How to remove system applications in Android with and without Root. What applications can be removed on Android? System applications for Android 5.1

Hi all! Alexander Glebov is in touch, in this article I will talk about which built-in Android system applications can be removed and how to remove system applications on Android and clean it of garbage. It often happens that the internal memory of the phone is running out, and you need to clean it somehow, but you have all the applications you need, but a lot of junk like: Google Books, Google Music, Google Play Press, etc. The question is, why do we need these applications?

Which built-in android system applications can be removed - warnings

First of all, I want to warn you, deletion system applications can break your phone and it will not turn on, remove at your own peril and risk.

Prerequisites

It just so happened that without root You won’t be able to uninstall the rights to system applications; there’s nothing you can do about it. How to get root rights on android for Sony smartphones xperia can be read on my blog, . But perhaps the article will help you even if you have a phone from another company.

The procedure is as follows:

I will show you how to remove system apps on Android on your phone. I have Sony Xperia ZR, so if you have the same one, you will have an easier time. So let's begin.

YouTube karaoke module
- Google Lyrics Module
- Wikipedia module
- YouTube module
-POBox Touch
- SkinSelector
- Standard
- Xperia Calendar Sync
- Xperia Social Engine photos
- Xperia from Facebook
- com.sonymobile.faceregistration
- Other applications can be found in the screenshots:

The result will be about 35 applications, maybe more. After all, you can delete something else that you think is not necessary. Once selected, click the “Delete” button. After clicking, you may need to grant super user rights again, and an information message will appear that there are selected applications that you do not want to delete. Click "Yes".

After removing the programs, reboot the phone. And we move on to the second stage. Cleaning Android from garbage that remains after removing system applications:

As a result of these simple actions, I freed up about 600 MB. internal memory. A very good result, especially when every megabyte matters free space. As always, ask your questions in the comments. I hope the article was useful.

Best regards, Alexander Glebov.

The user-visible part of Android consists of programs. The interface, the function of sending files via Bluetooth, the gallery or system settings are separate applications that form the operating system. At the same time, some applications are useless or not used, so they can be deleted. We will tell you in this article which programs and applications can be removed without harming the Android system.

What are system applications

System or built-in applications on Android are usually called programs installed by the manufacturer mobile device or firmware. Applications are located in the system partition, analogous to the “C” drive in Windows. In this case, the section is not available to the user for viewing or changing without presence of root right

Conditionally built-in applications for Android are divided into five categories:

  1. System– are necessary for the operation of the entire Android operating system.
  2. Service– provide SMS, Bluetooth, etc. services.
  3. Service– applications from Google and from the mobile device manufacturer (Samsung, Xiaomi, etc.).
  4. Custom– social networks, browsers, calculator, etc.
  5. Operator's– applications from your mobile operator.

Let's consider each of the named categories of programs built into an Android phone or tablet in more detail. Which of these built-in applications can be removed and what are the risks of damaging the device.

System applications

System applications are used for the normal functioning of the OS. Such programs include " user interface" and "system settings". Removing system applications on Android leads to disruption of the stability and functioning of the OS.

Utilities

Utilities include auxiliary applications necessary to provide basic functionality: installing/uninstalling programs, SMS, Bluetooth, etc. Removing applications from this category does not crash the OS, but limits access to some functions or modules of the device.

Service applications

Service applications include manufacturer and Google service applications. Manufacturer programs provide additional features, exclusive or general. used for normal functioning account, the Google Play store and other programs of the search giant. Removing services often affects the limitation of data synchronization and the operation of some applications.

User utilities

User utilities provide access to various functions: access to the Internet, access to your account social network, camera, etc. Removal does not affect the performance of the system, only the basic functionality is partially limited unless you install an alternative utility - browser, player, etc.

Operator programs

A package of operator applications is built into devices distributed by operators cellular communication, for example the USA. Such programs are aimed at simplifying user interaction with the operator, but are completely useless in other countries when using a different operator. Removing such applications does not affect the operation of the device or system in any way.

Why remove system applications

The more applications the manufacturer integrates, the richer and more functional the system becomes, for example MIUI. At the same time, it is more difficult for the user to navigate settings or menus that contain a significant number of programs.

Owners of mobile electronics use applications in different ways. Some programs are not used throughout " life cycle» android smartphone. Therefore, it is better to delete or freeze such programs. Because such applications take up storage space and RAM.

What applications can be removed

No impact on the functionality of the smartphone, It is recommended to delete only operator programs. User programs can be deleted when there is an alternative, for example music player or a browser, third-party calendar or calculator. Or when the program is not used, for example, the tablet is used only for games, and you do not plan to send SMS or use the camera.

To be deleted service applications should be approached with caution. Because once you remove one random service, other associated programs will stop working. It makes sense to delete it in cases where you do not plan to use Google programs and are ready to use an alternative.

Utility and system applications for Android It's better not to delete, if you have no idea what this or that application is responsible for.

List of unnecessary applications

Due to the wide variety of Android smartphones, it is difficult to compile a general list unnecessary applications. Because some services and programs have different names within model range one manufacturer. The number of applications also varies.

Use the program, subject to availability. System applications appear in red. Programs installed by the user are marked in white. Yellow and green are not responsible services.

Start not with deletion, but better from frozen programs that are in the main menu. Freeze or delete apps that you don't use. In advance, to restore programs in the event of a system malfunction. Read more about.

Very often, Android smartphone manufacturers equip their firmware with a large amount of software that users will never need. At the same time, such software takes up a sufficient amount of memory. internal storage and you cannot move it to the map. Moreover, all these programs “hang” in RAM and “eat up” a significant part of the RAM and performance central processor. Today we will talk about how to deal with this and teach you how to remove system applications on Android.

You need to carefully remove unnecessary applications (for example, maps, the launcher itself, music, cloud, Facebook, Google movies, YouTube, etc.). The fact is that some of them are necessary for the operation of the system and, if they are removed, its functionality will be impaired. For example, if we remove the standard browser and do not install a third-party one, then when we try to access the Internet, the OS will throw an error.

Moreover, if you delete, for example, the service wireless connections(and this can be done easily), Wi-Fi or Bluetooth will simply stop working and can only be restored by flashing the firmware. The list of necessary components can be continued for a long time.

Therefore, before you start uninstalling, be sure to make sure that the program is not needed for the OS to work and its absence will not harm it. Also pay attention to the prompts of the uninstallers themselves.

Methods for removing and disabling system software

So, let's get straight to working on the standard programs on your phone or tablet. You can do this most in different ways, both using third-party software (in most cases) and standard tools. You should know that all of these options, except one (it does not remove all programs) require Root rights. You can get them in different ways depending on the firmware (Android 2, 3, 4, 5.1, 6.0, 7, 8) and smartphone model. The KingRoot program often helps.

Root permissions are administrative privileges in Android that allow you to modify the firmware files itself.

Disabling using standard means

This method is the simplest and works without Root rights. However, it also has disadvantages. The fact is that not all programs can be disabled. Let's look at how it works:

  1. Lower your device's notification bar and go to its settings. This is usually a gear icon.

  1. Scroll the contents of the window a little lower and find the settings item called “Applications”.

  1. Next, select the application you want to disable.

  1. If this program supports the shutdown function, you will see the corresponding button. Just press it.

  1. Next, select the item marked in the screenshot from the pop-up menu.

  1. Programs disabled in this way are not deleted: they simply stop until you run them yourself.

Attention! When you disable the standard software using the described method, the updates that were installed on it will be automatically deleted.

Program "Remove system applications"

Next we move on to using a third-party software. The first application on our list will be “Uninstall system applications”. You can download it at Play Store, which is exactly what we will do now.

  1. Go to the Android application store and write the name of the program in the search bar. As soon as the desired result appears in the results, click on it.

  1. Install the program by tapping the button marked in the screenshot.

  1. We allow access to location, multimedia, Wi-Fi and other functions.

  1. The download of the program we need will begin. Since its size is small, it will not take much time.

  1. So, the download is complete, so let’s proceed directly to working with the application.

  1. When we first start, we will need to provide the same Root rights that were mentioned in the introductory part of the article. Click the button marked in the screenshot.

  1. A list of all applications, including system ones, will open. We check the boxes that we want to delete and press the button marked “2”.

  1. We will be warned that we have identified applications that are important for the operation of the system. Think twice if you see such a message. In our case, everything is correct, so click “Yes”.

  1. The removal process will be completed in a matter of moments.

Ready. The program will disappear from your smartphone at the same moment.

Let's consider another option, which, if it differs in some way from the first, is only appearance. We will also download the program from Play Market.

  1. We begin to write the name of the utility in the search bar of the Google store and, as soon as our program appears in the search results, tap on it.

  1. Next, press the familiar green button.

  1. Allow Easy Uninstaller all required permissions.

  1. We are waiting for 5 MB to be downloaded from the network and installed on our Android.

  1. We go to the home screen and see a new shortcut in the form of a trash can. This is exactly what we need.

  1. In the list of programs available for removal, mark one or more items and press the button marked “2”.

  1. Once again we confirm our intentions by clicking on “OK”.

That's all. The application or applications will silently disappear so that they no longer burden our phone.

CCleaner

Here's another interesting option. Surely, few of you knew that the well-known program for cleaning the disk and phone storage is capable of removing pre-installed applications. Nevertheless, it is true. Below we will show how it works.

  1. In the same way as in previous cases, we are looking for the application in the Play Market.

  1. We install it by pressing the familiar button.

  1. We are waiting for the download of all the files necessary for CCleaner to complete.

  1. Let's launch our cleaner. Today it will act as an uninstaller.

  1. So, when the program opens, go to its main menu. To do this, click the button with the image of three horizontal stripes (marked in the screenshot below).

  1. In the menu that slides out from the left side, click on the “Application Manager” item.

  1. A list of installed and system software will open. To begin the removal procedure, click on the icon with the image of a trash can.

  1. And again we are warned that if we thoughtlessly “demolish” the standard software, we can easily “kill” our operating system, which, unlike a computer, is not so easy to repair. If you understand this, you can continue. Click the button circled in the picture.

  1. Mark the programs or games that need to be uninstalled and tap on the “Delete” button (marked with the number “2”).

After this, the program, game or their combination will be removed from Android.

Via file manager

This option for removing unnecessary applications from Android differs from the above. Here we will do everything ourselves, while the previously described uninstaller programs worked in automatic mode. So let's get started.

  1. We will use one of the best file managers. This is ES Explorer. Let's download it using Google Play.

  1. Click the button labeled “Install”.

  1. We allow the application all types of access that it needs to function properly.

  1. The program is downloading. Since it “weighs” a little more than 10 MB, it will not take up much of your time.

The application is installed and ready to use. Next we will look at how to remove standard programs. Launch the tool.

  1. Open the main menu of ES Explorer. We have marked it in the picture below.

  1. Now we need to allow our file manager to work with operating system components. To do this, enable the “Root Explorer” function using the trigger marked in the screenshot.

  1. Naturally, in this case we will need to provide the program with Root rights.

  1. When access to the firmware files is allowed, we return to home screen ES Explorer and go to the menu.

  1. Next, we need to go to the “Device” directory. This is ours file system, and not the file system of the drive, but system disk or firmware.

  1. So, to uninstall the same application, you need to erase files from several places. Let's visit the first one first. Go to the “system” directory.

  1. Then open the “app” folder.

  1. In Android 5 and above, you will see application folders. They contain APK files. In earlier versions of the operating system they will be located here without directories. One way or another, we need to delete the selected application with or without a folder. To do this, click on the object and hold it until the button marked “2” appears.

We confirm our action by tapping “OK”.

So, we have cleared the first path, let's move on to the second.

  1. We return to the root directory of the firmware and go to “data”.

  1. Then open the “app” directory and “demolish” all traces here unnecessary program.

  1. Go to “data” again.

  1. We go to the directory marked in the picture below and delete the data of the unnecessary program from here.

That's it. The method is one of the most complex and dangerous for the OS. We recommend using it only for people who are well versed in the topic.

We are gradually moving on to another option for removing pre-installed Android applications. This time it will be another utility called Root Uninstaller. Let's look at how to work with it.

  1. In the old fashioned way, go to the Play Store and enter the name of the tool in the search bar. When the desired object appears in the search results, tap on its icon.

  1. Click the button marked in the screenshot.

  1. We wait for the installation of all the necessary files to complete.

  1. Go to the home screen or menu and select the application you just downloaded.

  1. As in other cases, we will need to provide access to the operating system files. Otherwise, nothing will work.

  1. When the program opens, we will see a list of all third-party and standard applications, and, if any, games. Tap on the one that needs to be removed.

  1. An additional menu will open with several options.

Identification of the various buttons:

  • Freezing. An application or game is blocked: it does not occupy RAM and do not load the processor. However, the occupied disk space is not freed and the program is not removed;
  • Delete. The application is completely removed from Android;
  • Backup. A backup copy is created, which in case of failures will help correct the situation and restore what you deleted;
  • Reset. The software is cleared of all updates and data received during operation.

There are also a number of additional functions that are not particularly important to us.

  1. As soon as we click the delete button, a warning will follow in which we will need to confirm the action taken. In order to do this, click “OK”.

Attention! To ensure data safety and guarantee stable system operation, be sure to use backup tools before deleting each program!

From the name of this program it is clear that it requires superuser privileges to operate, although they are required for our entire list. So, let's look at how to work with Root App Deleter in more detail.

  1. The first thing we will need to do is download the application to our phone. For this we will use Google store Play. Enter the name of the program in the search field and select the desired result from the results.

  1. On the Root App Deleter home page, click the familiar button labeled “Install”.

  1. The program “weighs” only 700 kilobytes. This is very little, especially compared to competitors.

  1. So, the list of uninstallers has been replenished with a red icon, click on it.

  1. There are several tiles in the main menu of our application. We will work with the uninstaller. Click on the item marked in the screenshot.

  1. Next, we will be asked to select one of the program removal modes. This could be a newbie that automatically creates a backup copy of the existing software before uninstalling it. There is also an expert mode in which programs are deleted immediately and irrevocably. Choose the algorithm that suits you.

  1. As a result, a list of programs available for removal will appear. We will uninstall the most unnecessary of them. At least in our opinion. Click on the application name.

  1. Since this is beginner mode, there is no delete button, but there is a disable button. This way we can test the operation of the system and, if everything is fine, we will remove the software completely in expert mode.

  1. As in other cases, you cannot do without Root rights. Tap on “Provide”.

Ready. The program is disabled and no longer consumes phone resources.

Titanium Backup

Next up is the famous backup app. Among other things, the tool can remove any software, and if SuperUser is present, even system software. So let's figure out how to work with it.

  1. So, go to Google Play and look for Titanium Backup there. The main thing is to find the Root version. Otherwise, nothing will work. See screenshot attached below.

  1. Then, as in other cases, press the button indicated in the screenshot.

  1. We are waiting for the download of the small file to finish.

  1. And we launch our Titanium Backup by tapping on its icon on the home screen.

  1. When starting, the program will request access to the firmware files - we provide it.

  1. And here a small obstacle awaits us. The point is that for normal operation Titanium Backup requires you to enable USB debugging on your phone. Don't be alarmed - there is nothing complicated about it. Initially, click “OK”.

  1. Next, let's move on to the settings of our device.

  1. Scroll to the bottom of the list and select “About phone”.

  1. Next, you need to quickly start tapping on the “Build number” item. In our case, there is a non-standard add-on to Android - MIUI, so here we click on its version.

After this, an additional item called “For Developers” will appear in your settings.

We just need to switch the trigger marked in the screenshot to the active position.

Now you can continue the instructions for removing useless system applications from Android through Titanium Backup.

  1. Go to the “Backups” tab and click on the program that we want to “demolish”.

  1. Here we see several points of working with the software. Below is their designation.

  1. After clicking the delete button, we will be warned for the last time that we have not created backup copy programs and what if we remove the system software, operating system may fail. Despite everything we click “YES”, we still advise you to create a backup.

A little earlier we deleted standard applications from the system using the same program. However, now we will use another tool, which is also included in the functionality of ES Explorer. It works like this:

  1. Launch ES Explorer from the icon on the desktop or in the application menu.

  1. On the main screen, tap on the marked icon.

  1. Select the application that you want to remove.

  1. Click the “Uninstall” button.

Root rights are not required in this case, since the system remembered ES Explorer after the first grant of permissions.

  1. The uninstallation will begin, which looks exactly the same as a standard Android uninstall.

That's all - the program or game has been deleted.

There is also an option to remove built-in applications using a PC through the Debloater program, but it does not always work and is quite complicated. It is better to use one of the methods described above.

Results and comments

So, now the question of how to remove factory applications on Android is completely revealed to you. We have provided a lot of methods, one of which will definitely work. It is important before any action to perform backup so that you can restore the data later if necessary. You can also disable the software rather than uninstall it in order to check the functionality of the system without it.

One way or another, if something doesn’t work out and you still have questions, describe the situation in the comments, and we will certainly try to help.

Video

Also, for greater clarity and completeness of the picture, we suggest watching a training video on this topic.

If you've just started learning the Android OS and are already thinking about making your own changes, such as making the app a system app on Android, then you've come to the right place.

Now we will figure out how to embed a custom application in Android and make it a system one. But first, let's figure out why you need to embed programs:

  • Creation of custom firmware.
  • Replacing an external launcher
  • Replacing built-in less functional applications to more advanced ones.
  • Free up memory to install other programs

In order to embed the program into Android you will need.

Convert regular apps to system apps with Link2SD utility

This method is very convenient because it does not require much effort from you; all this is done in a few clicks:


  1. Install Link2SD on your smartphone from Google Play.
  2. Launch the Link2SD program and provide root access.
  3. Select the program you want to integrate into the Android system
  4. After that, click on the three dots in the upper right corner, in the window that opens, click “Convert to system”.
  5. Next, reboot your device.

In order to make sure that the application is integrated into the system, go to settings, open all applications, find the one that you integrated, open and view information about the application. Make sure there is no " Delete", if it is not there, then your program has become a system one.

The standard way to embed an application in Android


Before embedding an application, you need to know what it consists of:
  • An Android application has a file name and extension: For example drWeb.apk where drWeb ​​is the name and apk is the extension.
  • Android programs can be easily opened using (WinRAR or 7zip)
  • Some applications have "lib" folders (if you are going to open with an archiver)

This folder may contain subfolders named:
  • Aremeabi
  • Aremeabi-v7a
  • Mips64
These folders contain files with the extension " *.SO"

Instructions on how to make an Android application system

There may be slight differences in different Android versions

For Android versions 1.5 - 4.4.4

To get started, download file manager Root Browser V Play Market. Open Root Browser and give it root rights.


Programs that are built into the system are located at " /system/app/application.apk".
Those programs that are installed by the user are located at " /data/app/application.apk".
Copy the application from " /data/app/"and drag it into the directory" /system/app/"however, be aware that some applications contain files " *.SO"which need to be embedded at " /system/lib/".

The second option is to go to " /data/data/" "folder_application_name/lib/file.so" and drag the desired file(s) to " /system/lib/". After this procedure, restart your smartphone.

Instructions for Android versions 5.0 and higher


Starting with versions of Android 5.0 Lolipop and higher, Google has made changes to installing applications. If on earlier versions Android applications Apk located in one folder XXX.APP, then starting from versions 5.0, each separately installed application is installed in its own individual folder with the libs it needs" *.SO" if the application has these or them.

Now there is no need to embed libs" *.SO"at the address" /system/lib/"you can just drag and drop the folder from" /data/app/Application_Name" V " /system/app/Application_Name" (System applications are located at " /system/app")


Go to " /data/app". Find the folder with the desired application. Copy the folder with the contents to system partition "/system/app", then restart your smartphone.

Android SDK provides many tools for working with the system. It also allows you to get a list of applications that are installed on the device. This can be useful when you need to get information about third-party applications (APK size, application path, package name, etc.). For example, in our applications, getting a list containing third party applications, plays a big role: in GreenBro, using this list, information about applications is displayed, and various actions are performed.

In System Application Manager and APK Extractor, the application list is needed to remove applications and extract APKs from applications, respectively.

In this article, we will look at how you can get a list of applications installed on a device, as well as how applications are installed on a device.

PackageManager class

PackageManager provides an API that actually manages application installation, uninstallation, and updating. When we install an APK file, PackageManager parses that APK and outputs the result.

You can get an instance of the PackageManager class using the method getPackageManager(). PackageManager provides methods for making requests to installed packages and relevant permits.

Where are they stored? APK files on Android?

Depending on the data type, files on Android may be stored in the following locations:

  • Pre-installed and system applications (Camera, Browser, etc.) are stored in /system/app/
  • User-installed applications are stored in /data/app/
  • PackageManager creates the /data/data/ directory<имя пакета>/ to store the database, preference files, native libraries and cache.

How does PackageManager store application information?

The package manager stores application information in three files located in /data/system.

packages.xml

This XML file contains a list of permissions and packages\applications. It stores two things: permissions and a package. For example:

... ... ...

Permissions are stored in the tag . Each permission has three attributes: name, package, and protection. Attribute name this is the permission name we use in AndroidManifest.xml. Attribute package indicates the package that owns the permission, in most cases this is "android". Attribute protection indicates the security level.

Tag contains 10 attributes and several subtags.

The subtags here are as follows:

  • represents signature information, attribute count— number of tags .
  • this is the certificate key attribute index represents the global certificate index.
  • contain the permissions that the developer has set in AndroidManifest.xml

packages.list

It's simple text file, containing package name, userid, flags and directory data.

Com.android.launcher 10013 0 /data/data/com.android.launcher com.android.quicksearchbox 10033 0 /data/data/com.android.quicksearchbox com.android.contacts 10001 0 /data/data/com.android. contacts com.android.inputmethod.latin 10006 0 /data/data/com.android.inputmethod.latin

package-stopped.xml

This file contains a list of packages that have been stopped. Stopped applications cannot receive broadcast messages.

Getting a list of applications

Let's look at getting a list of installed applications using the example GreenBro.

When the application starts, it starts AsyncTask, inside which we get an instance PackageManager and then copy it to the list List all data about installed applications.

Final PackageManager pm = context.getPackageManager(); List apps = new ArrayList<>(); List packages = pm.getInstalledApplications(PackageManager.GET_META_DATA);

Method getInstalledApplications() takes a flag as a parameter GET_META_DATA, which determines what we need for each package's metadata.

The result is a list of ApplicationInfo objects for each installed application. The ApplicationInfo class provides detailed information about the package, assembled from the tag V AndroidManifest.xml, we only need the most important data from there.

Therefore, in a loop we check each object from the resulting list and write the data to our own class AppInfo to then be used on the main thread.

For (ApplicationInfo appInfo: packages) ( PackageInfo packageInfo; try ( packageInfo = pm.getPackageInfo(appInfo.packageName, 0); File file= new File(appInfo.publicSourceDir); String size = formatFileSize(context, file.length()); AppInfo newApp = new AppInfo(applicationLabel(context, appInfo), appInfo.packageName, appInfo.sourceDir, appInfo.publicSourceDir, packageInfo.versionName, packageInfo.versionCode, isSystemPackage(packageInfo), size, file.length(), appInfo.dataDir, appInfo.nativeLibraryDir, file.lastModified(), packageInfo.firstInstallTime, packageInfo.lastUpdateTime, appInfo.enabled); apps.add(newApp); publishProgress(newApp); ) catch (PackageManager.NameNotFoundException e) ( e.printStackTrace(); ) )

Here using the method getPackageInfo() class PackageManager we get general information about the application by the given package name. This information is then combined with information received from getInstalledApplications() and is saved in an AppInfo object with the following fields:

  • title - application title
  • packageName — package name
  • sourceDir — full path to APK application
  • publicSourceDir — path to public parts of sourceDir
  • versionName — version name
  • isSystem - determines whether the application is a system application
  • size — application size (in convenient form)
  • longSize — application size in long
  • dataDir — full path to the data directory
  • nativeLibraryDir — path to native libraries
  • modified — last modified date
  • firstInstallTime — installation date
  • lastUpdateTime - date of last update
  • enabled - determines whether the application is enabled

You can also use the PackageManager to find out the application name, as shown below.

Private String applicationLabel(Context con, ApplicationInfo packageInfo) ( PackageManager p = con.getPackageManager(); return p.getApplicationLabel(packageInfo).toString(); )

Checking whether an application is a system application is also quite simple and is shown below.

Private boolean isSystemPackage(PackageInfo pkgInfo) ( return ((pkgInfo.applicationInfo.flags & ApplicationInfo.FLAG_SYSTEM) != 0); )

At the end of its work, AsyncTask returns the result back to the main thread. That's all, we have downloaded a list of all applications installed on the device and can continue working with it.



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