Pixel system apps: what ships on a Google Pixel and what can go

A Google Pixel is the closest thing to plain Android you can buy, but it still ships with a full set of Google apps and a layer of Pixel-only services. There are no partner preloads such as Facebook or Netflix on an unlocked Pixel. What you can trim is the Google apps you do not use, and a few Pixel services whose features you can live without.

How do I disable an app on a Pixel?

Open Settings > Apps > See all apps. To include system parts, tap the three-dot menu and choose Show system. Open the app, then tap Disable (or Uninstall, if the app allows it). For an app that was updated through the Play Store, the three-dot menu also offers Uninstall updates, which rolls it back to the factory version instead of turning it off.

With ADB, the same change is one line (see how to set up ADB):

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.apps.tips
adb shell pm enable com.google.android.apps.tips   # to undo

Which Pixel apps are safe to disable?

These are standalone Google apps. If you do not use them, turning them off changes nothing else.

• com.google.android.apps.youtube.music: YouTube Music.
• com.google.android.videos: Google TV.
• com.google.android.apps.tachyon: Google Meet (the app that replaced Duo).
• com.google.android.apps.docs: Google Drive.
• com.google.android.apps.subscriptions.red: Google One. Phone backup settings stay in Settings > System > Backup.
• com.google.android.apps.magazines: Google News.
• com.google.android.apps.recorder: Recorder.
• com.google.android.apps.tips: Pixel Tips.
• com.google.android.apps.restore: the data restore tool, once setup is finished.
• com.google.android.youtube: YouTube, if you watch in a browser or not at all.
• com.google.android.apps.maps: Google Maps, if you use another maps app. Location services keep working without it.
• com.google.android.keep: Google Keep.
• com.google.android.apps.chromecast.app: Google Home, if you have no Google or Nest devices.
• com.google.android.apps.walletnfcrel: Google Wallet, if you do not pay or keep passes with it. Tap to pay and the passes stored in Wallet stop.

Which Pixel apps are advanced?

These are part of how a Pixel behaves. Each can be turned off, but you lose something.

• com.google.android.apps.photos: Google Photos is the Pixel's gallery. Without it, the camera's thumbnail has nothing to open and you browse photos through Files.
• com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox: the Google app. It powers the search bar, Discover feed, At a Glance widget and parts of the assistant.
• com.google.android.apps.wellbeing: Digital Wellbeing. Screen time, app timers, Bedtime mode and Focus mode stop.
• com.google.android.as: Android System Intelligence. Live Caption, Now Playing, smart text selection, app suggestions and other on-device features stop. Our Android System Intelligence page explains what it does.
• com.google.android.as.oss: Private Compute Services, the component that lets Android System Intelligence fetch model updates privately. Disable it only together with Android System Intelligence.
• com.google.android.apps.turbo: Device Health Services. Adaptive Battery's predictions and the battery time estimate stop. Google recommends keeping Adaptive Battery on.
• com.google.android.apps.safetyhub: Personal Safety. Car crash detection, emergency sharing and safety check stop.
• com.google.android.apps.messaging: Messages. If it is your default texting app, install another one and make it the default first; Settings usually will not disable the default.
• com.google.android.ims: Carrier Services, which handles RCS chat and some carrier features in Messages. Without it, chats fall back to SMS and MMS; calls and texts keep working.
• com.google.android.inputmethod.latin: Gboard. Install another keyboard and switch to it first: with no keyboard you cannot type a password.

Which Pixel apps should I keep?

Leave these alone. Some are marked Do not remove because the phone cannot boot, call or update properly without them.

• com.google.android.gms: Google Play services. Sign-in, location, Find Hub, backups, notifications for most apps and Play Protect depend on it.
• com.android.vending: the Play Store, which also delivers app and system component updates.
• com.google.android.webview: Android System WebView. Apps use it to show web content; see our WebView page.
• com.google.android.apps.nexuslauncher: Pixel Launcher, unless another launcher is your home app.
• com.android.systemui: System UI.
• com.google.android.dialer: the Phone app.

Why does a Pixel show so many system packages?

Show system lists well over a hundred entries on a Pixel. Most of them are pieces of Android itself: the print spooler, the package installer, the permission controller, network components, and the Mainline modules that Google updates through Google Play system updates. They have no icon and use almost no resources while idle. Our Android system apps list explains the categories.

What about carrier apps on a Pixel?

A Pixel bought from a carrier can install the carrier's apps when you first insert the SIM, and carrier configuration packages arrive with the system. Account apps are usually ordinary apps you can uninstall. Configuration and IMS packages are not; they keep calls, texts and Wi-Fi calling working. See the carrier list for the details for each carrier.

What happens after a Pixel update?

Monthly updates rarely change your disabled apps. A major Android version can re-enable a disabled app or add a new Google app. After each major update, check Settings > Apps for apps that came back, or compare adb shell pm list packages -d with your saved list. See what changes after an Android update.

The Google and Pixel hub lists every Google and AOSP package we document, sortable by verdict.