Android system apps list: every kind of preinstalled app, explained

There is no single list of Android system apps, because no two phones ship the same set. Google's Android provides the base, Google's services sit on top, the phone maker adds its own layer, and a carrier may add another. What every phone shares is the kinds of system apps it carries. This page explains those kinds, so you can place any name you meet, and points to the full package index for the names themselves.

What is a system app?

A system app is one that ships in the phone's protected system area rather than being installed by you. It comes back after a factory reset, and Settings offers Disable instead of Uninstall. Some system apps are signed by the phone maker and given privileged permissions that ordinary apps cannot request, which is why a handful of them cannot even be disabled.

Many system apps have no icon. They are services that other parts of the phone call on, and you only see them in Settings with system apps shown. See how to show system apps.

What are the main kinds of system apps?

We sort every package into one of these groups. Each links to its category page, which lists every documented package in it.

The verdict column is a pattern, not a rule. A single package can sit outside its group's usual verdict, and the package page is what counts.

Which groups matter most?

The first four groups hold the phone together. Packages in system core, interface, telephony and messaging carry most of the Do not remove verdicts on the site. Connectivity, input and store packages follow closely. These are the groups to leave alone unless a package page says otherwise.

At the other end, feeds, media, productivity, payments and third-party preloads are where most people find apps to switch off. They are features, not foundations.

What are Mainline modules?

Since Android 10, Google has split parts of Android into modules it can update through Google Play system updates, independently of your phone maker. They appear in the system list with technical names, many ending in module, such as the media provider and the permission controller. They are part of system core and their verdict is Keep. Updating them is how security fixes reach older phones quickly.

How do I get the list for my own phone?

On the phone, open Settings > Apps and turn on the option to show system apps. With a computer and ADB (see how to set up ADB):

adb shell pm list packages -s

Paste the output into the package-list audit and every line gets its category, its verdict and a link to its page. Names we have not documented yet are listed separately so you know which ones to treat with care.

Where are the lists for each brand?

Each brand hub lists every documented package for that maker in a table you can sort by verdict and filter by category:

• Google and Pixel, which also covers the Android (AOSP) packages every phone shares
• Samsung
• Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO
• OnePlus and OPPO
• Motorola
• Carriers: Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile

If you want to trim the list, start with how to remove bloatware, and for a single name, use the package lookup.