Sunday, January 1, 2017

HOW TO UNINSTALL PREINSTALLED ANDROID APPS

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Disabling bloatware: general guidance

Many apps continue to consume resources while they’re not in active use. They also take up space in the app drawer. Since Android 4.0, however, there has been the option to disable apps.

how to uninstall apps app overview — The Settings menu on the left, and the app listings on the right. / © AndroidPIT

Head to Settings > Apps/Applications. Here, on most phones, you will find three tabs: Downloaded, Running and All. By tapping on this or that app, you will notice that some apps can be uninstalled (in the left screenshot below: Camera FV-5 Lite). These are the ones you will have downloaded yourself. Others you will not be able to uninstall or disable (the Settings app, for example). These applications are essential for Android to run properly. Anything that does not fall into one of these two categories can usually be disabled, unless it is on a protected system partition (some manufacturers deliberately do this with their apps).

how to uninstall apps app uninstall force stop — The options (or lack thereof) to uninstall and disable apps. / © AndroidPIT

Some apps, as with TalkBack in these screenshots, you can disable, but there is also the option to Uninstall updates, which will reset the app to its factory state.

how to uninstall apps app uninstall updates — The option to uninstall updates, taking the app back to its factory state. / © AndroidPIT

Or, if you use a third-party app for emails, you can make the default email app on Android disappear. When disabling an app, the system warns you that some programs might not work properly afterwards. This refers to applications that rely on the app in question to function normally.

Should you change your mind, you can return to the app list and reverse the process. Every application will continue to be listed there, even if it is invisible in the app drawer. Although the examples we’re providing come from a OnePlus X, the process is very similar on other smartphones. Below you can learn how easy it is to uninstall Samsung apps.

How to delete or deactivate Samsung's preloaded apps

Let's look at the Galaxy S6 as our example, which is quite a bloated machine in terms of apps.

Simply open the app drawer. Then tap Edit, at the top-right of the screen, and minus signs appear beside the following apps:

Calculator
Memo
Samsung Gear
Peel Smart Remote
Dropbox
S Health
S Voice
YouTube
Play Store
Chrome
Maps
Google apps
Microsoft apps
Facebook
Instagram
WhatsApp

how to remove samsung preinstalled apps — Many of the preinstalled apps from Samsung can only be disabled. / © AndroidPIT

By pressing on the minus sign, each app will no longer run in the background and they will not receive any updates, eliminating unnecessary drain on resources.

How to delete preinstalled apps

If you are not afraid of voiding your warranty, and getting rid of apps like Samsung Pay, you can also root your device. Then you can completely uninstall any app. System app remover (ROOT) helps you do just that. However, be warned - by doing this it might make any number of other apps stop functioning properly.

Consult these articles (and a tutorial specific to your device) before choosing to root, to better understand the process and its consequences:

System app remover (ROOT)

Uninstall and disable standard Google apps

Android is a network of several software components and apps. Some of these apps become superfluous if you choose to use an alternative. The result is, after a while, like a ballast in the system. Here’s a list of the standard apps that can be safely disabled once you've setup an alternative:

APP-NAME	APP-ID
Browser	com.android.browser
Downloads	com.android.providers.downloads.ui
E-mail	com.android.email
Gallery	com.android.gallery3d
Camera	com.android.camera2
SMS/MMS	com.android.mms
Sound Recorder	com.android.soundrecorder
Voice Dialer	com.android.voicedialer
Video Studio	com.android.videoeditor

ACCESS HIDDEN INFO ON YOUR ANDROID DEVICE WITH THESE SECRET CODES

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USSD codes

These aren't the secret ones, but they're not so well known. USSD, or Unstructured Supplementary Service Data, codes connect to the phone's network once dialed to perform certain functions, like finding out how much credit you have left on your prepaid phone or how much data you've used this month. They change often, and the codes vary from carrier to carrier. Here are a few you can try for some of the major US carriers:

AT&T

Check your data and SMS usage: *3282#

Verizon

Check your data and SMS usage: #3282

T-Mobile

Check your data usage: #932#

Android system codes

Some 'secret' codes are Android system codes, and usually begin with an asterisk or a pound symbol/hashtag. These don't require you to be connected to a network to use them, since they're just for the Android system on your device. These codes are updated regularly as new versions of Android software are released, and some manufacturers have their own additional special codes.

The code entry procedure is very simple and only requires you to bring up your dialer keypad and enter the appropriate number sequence. It's important to note that some codes are carrier-specific, so they won't work on all devices. So if your phone doesn't respond to a code, don't dwell on it, just move on and find another one.

Warning! These codes should be used with caution. They can make your phone lose data, or render it unusable. There's a lot of incomprehensible tech jargon which pops up in the menus after entering some of these codes, which means that if you aren't 100 percent sure what you're doing, don't do it.

androidpit gsm code com — There are a lot of hidden codes for Android. / © AndroidPIT

List of secret codes for Android

These codes are mostly universal, and should work on Android devices, no matter the manufacturer. There might still be carrier restrictions on certain codes though, so they're not all guaranteed to work.

Info codes

CODE	FUNCTION
*#06#	Show phone's IMEI
#0#	Info menu (doesn't work for all phones)
##4636##	Info menu
##34971539##	Camera info
##1111##	FTA software version
##1234##	PDA software version
#12580369#	Software and hardware info
*#7465625#	Device lock status
##232338##	MAC address
##2663##	Touchscreen version
##3264##	RAM version
##232337#*#	Bluetooth address
##2222##	Hardware version
##44336##	Software version and update info

Backup codes

CODE	FUNCTION
##273282255663282##*	Backup all media

Testing codes

CODE	FUNCTION
##197328640##	Test mode
##232339##	Wi-Fi test
##0842##	Brightness and vibration test
##2664##	Touchscreen test
##232331##	Bluetooth test
##7262626##	Field test
##1472365##	GPS quick test
##1575##	Full GPS test
##0283##	Packet loopback test
##0##*	LCD display test
##0289##	Audio test
##0588##	Proximity sensor test

Configuration codes

CODE	FUNCTION
*#9090#	Diagnostics settings
*#301279#	HSDPA/HSUPA settings
*#872564#	USB logging settings

Developer codes

CODE	FUNCTION
*#9900#	System dump mode
##778 (+green/call button)	EPST menu

HOW TO TAKE A SCREENSHOT WITH YOUR ANDROID DEVICE

Create a screenshot without saving it

If you have a smartphone that came out of the box with Android 6.0 or if you manually upgraded to the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, you can easily create a screenshot with Google's Screen search function, also called Google Now on Tap. This is a feature of Google now, meaning you will need to have the Google app on your phone. This is already installed on most, but you can install it if you don't.

Google

After installation, start up the app and open the settings by tapping on the three-bar menu in the upper left corner. Then hit Screen search and switch the toggle on or off.

google screen search 1 — Tap on Screen search to activate the new Google function and switch the toggle on. / © AndroidPIT

From now on, you can use the screen search function when you long press the home button. Among other great functions, like the option to find all sorts of related information regarding the screen you're looking at, you can take a screenshot of the current screen by using the share icon on the bottom menu.

google screen search 2 — To take a temporary screenshot, tap on the share button and select an app. After you've shared it, it will be removed from your phone's internal storage. / © AndroidPIT

You will then be able to share it with various apps, like Whatsapp, Gmail, Facebook Messenger, Drive etc. The advantage of this method of taking screenshots on an Android smartphone is that they are not stored on your smartphone. Immediately after the screenshot is shared via the various networks, the screenshot disappears and does not take up space in the internal storage of your smartphone.

Since this feature only works on smartphones with at least Android 6.0, you should use the following link to find out when and if your smartphone will receive Android Marshmallow.

Android Marshmallow: update overview for smartphone and tablets

How to take a screenshot

On most Android devices, the following key combination takes a screenshot: simultaneously press the power button and the down volume button. On Samsung smartphones, you have to press the power and home buttons. Hold down both buttons until you hear the clicking sound or an animation appears indicating that the screen has been captured. Often, a white frame is displayed briefly and then a preview of the stored image appears.

You will also receive a notification that a screenshot has been created. Often, you have the option to share or delete the screenshot directly. This may save you from manually having to search for the screenshot.

galaxy s6 screenshots — With Samsung, you can edit screenshots right away. / © AndroidPIT

The screenshots can be found in the gallery under Screenshots. When accessed via USB on a computer, they can be found in the internal memory or on the SD card in the directory /Pictures/Screenshots, and in the case of Samsung smartphones, in the directory DCIM/Screenshots.

If your smartphone doesn't provide post-processing options for screenshots, we can recommend the free screenshot app: Screen’it. It provides important filters to make phone numbers, names, or email addresses unrecognizable in screenshots.

Screen'it - Screenshot Tool

In the following videos, you can see how to take screenshots on the most popular Android smartphones.

CLEAR APP CACHE OR CLEAR APP DATA: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

What is clearing the app cache?

The cache is the temporary storage area of a device, which retains certain kinds of data. The aim of this is to speed up how quickly and smoothly your device operates and reduce how much data is processed and consumed.

After restarting your phone, have you ever noticed how slow your camera app is to open at first, while each subsequent attempt is quicker? The increase in speed after the initial launch of an app is thanks to this cached data. Similarly, you might find that websites load faster on a second visit. Once again, this is because files such as images have been previously stored in the cache.

There is often no need to manually manage cached data: Android is very capable of doing this on its own. However, if an app starts to misbehave or stop working, then you may wish to manually take this step.

AndroidPIT android marshmallow problems and solutions 2 — Going to Settings > Storage > Cached data gives you a one-tap solution for removing cached data. / © AndroidPIT

When you clear an app's cached data, you remove the temporary files placed there, and you'd be surprised how often this simple step works. You should also note, however, that it doesn't guarantee better performance, and the app may even be temporarily slower the next time it's used.

What does 'clear app data' mean?

Clearing app data is a more severe (for want of a better word) step. While the cache can be cleared with little risk to app settings, preferences and saved states, clearing the app data will delete/remove these entirely.

Clearing data resets an app to its default state: it makes your app act like when you first downloaded and installed it. For example, say you make changes to the settings of your favorite fitness app. You change the length of exercises and sound settings. Clearing the cache will not affect these saved settings. Clearing stored data, may – and in all likelihood – will.

AndroidPIT google play not working 2 — Clearing app data is simple, but it will delete all your in-app preferences and settings. / © AndroidPIT

When should they be applied?

There are a few circumstances in which you may wish to clear app or cached data. Firstly, to save storage space. Some apps can store gigabytes of data that you no longer need (podcast apps are often guilty of this). In this case, you may wish to clear their data.

The other, and more common, reason is to reset an app to a default state if it has become problematic, buggy or otherwise disruptive.

How do I clear app or cached data?

I recommend doing preventative cache cleanings from time to time, and when you do it, do it from the list of apps with the most data. In order to do this:

Go to the Settings Menu
Click on Apps
Find the All tab
Choose an app that is taking up a lot of space
Click the button Clear Cache. If you're running Android 6.0 Marshmallow on your device then you'll need to click on Storage and then Clear Cache.

androidpit clear cache — Clear each app's cache separately. / © AndroidPIT

However, this only works to clean one app. In order to clean the cache of every app at the same time, follow the steps below:

Go to Settings
Click on Storage > Cache Data or Saved Data
A screen will ask for confirmation to remove everything stored within the caches. Confirm and save to remove the content.

For individual tutorials for specific devices, you can search the AndroidPIT website.

A word on "performance-boosting" apps

There are many apps that claim to "boost device performance" but often this just isn't true. In many cases, these apps merely provide a one-touch button for ending processes and clearing the cache, both of which are largely unnecessary on today’s Android platform. You can, and should, do this manually if it is ever required, but don't make it a habit.

Scott Adam Gordon

Performance boosting apps aren't effective

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A cache is basically a storage area where data or frequently used processes are saved for quicker access in the future. Ultimately, the cache actually saves time and avoids unnecessary use of hardware on your phone. So, cleaning your app when your phone is running slowly or the memory is full could seem like the best option in the short run, but it could have consequences in the long term, which is why you shouldn't do it too often.

Final thoughts

There is no “better” or “worse” option when it comes to clearing the cache and clearing app data. Both processes have their own purpose.

Your first step towards fixing a problematic app should be clearing the cache, as this is the least intrusive method for quickly fixing apps. If that fails, or if you wish to free up a larger volume of storage space, then clear the data. Just remember that anything stored or saved in the app, including audio, video, or image files, will also be removed.

Has that cleared up your concerns regarding app data and cached data? If not, tell us in the comments.

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