Bloatware refers to pre-installed apps that take up storage space, consume battery in the background, and clutter your app drawer. While some can be uninstalled easily, others are baked into the system and require a workaround to remove.
Here are the two most effective ways to remove or disable bloatware on your Android device.
Method 1: The Standard Settings (No PC Required)
This is the easiest method and works for most carrier or manufacturer-added third-party apps. According to Google's official Pixel support documentation, you cannot completely delete pre-installed system apps, but you can safely disable most of them directly from your phone's settings.
Open Settings
Locate your phone's Settings app
Swipe down from the top of your screen and tap the gear icon, or find the Settings app in your app drawer.
Navigate to Apps
Tap on Apps or Apps & Notifications. You may need to tap See all apps to view the complete list of installed software.
Select the Bloatware
Scroll through the list and tap on the app you want to remove.
Uninstall or Disable
Uninstall: If the app is considered "non-essential," you will see an Uninstall button. Tap it to completely remove the app. Disable: If it is a system app, the Uninstall button will be missing. Tapping Disable will turn the app off, prevent it from running in the background, and remove it from your app drawer without fully uninstalling it.
If the Disable button is grayed out, you will need to use Method 2 to force the uninstallation using a computer.
Method 2: The ADB Command Line (For Stubborn Apps)
If the manufacturer has locked the app so it cannot be disabled in the Settings menu, you can bypass these restrictions using the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) client-server program. This method does not require a rooted device, but it does require a computer.
Warning: Do not uninstall critical system components (like the Android system UI or the phone dialer), as this can cause your device to malfunction or enter a boot loop. Always search the app's package name online if you are unsure what it does.
Enable Developer Options
Unlock hidden settings on your phone
Go to Settings > About phone and tap the Build number seven times until you see a prompt confirming you are a developer.
Enable USB Debugging
Go back to the main Settings menu, open System > Developer options, and toggle on USB debugging.
Install ADB on Your Computer
Download the Android SDK Platform-Tools directly from the official Android developer website and extract the ZIP folder to a convenient location on your computer.
Connect Your Phone
Connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable. If a prompt appears on your phone screen asking to "Allow USB debugging," tap Allow.
Open the Command Line
On your computer, open a command prompt or terminal window and navigate to the directory of the extracted Platform-Tools folder.
Find the Package Name
Type adb shell pm list packages and press Enter to display a long list of all installed apps on your device. Find the exact package name of the app you want to remove (it usually looks like com.samsung.android.bixby.agent or similar).
Uninstall the App
Type carefully to avoid removing the wrong app
To remove the app for the current user without affecting the core system image, type the following command (replacing PACKAGENAME with the exact package name) and press Enter: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 PACKAGENAME Alternatively, if you just want to freeze it without uninstalling, use: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 PACKAGENAME
Restart your phone after completing the process to ensure the changes take full effect.