Articles about preinstalled apps | UserComp.com

Android 14 to Block Bloatware Preinstalled Apps

Android 14 is set to block bloatware, or preinstalled apps, that come with new phones and are not chosen by the user. Google has included this feature in the latest Android 14 system update, but it depends on phone manufacturers to implement it. Samsung, one of the biggest phone manufacturers, is still discovering new features of the system. The new feature will scan the system's partitions the first time any non-essential application is run and will disable it until the user enables it for the first time. This means that the apps will not consume RAM or drain other system resources like battery. However, the feature does not have all its cards on the table yet, as Google plans to allow manufacturers to decide whether to apply this feature or not, and even select certain apps to be excluded from the anti-bloatware activity of Android 14. The Google Mobile Services (GMS) package that was recently delivered to manufacturers includes this feature, but apps like Chrome, Play Store, Photos, Files, YouTube Music are on the white list to avoid being blocked at startup. It remains to be seen what will happen, as this is a good move by Google to combat bloatware, but ultimately, the ball is in the court of the manufacturers that allow bloatware.