How-to
Hidden apps on Android: how to find every app on your phone
Where Android keeps apps out of sight, how to show them on Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and Motorola, and how to spot an app that hides on purpose.
How-to and explainers
Guides
Step-by-step answers for the questions that lead people here: where the system apps are, how ADB works, how to turn things off safely and how to undo it.
How-to
How-to
How to disable system apps on Android without root
The Settings path to disable a preinstalled app on Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and Motorola, what Disable does, and why the button is sometimes missing.
How-to
How to remove bloatware from Android without root
A safe, reversible way to clear preinstalled apps on any Android phone: what to remove, what to leave, how the verdicts work, and the checklist for your brand.
How-to
How to restore a disabled or removed system app on Android
Re-enable a system app from Settings, find one that has vanished from the list, and bring back apps removed with ADB using install-existing.
How-to
How to set up ADB on Windows, Mac and Linux
Download Google's platform-tools, turn on USB debugging, run your first adb devices, fix driver problems, and connect over Wi-Fi on Android 11 and later.
How-to
How to show system apps on Android, and how to read the list
Turn on Show system apps on any Android phone, see what the full list includes, read the package names, and tell system apps from the ones you installed.
How-to
How to uninstall system apps on Android with ADB (and bring them back)
List packages, disable them, remove them for your user with pm uninstall, restore them with install-existing, and the safety rules that keep a phone working.
Explainer
Explainer
Android package names explained: how to read and look one up
What a name like com.samsung.android.app.spage means, how to read the vendor prefix and the endings, how to find any app's package name, and how to look it up.
Explainer
Android system apps list: every kind of preinstalled app, explained
A map of Android system apps by category, from core services and telephony to feeds and carrier tools, with what each group does and where to find each one.
Explainer
Disable vs Uninstall vs Force stop on Android: what each button does
What Force stop, Disable, Uninstall, Uninstall updates, Clear cache and Clear storage each do to an Android app, which one to use, and what can go wrong.
Explainer
MDM allow-list basics: Android package names for administrators
The package names an Android allow-list or kiosk profile needs, what enrollment and Play Protect depend on, and how to export a device's package list.
Explainer
Preinstalled Facebook, Netflix and Microsoft apps on Android
Why phones ship with Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft and other partner apps, which ones uninstall normally, what Meta's hidden helpers do, and why some return.
Explainer
System app remover apps: what they do and the no-root option
Why most system app remover apps need root or only open Settings, what rooting costs you, and how to remove preinstalled apps safely with ADB instead.
Explainer
What changes after an Android update, and how to re-check your apps
The kinds of Android updates, from app updates to Google Play system updates and major versions, which bring back disabled apps, and how to re-check your list.
Explainer
Which system apps can see your location on Android?
Where Android lists the apps that can use your location, which preinstalled apps usually hold that permission and why, and the settings that limit it.
Explainer
Why Android says "Android System WebView was updated"
Why WebView, Google Play services and Carrier Services update so often, where the update notifications come from, and how to quiet them safely.
Brand guide
Brand guide
Carrier bloatware: Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile apps you can remove
What Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile add to Android phones, which carrier apps are safe to remove, and which ones calls, Wi-Fi calling and unlocking depend on.
Brand guide
Motorola bloatware list: what you can disable on a moto phone
The Motorola apps and partner preloads on moto g, edge and razr phones, which ones you can turn off, what Moto Actions needs, and the packages to keep.
Brand guide
OnePlus and OPPO bloatware list for OxygenOS and ColorOS
The OnePlus and OPPO system apps you can disable or uninstall, the ones with a caveat, the core packages to keep, and how Recover system apps works.
Brand guide
Pixel system apps: what ships on a Google Pixel and what can go
The Google apps preinstalled on a Pixel phone, which ones you can disable, which carry a caveat, and the parts of Pixel software you should keep.
Brand guide
Samsung bloatware list: what you can disable on a Galaxy phone
The Samsung and partner packages most Galaxy owners turn off, sorted by verdict, with the One UI Settings path, the ADB commands and what to leave alone.
Brand guide
Xiaomi bloatware list for HyperOS and MIUI
Which Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO system apps you can remove, which carry a caveat, and why Find Device and the Security app must stay.
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
"System UI has stopped": what it means and how to fix it
Why Android's System UI crashes after updates, themes, icon packs or low storage, and the fixes to try in order, from a restart to a reset.
Troubleshooting
Storage being used by system apps: what it is and what you can clear
Why Android's storage screen shows so much space used by the system and system apps, what that number includes, and the space you can safely get back.
Troubleshooting
Which system apps drain battery on Android, and why
How to read the battery usage screen, why Google Play services, feeds and carrier agents show up so often, what Device Health Services does, and what to do.
For developers
For developers
App privacy policy: what Google Play and the App Store require
What a mobile app privacy policy must contain, what Google Play's User Data policy and Apple's guideline 5.1.1 ask for, why apps get rejected, and a free tool.
For developers
Privacy policy examples for apps: three worked examples
Three complete app privacy policy examples: a note app with no account, a fitness app with accounts and health data, and a free game with ads and purchases.
For developers
Privacy policy for an Android app: Google Play requirements
What Google Play requires of an Android app privacy policy: where the link goes, what it must say, the Data safety form, account deletion and permissions.
For developers
Privacy policy for an iOS app: App Store requirements
What Apple requires of an iPhone app privacy policy: the App Store Connect URL, guideline 5.1.1, privacy labels, tracking consent and account deletion.
For developers
Privacy policy template for mobile apps (free, with placeholders)
A complete, plain-English privacy policy template for Android and iOS apps, with bracketed placeholders, optional sections and notes on what each store checks.
For developers
Terms and conditions template for an app (free, with placeholders)
A plain-English terms and conditions template for mobile apps, with placeholders, the terms Apple requires in a custom EULA, and notes on subscriptions.