How to Remove Bloatware From Your Android Phone With Universal Android Debloater
Unwanted apps pre-installed on your smartphone are often called bloatware. Many manufacturers and carriers use them as part of their marketing to put their apps in front of consumers, whether the consumers want them or not.
In reality, these apps can do more harm than good. They often consume lots of device resources and affect a phone’s overall performance and battery life. What’s worse, you often can’t simply uninstall them like regular apps.
Universal Android Debloater comes in as a savior here. It helps you get around this restriction, so you have complete control over the apps present on your device. Here’s how to use it to remove bloatware from your Android phone.
What Is Universal Android Debloater?
Universal Android Debloater, or UAD, is an open-source desktop program that helps you uninstall unwanted apps from your Android phone to reclaim storage space. It doesn’t require root privileges, so you can use it to debloat non-rooted devices as well.
Universal Android Debloater supports most manufacturers and carriers. Check outUAD’s support pageto view the list of all supported OEMs and carriers and find out if yours is supported. The app is free and available on Linux, Mac, and Windows.
What You Need to Know About Universal Android Debloater
If UAD looks promising to you, and you intend to use it, here are a few things you should know about it:
With all that said, let’s get started.
How to Set Up Universal Android Debloater on a PC
Universal Android Debloater is unlike typical computer programs, so you need to set it up properly before using it.
First, head over to theUniversal Android Debloater page on GitHub. Click onAssets, and download the latest version on your computer based on the operating system version you’re using. Next, run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to install the program on your computer.
Set Up ADB
Once done, the next thing you need to do is set up ADB on your PC. This is a tool that enables your PC and Android phone to communicate with each other.
Check out ourguide to ADBto learn how to do this on Mac and Windows. We also have aguide on installing ADB on Linuxfor Linux users.
Once that’s installed, you need to check that your computer can detect your Android phone. check that you haveenabled USB Debuggingon your phone before proceeding.
Now, connect the phone to your computer via the original USB cable. Next, openCommand Prompton Windows andTerminalon Mac and Linux in the folder where you’ve got the ADB app, type the following command, and pressEnterorReturn:
If this returns a device name or serial number, you’re good to go.
How to Use Universal Android Debloater to Remove Unwanted Apps From Your Phone
Before you start removing bloatware from your Android phone, make sure toback up your Android deviceso you don’t lose its data if something goes wrong. The developer says the app won’t brick your phone, but if the worst happens you might need to do a factory reset.
From here, the process of removing bloatware from your phone is straightforward. Here’s what it looks like:
Step 1: Connect Your Phone
With your Android phone connected to your PC, launch Universal Android Debloater on your computer. It’ll automatically detect your phone and display its name on the screen next to theRebootbutton. If it isn’t, recheck your connection and try again.
Step 2: Choose an App to Remove
Once it’s detected the device, Universal Android Debloater will give you aRecommendedlist of all the apps it thinks are safe to uninstall without running into any problems. You can filter these apps by category by clicking the third drop-down box and selecting an app category. Here’s what each of these categories signifies:
If you’re unsure what a package on the list is or does, click on it, and you’ll see its description at the bottom of the screen. In case you don’t, you can do a quick Google search or use thePackage Name Viewer 2.0app to learn more about it.
Step 3: Uninstall the App
Now, to uninstall a package, click theUninstallbutton next to its name. If you wish to remove multiple packages at once, tick the checkboxes next to the packages and hit theUninstall Selectionbutton.
If it’s possible to’t find an app on the list, you can search for it through theSearch Packagesbox. Or alternatively, you can click the first drop-down box and select other categories to see if it’s listed there. Beware that uninstalling apps listed underUnsafemight be risky and affect the device’s functionality.
Step 4: Restore an App You Removed by Mistake
Lastly, if you ever accidentally uninstall a package, tap on the second drop-down box and selectUninstalled. From here, click theRestorebutton next to the app you want to put back on the device.
A Secure Way to Debloat Your Android Phone
Universal Android Debloater is the easiest way to remove unwanted apps from your Android phone. Although there are other solutions to debloat your device, this tool is far more reliable and works flawlessly. You can get the job done without worrying about bricking your device at the end of the process.
Uninstall or disable these types of Android apps to help clean up your phone and make it more secure.
Tor spoiled me forever.
You’re not getting the most out of what you pay for iCloud+.
OneDrive is one of the best, but it has a catch.
Quality apps that don’t cost anything.
Make sure you don’t miss these movies and shows before Netflix removes them.
