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Sprint Pushes FPS NOVA With Firmware — and Users Can't Remove It
theodp writes "If you could change the way wireless companies did things, what would you do?' asked Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. How about stopping the use of Sprint's firmware updates to download apps that aren't wanted and can't be removed, Dan? Sprint confirmed to CNET's Elinor Mills that those strange apps she was shocked to find on her Android phone — sci-fi shooter N.O.V.A. and Blockbuster — with a long list of permissions that couldn't be uninstalled had been sneakily downloaded onto her phone during a firmware update. 'Sprint does offer a variety of partner applications that are optimized for use on our wireless phones,' a Sprint representative explained in an e-mail. 'From time to time, we will provide new apps to our customers in conjunction with a software maintenance release. Also, Sprint, in conjunction with Google, is taking steps to develop a technical solution that would allow customers to remove any unwanted applications that have been preloaded or pushed in an over-the-air software update.'" Asking first would be a nice non-technical solution.
Shouldn't the OS already allow users to uninstall programs? What exactly needs to be developed?
Palm trees and 8
Sprint has to develop something that allows them to unbundle something that they bundled first of all?
Are they hiring? I'd like to be the project manager for this, I'll only need a few thousand bucks as budget and, say, 3-4 weeks. That should do as vacation money and time...
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
And some people still wonder why many phone owners want to root their phone or flash a custom ROM?
I can uninstall or install anything on my G2. Sprint is acting like Sony.
Bad, Sprint! Bad!
You have to build the technology to ask during installation of a patch, which is generally supposed to be an invisible process. That's the opposite of a non-technical solution.
"Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
The update along with the unwanted apps came down to my phone months ago. Root the phone and uninstall any app you don't want.
I've never seen a wireless commercial in this country as condescending as his. They don't think you can be trusted to tie your own shoes, much less make decisions about your phone.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
...firmware updates update firmware!
Do they "ask" about pre-installing crapware when you first buy the phone? This was an ota firmware update, and they changed some of the pre-loaded apps. I'm much happier about the carriers providing ota updates and working on a solution to let end users "remove" pre-loaded junk from their phones.
I am a sprint customer, N.O.V.A. is hardly the biggest problem. My main complaint was the stupid sprint sports apps that like to run in the background. I don't like NASCAR, football, or any other of the sports they included apps for that are uninstallable and automatically run in the background. Funny enough, it seemed like the only sport they didn't have an app for was the NHL (something i would have used). The only reason I rooted my phone was do delete all of those apps, and wouldn't you know... I get twice the battery life.
If what I just said sounded like a troll, it was probably just a failed attempt at humor.
On my X10-mini I continously get "Roller Rev 99" and "Edge" two games I neither don't want or like.
They can be removed from apps menu but every refresh or minor update reinstalls them.
They are ofcource both trial versions and if you clean out their datastore to get rid of em, your trial licence is gone too, so all you can do is watch the horrible dialogs telling you to purchase fullversion and lock up before allowing you to exit again. The word crapware comes to mind...
You have to be pretty corrupt and greedy as a manufacturer/vendor to bundle this crap.
The corporate double-speak.
This is what you get when the gadgets are given away or subsidized. Abuse will ensue to make sure the provider recovers their costs.
On PCs, at least the shovelware is generally removable, and you have the option to buy a nonsubsidized gadget that doesn't have crap installed. In the US phone market, usually the gadget and service are provided by the same party and the abuse includes locking down the OS.
This kind of junk will continue until the carriers realize the phone belongs to the customer, not them.
What happens if there's not enough disk space left for the game? Or is it being installed in a dedicated system partition?
And this is why you should get a phone that can be rooted and have a custom ROM on it, no wireless carrier is going to be able to install their shitty software OTA just to make a buck.
So who is at fault if a forced app get loaded runs in the background and runes up your txt or data bill. Just wait for some roaming in canada to get a forced Over the air update with a app that runs in the back round at $2.05/MB it does not take alot to run up the bill.
It's pretty astounding that these companies can whine about data usage of their paying customers, and then not bat an eye and upload who knows how many gigabytes of useless games/apps to people who don't even want the crap.
With all the locking and lock down of phone. AT&T, Verizon and others has locked there phones for a long time with built in apps, lock in ringtone, app, wallpaper and game stores some even locked down USB so you had to use the mobile web to load apps and ringtones. Verizon for a long time locked there GUI on there phones. The only way to get a phone with out all this crap is to buy a unlocked one and not from the carrier store or buy a windows 7 phone that MS has some control to over the carriers
Seems fine to me that they want to give us some free apps. Likely someone paid a lot of money to get that in front of your eyes. All Kosher with me. Whatever. But please don't prevent me from removing it or I'll root my phone you fuckers.
Imagine if you weren't allowed to use roads because a bus company complained about your driving 3 times. --skunkpussy
"Unbeknownst to me, my 5-year-old found N.O.V.A. on my phone and was shooting the guns and weaponry and killing enemies in the N.O.V.A. game," someone wrote on an HTC customer forum. "Thanks a lot HTC and Sprint for forcing violence on my 5-year-old! I am protective of my kids and would never install a game like this on my phone, but now you forced this app onto my phone and I can't uninstall it! I'm very frustrated and VERY ANGRY!"
What's needed is an indictment with language like this: "vendor knowingly and with intent to defraud remotely accessed customer's telephone without the explicit permission of customer and installed programs which accessed vendor's network, accumulating charges which accrued to vendor and were charged to customer."
Welcome to what a year ago? Swype was a good addition that that update, yet you cannot even update that. Fortunately rooting is usually easy and HTC won't boot lock anymore. But yes Carriers should not stick their apps on that can't be removed.
I have an Epic 4g, and I don't see the NASCAR and other sprint crap-ware running on the phone. Sure it's part of the image, and I can't delete them, but in my daily phone usage, they are completely unnoticeable. Of course, I took a day to figure out how to rebuild the "home" pages and organize things, but since then I haven't been bothered by any of the default crap.
I think this issue is just more FUD from the iPhone fanbois, since their mighty Apple controls their every action and thought. Not to mention, if the pre-loaded crap really bugs you, Sprint offers a Nexus with pure Android...
This isn't as annoying as the carriers removing tethering or removing basic functions of the phone in order to upsell other services. In that case I would definitely be running the nexus (even thought I can't stand softkeys) or looking for a new rom for the Epic.
--WooooHoooo--
For the amount they're willing to piss off their paying customers.
They keep raising prices on a service that gets cheaper every year. They use fraudulent billing practices. They don't compete in prices. They have convinced everyone on the planet they need a cellphone and every child over the age of 4 needs one for their safety. I look at my cellphone bill, and wonder how could they be so desperate for more money they have to resort to this level of depravity? They exhibit the same pattern as coke/crack heads. They will never have enough money, and they will resort to shadier and shadier practices to keep the coke flowing.
This happens all the time on Windows. Why are people getting mad like pre-loaded stuff you do not want is something new? Also, if you're the kind of person that will get upset over it, you probably have a custom rom on.
All carriers would do this if given the chance. That is why it's so important to have cell phone MAKERS that are unwilling to put up with this crap.
Apple of course is the first that comes to mind, no crapware at all.
But there's another cell phone maker that does not support this either, I believe Windows Phone 7 also dictates what goes onto the phone, not the carrier.
This is exactly the kind of thing we should be encouraging, independence from cell phone companies. Desiring openness of the platform over this is selfish because while YOU can work around carrier specifics, the vast majority of people cannot and it's not fair nor desirable to have a world where only the technically educated can function well.
Ideally we'd have the best of both worlds, open platforms and no ability for the carriers to dictate what goes on the phones they support. But that is not currently possible.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
their*
The price of my Sprint Evo 4G phone ($400ish) was high enough that I expected to be able to ask for these to be removed at a Sprint Store. Instead, they removed the Task Killer application which I'd installed to automatically kill the Amazon, Nascar, NOVA, etc. The store representative said that once killed, Amazon and Nova are programmed to re-start themselves, creating potential conflicts. Yes, their resolution to that conflict was to remove the task killer. Also, I constantly delete data that NOVA etc. are gathering on the SD card (Amazon is the worst).
In other words, this isn't just pre-installed, it's apparently collecting data on my phone use, and restarting when I turn it off. The Sprint store rep put a shortcut to the "stop running programs" and said I should just turn them off several times per day and delete the data.
For weeks I've now been reading about how to "root" the phone so I can uninstall these applications, but the root-tweaking programs I've installed have these "installer beware" disclaimers saying that it may turn the $400 phone into a brick. I'm left feeling foolish that I am not confident enough about phone rooting, and I curl up in a ball hugging my knees to my chest.
Gently reply
This is such an over-the-top privacy violation (all those unavoidable permissions) that the privacy watchdogs should be salivating at eating up Sprint over this one.
I did note with interest and disappointment, that the latest version of I-Heart-Radio doesn't even show up on the ATK screen for killing any longer.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
Back in my day everything was opt-in. You had to download the source, figure out how to compile and build it, and maybe even learn the build rules along the way. Now everything is handed to you. Convenience trumps control, eh?
Now its all opt-out if you are lucky, when the unconscionable companies are done taking their sweet time.
This is part and parcel of the opt-out society that our corporate overlords have created.
Don't want to receive promotional e-mails? Too bad, you didn't opt out.
Don't want your personal information shared? Too bad, you didn't opt out.
Don't want crapware foisted upon your gadgets? Too bad, you didn't opt out.
Don't want to be drugged and kidnapped? Too bad, you didn't opt out.
Don't want your organs harvested? Too bad, you didn't opt out.
Sent from my iPhone
They'll even push down pay apps that have a trial like CityID. Can't uninstall it and after 30 days it nags you to either pay for it or it was disabling itself. I finally had enough and rooted my phone and deleted all the bloatware they force on their users.
Quit with the euphemism of 'offering' partner applications.
I would more properly compare it to a rapist that says he offers intercourse that is optimized for women who say No.
I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
If you have an Andriod phone you can't even use Google???
It makes no sense and the phones are lucked because Microsoft gave them a contract dictating that they must be locked so they can get ad revenue and hurt Google. I find this unacceptable, which is why I choose AT&T (yes I know) as my Andriod platform of choice. At least I am root on my own phone
http://saveie6.com/
Unrevoked. It worked great for me. I'm also considering Cyanogenmod. Trying it out on my old HTC Hero, wifi only, for a while.
I'm reminded of the Apple/Microsoft commericals. I thought Sprint was doing a fair job of providing phone service, now they want to be just like Microsoft.
As an alternative, you could buy a "stupid phone" that has no functionality beyond calls, texting, and a contact list.
Then...for all your other needs...you could buy a pocket PC, an IPOD Touch, or similar.
Oh...the horror of two devices. TWO whole pocket-sized devices. Man...too bad the clothes I wear only have one pocket.
Oh, wait....
With th iPhone your cellular provider has squat to do with what gets installed on your device. They just act as the connection provider and don't get in the way between your device and the hardware manufacturer. I am not saying this to trumpet the advantages of the iPhone, rather to ask why no other manufacturer has taken this approach?
BTW my provider does provide an app, but like everything else you get it from the app store.
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
Jamming Rhapsody down my throat.
Bought the phone because it was supposed to play MP3's.
Bricked the phone copying a music collection to it (drag & drop).
Got a new phone under warranty and was told to use crapsody haven't used the music player since (1.5yr) which was the reason I bought the phone in the first place.
I will be much more careful in the next go around.....
Rick B.
The Nova and Blockbuster apps were pushed out with the Android 2.2 upgrade around August 3, 2010. How is this showing up on /. today?
On a side note, I've heard rumor the Evo will be seeing Android 2.3 (gingerbread) in the next few weeks. There is also talk about giving the user the ability to install/uninstall Sprint's crapware through their own android app store.
I'm damned glad I waited for a TMO G2. I've heard a lot of horror stories about AT&T. I wouldn't even consider them. I know They're trying to buy TMO, but I don't care so much about that. I have a rooted G2 with a custom ROM that does everything rather nicely. This phone will probably outlast me.
Demanding growth in a saturated market. Rather than better phones, faster service, more quality services, they look for gimmicks for short term revenue gains.
I'm damned glad I waited for a TMO G2. I've heard a lot of horror stories about AT&T. I wouldn't even consider them. I know They're trying to buy TMO, but I don't care so much about that. I have a rooted G2 with a custom ROM that does everything rather nicely. This phone will probably outlast me.
I agree 100%. The G2 is like a tank, and with Cyanogenmod 7 (I've been running the nightlies, I think I'm at #92) the thing is greased lightning. I don't even bother overclocking anymore (although CM7 provides that right there in the Settings menu) since it's so fast now.
The problem comes in when they start disconnecting phones that aren't running their stock firmware loads. You know that's coming. AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have never been friendly towards phones that weren't purchased directly from them, and it remains to be seen what AT&T will do with all those T-Mobile users accustomed to doing what they want their devices.
If there was ever an example of why laissez faire doesn't work, this is it. This industry is incapable of regulating itself.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
This is just a problem of networks trying to make some extra cash. OTAs weren't designed to have optional features. You can't "ask" the user if they want parts or not. You update or don't, in a linear fashion. If something is optional then it should be a free download in the Market instead, but I'm sure the deal Sprint signed says they get paid for putting these apps directly on the Home screen, not as an opt-in. Basically Sprint is asking Google to add marketing features to Android.
you need to get a VM phone
Any person using FTFY or editing my postings agrees to a US$50.00 charge
Except that the industry is already heavily regulated. Don't bash free market capitalism when the government is heavily involved.
Surely this article can't be correct. I'll just have my mom root her phone and then install some antivirus software on her phone.
You all can bash Apple all you want and wax freetard philosophical about the open-ness of Android, but one thing Apple has done right is to get control *away* from the carriers.
Expect more of this in the future despite Google's attempts to put the toothpaste back into the tube.
My phone, I paid retailed (unlocked android device), rooted it and I can choose what is installed on MY phone. I guess if you get a phone from a store, reduced on contract, you are "bound" by their stupid TOS, which I'm sure buried on the 3,549 pages is that you accept any downloads from the hive collective...at least until the contract is up.
I need more space on my phone for the apps I want. I never understood why I couldn't remove Nascar, Sprint TV, and a few other app that I *never* use.
Edward Burr
Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.
Locked into Sprint for years, I would have preferred to go the other route but was about to upgrade to an HTC Android until I saw this after haqving to change my original plan to go to Sprint store earlier today. My wife has one of these things and it does offer some value but has a lot of more or less constant problems.
This ought to be illegal, but we have the best government money can buy. How do we know what they wil foist off on us next?
I couldn't figure out why Sprint was throwing HTC under the bus in favor of Moto (re: the June 9th "luncheon") but after reading this thread now I know why.
Sprint has a long dirty history of allowing you update firmware in order to brick it. I've bricked two different HTC phones this way. One killed the radio the other killed all ringers including vibrate.
Please. Do.
What a waste of protoplasm. Get another hobby! Many of us come here to learn, and most of us have at least reached puberty. You make yourself look like a twelve year old who breaks car windows in the dead of night because you're bored. How creative!
"Tongue tied and twisted, just an Earth bound misfit
Except that the industry is already heavily regulated. Don't bash free market capitalism when the government is heavily involved.
It's heavily regulated in some areas, but there are specific consumer-protection elements that are missing. If the regulation were working, we'd have quality-of-service levels and consumer policies that would rival that of Europe and even many third-world countries ... but we don't. What we have is s toothless governing body and a corrupt Congress that are permitting the big boys to do pretty much whatever they want with us. So yes, I am bashing free market capitalism when it isn't working well, and there are plenty of examples worldwide on how to do it right.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
I got some pre-loaded games and apps on my phone. So what did I do? Nothing.
Seriously, this is a non-issue. get over it, stop whining. Next time buy the unlocked phone for $1000 instead of buying the $20 special from your cellphone carrier. There is a reason why it was subsidized by $980. If your carrier consistently does this, then switch carriers.