Pre-installed apps, also known as “bloatware,” are a common practice for device manufacturers to push the apps they want. And considering the amount of data these apps can collect, it’s easy to understand why companies use them.
However usersoften find them annoying, as they consume a lot of valuable space on device without being of any real use. Another annoying feature is that they cannot be easily uninstalled or disabled.
Fortunately, though, there are some debloater tools that can help get rid of these apps
Meet Universal Android Debloater, a list-based debloater tool that will not only disable unwanted bloatware on a device, which has been installed by the respective company and mobile carriers, but will also allow the deletion of APKs if you have root.
The tool is based on a Bash script, called debloat_script.sh, which means it's compatible with Linux and macOS. Windows users, however, will need to install a compatible Unix terminal to use the tool. The idea is based on crowdsourced debloat lists within the device. You can find many lists for OEMs and specific carriers, and the open-source nature of the tool makes it incredibly easy to contribute to its optimization.
Here is a list of the features offered by Universal Android Debloater:
- Quick search among all packages of an Android
- Uninstall system/user packages (manually or with debloat lists)
- Reinstalling system packages (manually or with debloat lists)
- ADB backup/restore
- Device brand detection and automatic selection of appropriate manufacturer debloat list
- Log: debloated_packages.txt, sisa_packages.txt, delete_apks.txt (for root users)
- Root support (systemd and systemless with Magisk)
If you are interested in trying out the debloater tool, you can find the latest version here. For those interested in the code base and contributing, you can visit the tool's GitLab.
