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'Bloatware' Becoming a Problem On Android Phones

Posted by timothy on from the maybe-they're-just-pregnant dept.

elrous0 writes "According to a recent article in Wired, consumers of many new Android devices (including Samsung's Vibrant and HTC's EVO) are complaining about the increasing presence of something that has plagued consumer PC's for years: Bloatware (or, to use the more kind euphemism, 'Pre-installed software' that the computer manufacturer gets paid to include on a new PC). Unfortunately the bloatware (aka 'crapware') that comes with these phones has a nasty quality not found on even the most bloated PC: it can't be removed. Many angry consumers have begun to complain openly about this disturbing trend."

13 of 415 comments (clear)

  1. I'm Confused... by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I thought android was the "Open" one...

    1. Re:I'm Confused... by MrEricSir · · Score: 5, Funny

      Of course it's "open," you just have to jailbreak it first!

      --
      There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
    2. Re:I'm Confused... by AndrewNeo · · Score: 5, Informative

      This is something a lot of people get confused. ("If it's open, why do you have to root it?")

      What it is, is the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) is completely open. The source code to the Android tree is right here. You can do whatever you want with your own build of Android, nobody is stopping you. When it comes to phones, this is where the "openness" ends, other than the manufacturers having to contribute changes back to the source (which they do). However, the build of Android you buy on your phone certainly does not have to be open. The telcos usually want the bootloaders locked so you can't run an "unapproved" build of Android, and the provided builds of Android may include this crap, or even go as far as AT&T does and disable loading applications from anywhere but the Marketplace.

      If you want to avoid the sort of problem like this shovelware/bloatware, make sure to get a phone running stock Android, like the Droid or the Nexus One (for example) that hasn't had the OS itself modified by the manufacturer (like with HTC Sense or Motoblur) or by the carrier (like with the EVO).

    3. Re:I'm Confused... by CharlyFoxtrot · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's open, just not to you. But doesn't feel so much better to be fucked over by a corporation that uses Open Source software ?

      --
      If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
    4. Re:I'm Confused... by nine-times · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Funniest thing is that people have said that to me, and they weren't joking. Part of the reason I got an HTC Incredible is that everyone kept talking about how open Android phones are. Then I was like, "Ok, now how do I get WiFi tethering on this bad-boy?"

      The response was, "Oh, it's easy. You just have to root it."

      "So you're saying I have to hack it. Same way I can do whatever I want with my iPhone, but I have to hack it first."

      "No, no. It's totally different. Android is open."

      "But you have to hack it in order to be able to do what you want?"

      "Yes."

      *sigh* "Ok, so how do I root an Incredible?"

      "Oh, you can't. Someone will probably figure it out sooner or later, but for now you're just stuck with what you have."

      "But I could jailbreak an iPhone now and do whatever I want with it. People already figured it out."

      "Yeah, I guess."

      "How is this more open again?"

      "Because with Android, you can do whatever you want! It's Linux, after all."

    5. Re:I'm Confused... by __aaaaxm1522 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If I could mod this up 10000x, I would.

      I love me some open Linux-y goodness, but Android isn't open. Not in the same way the Ubuntu or a desktop OS is. That's not Google's fault, it's the fault of the phone manufacturers. But the end result is the same - if you want full control over your "open" Android phone, you have to circumvent the restrictions the manufacturer has placed on it - *just* like you have to with an iPhone.

      So, given that little tidbit, I'd rather get an iPhone. At least Apple has an idea of how to design quality user interfaces. Android suffers from Linux-UI-itis.

      (disclaimer: I own both a Nexus One and an iPhone 3GS ... and develop software for both of them. I bought the Nexus One because it was more "open" ... and then discovered that it really wasn't)

    6. Re:I'm Confused... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      > while Apple considers you to be a criminal if you jailbreak

      From the iOS Jailbreak Wiki: "Jailbreaking, according to Apple, voids Apple's warranty on the device, although this is quickly remedied by restoring the device in iTunes." Can you please site your references?

      Apple Says iPhone Jailbreaking is Illegal
      PDF

      Now whether it actually is or not, is a completely different question.

  2. Bloatware != crapware by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Crapware is stuff that is installed by the device manufacturer, usually in exchange for money (although in Android's case possibly so Google can get advertising money later), which is not required by the user and consumes resources. Bloatware is software that does something useful, but does so in a very inefficient way, typically including a large number of superfluous features. They are not the same thing.

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  3. The Great Thing About Android by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Is that phone makers can do anything they want with it.

    The horrible thing about Android is that phone makers can do anything they want with it.

    “It’s different from phone to phone and operator to operator,” says Keith Nowak, spokesman for HTC. “But in general, the apps are put there to meet the operator’s business and revenue needs.”

    Nowak must be new to PR. He was supposed to spin it as "free apps, everybody wins!" But instead he handed out a healthy dosage of the truth. Enjoy it, it rarely happens.

    --
    My work here is dung.
  4. Re:Can we say, Sprint NASCAR?!? by 1001011010110101 · · Score: 5, Informative

    A general android exploit working on every phone has been found already: http://c-skills.blogspot.com/2010/07/android-trickery.html It comes with source :)

  5. Re:bloatware CAN be removed by CharlyFoxtrot · · Score: 5, Funny

    I remember the good old days when Android fans made fun of the iPhone because some people did a jailbreak to install software, now those same people have to jailbreak their phones to be able to uninstall some software. Oh the irony.

    --
    If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
  6. Re:Synonyms by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Bloatware used to refer to software that at one time actually was useful. Then they start adding more and more features that also makes the software slower, more buggy, less reliable, etc. Basically it was another way of saying that it's software affected by feeping creaturism.

    Vista is bloatware.

    The shovelware, crapware, spyware, malware, etc. are what can come with it when you buy it as part of an OEM package.

  7. Annoying. by MaWeiTao · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've been considering getting a smartphone recently and one of the things that turned me off from Android phones was all the reports of bloatware. And some carriers, like AT&T, don't even allow the user to delete that crap. The HTC Aria, for example, is stuck with 4 or 5 different AT&T navigation applications, in addition to the one provided by Google. People have managed to hack the phone and are providing clean installs. Years ago I might have done that, but nowadays I don't have the time or patience to deal with that sort of thing.

    This kind of crap automatically leaves me seriously considering an iPhone. Why in the hell is a company like Apple more successful in keeping bloatware off their phones? Why are Google and Microsoft incapable of demanding their products be free of this stuff? It's in their best interests.

    I want something designed well, that just works without and doesn't require me screwing around with the device to get it just right. And this is coming from someone who used to spend a lot of time obsessing over getting icons and tools set up just right. I've designed my own themes for Windows and even found an application that let me create unique themes for my old Sony Ericsson. I like some level of customization but if things are design properly the need for it is diminished.

    It's bad enough having to go through and delete junk that's installing only to try to convince me to waste my money. It's offensive that I can't even remove that crap from the phone.

    For now I'm not getting any smartphone. I'll wait to see how things play out. A regular old phone does the job just fine and I'm in front of a computer all day anyway/