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Protect Your Android Phone By Killing All Its Crapware

Posted by timothy on from the easier-said-than-done dept.

jfruh writes "Like Windows, Android has built a dominant market share because any hardware manufacturer can license it — and as they did with Windows, those manufacturers are loading up Android devices with their own proprietary crapware. Although the process is a bit convoluted, you can get this crapware off your phone — and in doing so you'll actually make the device more secure."

8 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. Hooray by egr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Some guy found new button in application management settings... good for him! However the summary is misleading, it does not get the crapware off, it just disables the applications.

  2. Re:O'rly? No wai! by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Title should have read: "Disabled apps are disabled."

    Android vs IOS debate in 3.....2.......

  3. Overprivilaged Apps Security Risk... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    But root your phone to remove them. Yeah, because rooting doesn't make the phone inherently more vulnerable.

    Oh and it's nice that he's recommending basic Android 101 stuff (i.e. disable the app) which is presumably meant for a novice. He then recommends rooting to this same group knowing full well that these people shouldn't ever root their phone because it will cause more harm than good. Nice.

  4. Or buy an iPhone by Ukab+the+Great · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As reviled as Apple might be by gearheads about issues like flexibility and not letting samsung et all reap all the rewards for taking none of the risks, Apple stands up to telcos and don't let them put crapware on the phone, and the stuff Apple themselves makes and puts on the phone they actually attempt to make decently. The walled garden keeps the bad people out as much as it keeps the good people in. Stuff like this generates loyalty, folks. It's not just fanboyism.

    1. Re:Or buy an iPhone by ducomputergeek · · Score: 2, Insightful

      There is a major difference. Most iPhone users don't give a flying fuck about rooting or modding our damn phones. Many of us have enough in our day to day lives with work computers, personal computers, friends and family's computers that the last thing we want to do is fuck around with the computers in our pockets.

      That is major difference I see between iOS users and Android users around here.

      For better, and probably worse, Android is the new Microsoft Windows. iOS is still pretty much the same old Mac in terms of user base. My prediction is that we'll continue to see most attack vectors go towards Android devices because manufactures have a spotty record when it comes to releasing security patches and updates on their phones and the phones will allow users to side load apps from whatever marketplace they want. People can cry all they want about "Freedom" with android, but if it was really all the free and open, why are there secured boot loaders on most of the handsets. Unless you mean freedom to the handset manufactures and carriers. I mean the carriers are the customers. Not the users. (Except oddly enough with the iPhone where Apple was able to bend the carriers to their will and not the other way around).

      Have to remember the carriers wanted android as much as users because they saw it as a possible way to gain control back from Apple when it comes to Apple devices on their networks. Maybe without Jobs they'll be able to turn the table eventually....

      --
      "The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher.
    2. Re:Or buy an iPhone by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      More importantly you can't replace Apple apps. No replacement home screens, keyboards, browser engines (all browsers are just crippled Safari wrappers), SMS messengers, personal assistants (Siri), text to speech voices, one touch dialers, market places or anything else that Apple considers to be duplicating functionality. I want the ability to duplicate functionality with something better or more suited to my needs.

      At least on Android you can always just hide the crapware away, disable it in the app manager and replace it with something from Play.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  5. Re: O'rly? No wai! by spire3661 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I am so sick of Google being annoying as fuck. NO i dont want to sign new terms of service, i dont give a fuck about having an SMS emergency contact, no i will NOT provide my real name to youtube and SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT GOOGLE+. In the last year google has gotten incredibly annoying with notifications.

    --
    Good-bye
  6. Re:O'rly? No wai! by P-niiice · · Score: 3, Insightful

    yeah but its a blackberry