 5.0 Lollipop soon, so we may get to see then whether this feature will be of any actual use.

• Google wants you to make fun of friends without Android Lollipop

Via Android Police