"South Korea rules smartphone users can delete Android bloatware"

[TopWargamer]

http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/24/south-korea-delete-preinstalled-android-apps/

 

The ministry said preinstalled apps are an "inconvenience" to users and cause "unfair competition" between operators and carriers, so it asked them to offer detailed information to users on how much storage their preinstalled apps take up. It also intends to apply the same rules to Google's suite of apps and services, which includes Gmail and Hangouts, although the regulator is still in talks with the search giant. Samsung, LG, SK Telecom and others have until April before the rules come into effect, which could mean Korean users will be able to tweak apps installed on their new Galaxy S5, should the device launch in the coming months.

 

More countries need to implement this rule. Android bloatware is arguably some of the worse bloatware out there, because it takes up quite a bit of storage, runs in the background/uses data, and eats up your battery, which of course, only makes it worse. So South Korea, GOOD JOB, and as for every other country, TAKE NOTE. Users shouldn't have to root their phones in order to get your crappy apps off of it.

[Blue fellow]

They should make something like this for the PC's at Best Buy. 

[helping]

Governing done right

[Thecrazyswede]

This should be obvious anyway, if the world had any common sense left.

[RatedBlam]

You can't delete bloatware? What was previously stopping you, did they void your warranty if they saw bloatware removed?

[Bluejay0]

I need to GET RID OF MY DAMN BLOATWARE!!!

[TopWargamer]

You can't delete bloatware? What was previously stopping you, did they void your warranty if they saw bloatware removed?

Bloatware by default is unremovable on Android phones. The only way to uninstall them is to root your phone and use certain apps to uninstall your bloatware, and rooting your phone voids your warranty...

[rashdanml]

Bloatware by default is unremovable on Android phones. The only way to uninstall them is to root your phone and use certain apps to uninstall your bloatware, and rooting your phone voids your warranty...

Actually pretty easy. Root and install stock Android which is usually built from source. Most phones have an AOSP build or nearly stock ROM.

[TopWargamer]

Actually pretty easy. Root and install stock Android which is usually built from source. Most phones have an AOSP build.

True, true, but in doing so you'll still have to void your warranty.

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

Or just don't buy phones with bloatware...

 

if a business isn't offering a product you want, don't buy it.  If a whole market segment moves towards no bloatware, the market will react accordingly.  The government doesn't need to be involved at all.

[TopWargamer]

Or just don't buy phones with bloatware...

So basically don't buy any modern day phone. Gotcha.

[sof006]

You can't delete bloatware? What was previously stopping you, did they void your warranty if they saw bloatware removed?

Basically it doesn't let you uninstall it. They would make it so that their customized version of Android would grey out the uninstall option completely unless you were to hack into the ROM itself which voids the warranty of the phone.

[Fetzie]

Actually pretty easy. Root and install stock Android which is usually built from source. Most phones have an AOSP build or nearly stock ROM.

 

Still voids the warranty though.

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

So basically don't buy any modern day phone. Gotcha.

 

Nexus 5 pretty much just has google apps pre-installed.

 

But yeah...the only reason they install that junk is because it gets the price down so people will buy it...people are more worried about price than performance on the large scale.  They're simply providing what the market wants.  This isn't anything the government needs to be concerned with.  They have much bigger issues to handle than your poor battery life.

[RatedBlam]

Bloatware by default is unremovable on Android phones. The only way to uninstall them is to root your phone and use certain apps to uninstall your bloatware, and rooting your phone voids your warranty...

Oh, I'd have thought that it would be possible as my windows phone allows removal of pre-installed software. And its apparently inferior in everything. Plus Finnish carriers don't install bloatware, but the whole carrier thing is crazy in the states they even mark phones with their logos

[Yoinkerman]

I... I need dis.

[Suika]

I guess I'm the only one here running an AT&T phone without bloatware.

 

Many thanks, root uninstaller!

[dizmo]

Or just don't buy phones with bloatware...

 

if a business isn't offering a product you want, don't buy it.  If a whole market segment moves towards no bloatware, the market will react accordingly.  The government doesn't need to be involved at all.

 

That, while sound in theory, doesn't work in execution. There's far too many people who don't know about it or just plain don't care. You'd just be going with likely inferior products and the big companies really wouldn't notice the loss.

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

That, while sound in theory, doesn't work in execution. There's far too many people who don't know about it or just plain don't care. You'd just be going with likely inferior products and the big companies really wouldn't notice the loss.

 

Isn't that how it's supposed to work?  The market supplies what the market demands, while some niche providers will produce items for niche markets that's typically at a very high cost.

 

If the producers see enough demand for something they will supply it.  If everyone just whines about it, but keeps on buying it anyway, it's never going to change.

 

What it really comes down to is this is none of the governments business.  We don't have a right to a phone without bloatware(last time I checked the constitution anyway).

[dizmo]

Isn't that how it's supposed to work?  The market supplies what the market demands, while some niche providers will produce items for niche markets that's typically at a very high cost.

 

If the producers see enough demand for something they will supply it.  If everyone just whines about it, but keeps on buying it anyway, it's never going to change.

 

What it really comes down to is this is none of the governments business.  We don't have a right to a phone without bloatware(last time I checked the constitution anyway).

 

Maybe they do in Korea. They don't follow the US constitution.

 

Yes and no. Yes, it SHOULD work like that. But having a few people stray away won't change anything. In this case, there are too many people who don't care.

Not only that, but a cell phone is more of a necessity. So, if bloatware is the only way to go, then that's what they'll buy.

Just like Call of Duty is a cookie cutter game time after time, but people still shell out the money so why would they change the business model.

[LordGarth6]

Isn't that how it's supposed to work?  The market supplies what the market demands, while some niche providers will produce items for niche markets that's typically at a very high cost.

 

If the producers see enough demand for something they will supply it.  If everyone just whines about it, but keeps on buying it anyway, it's never going to change.

 

What it really comes down to is this is none of the governments business.  We don't have a right to a phone without bloatware(last time I checked the constitution anyway).

untill everyone moves away from that companies products, anyone who does move the effects is just a drop in an ocean

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

untill everyone moves away from that companies products, anyone who does move the effects is just a drop in an ocean

It's gotta start somewhere...

[LordGarth6]

It's gotta start somewhere...

true, but your best off getting a small/med sized of techies/other types of 'goto' people to move and then there recommendations and word of mouth pulls people away.

[LAwLz]

Great news. Hopefully the EU sees this and think it is a good idea.

Actually pretty easy. Root and install stock Android which is usually built from source. Most phones have an AOSP build or nearly stock ROM.

Not sure about you, but I want to keep the TouchWiz camera because the stock Android one is absolutely awful (and so is every single third party camera app I have tried). That's the only thing keeping me from using Cyanogenmod.

Also, your suggestion voids your warranty, and requires more knowledge about Android than most people possesses. It's much better to just be able to uninstall anything you don't want out of the box.

Oh and AOSP with gapps is pretty bloated as well. I don't want hangout, I don't want Google+, and I don't want Google+ photos. With this I might be able to remove those specific apps.

[rashdanml]

Not sure about you, but I want to keep the TouchWiz camera because the stock Android one is absolutely awful (and so is every single third party camera app I have tried). That's the only thing keeping me from using Cyanogenmod.

Also, your suggestion voids your warranty, and requires more knowledge about Android than most people possesses. It's much better to just be able to uninstall anything you don't want out of the box.

Oh and AOSP with gapps is pretty bloated as well. I don't want hangout, I don't want Google+, and I don't want Google+ photos. With this I might be able to remove those specific apps.

1) Each his own. I haven't used a Samsung device in a while either way since I buy pure Google devices. 

2) It voids the warranty, but it's painfully easy - there are also ways of erasing all traces of the rooting and flashing. The Android community's instructions for rooting and flashing ROMs (both use the exact same process too) painfully easy. Literally anyone with a keyboard can type in "[phone name] root custom rom" and get 1000s of links, and typically, people are aware of jailbreaking/rooting and custom versions of Android through various means.

3) AOSP builds are stock Android without Gapps, by default; AOSP is what ROM makers use as a base, not Google factory images (these contain Gapps pre-packaged). Google provides Gapps as a separate .zip file that can be flashed, or as apps installed from the Play Store. That said, Gapps are actually useful (the convenience of multiple services tied together using a single account) and aren't in the same class as typical bloatware which seriously bogs down the system. While there are plenty of alternatives to Gapps, I prefer the unified experience.