Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. Guides

Is your phone full of bloatware? Here’s how to disable apps on Android

By

Android phones will often contain apps that you aren’t able to uninstall. All of the OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) stick their own apps on your phone before it ever reaches you, and the carriers follow suit with their own bundle of bloatware. Occasionally these apps serve a useful purpose, but all too often they are useless to you.

Sadly, even if you aren’t using them, many of these apps may still run in the background, eating up system resources and/or spamming you with notifications. We’ve looked at how to shut off Android notifications before, and how to go from mere mortal to superuser, but today we’re going to explain how to disable Android apps you have no interest in.

Recommended Videos

How to disable Android apps

It’s very easy to disable apps, here are the steps required:

  1. Go to Settings > Apps and scroll over to the All tab for a complete list of your apps.
  2. If you want to disable an app simply tap on it and then tap Disable.
  3. Once disabled, these apps won’t appear in your primary apps list, so it’s a good way to clean your list up.

How to re-enable Android apps

It’s equally easy to get those apps back if you want to:

  1. Any app you disable will be listed on the Disabled tab to the right of the All tab in Settings > Apps.
  2. If you miss something, there’s a problem, or you just change your mind you can find the app in question on your Disabled tab. Tap on it and select Enable.

You have to be careful about disabling apps randomly because there are apps running that perform important functions and it’s not always obvious what they are. You may also find that some apps don’t have a disable option, or are grayed out.

Related

Try searching for a list of apps that it’s safe to disable for your specific device. You’ll find some useful threads with suggestions for most Android smartphones over at XDA Developers forum.

How to freeze or uninstall any app

If you want to disable an app, but there’s no option to do so, or the option is grayed out, then you can still do it by rooting your Android phone. This will also allow you to remove any app you want.

For a look at the pros and cons and some advice about how to proceed, check out our how to root Android article.

There you have it, that’s how you disable apps on Android. If you have any comments or questions then please post a comment.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Simon Hill
Simon Hill
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Simon Hill is an experienced technology journalist and editor who loves all things tech. He is currently the Associate Mobile…
It just got easier to protect your Android phone from thieves
Android 15 theft protection.

With the release of Android 15 on Pixel devices, Google has introduced several new privacy and security enhancements. Among the notable additions are the improved theft protection features that are designed to make it harder for thieves to access your data. Initially, it was a bit difficult to find these settings. However, as Android Authority first noted, that's about to change.

When Android 15 launched, to find the theft protection menu on devices running Android 15, you had to follow these steps:

Read more
Motorola is already updating some phones to its Android 15 beta
The Android 15 logo on a smartphone.

Android fans can breathe a sigh of relief. The long-awaited Android 15 is finally here and is rolling out to compatible smartphones. We knew the release was coming; in fact, we reported on it rolling out to Pixel devices yesterday, and Motorola had already confirmed that it would be coming to a wide range of devices.

According to a report from GSMArena, some users have begun to see Android 15 beta show up on the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion, but it's likely that the update is also hitting other Edge 50 models. These phones are currently receiving the Android 15 beta update, but the full version will make its way to these handsets, too — possibly by the end of the year if we assume the current update is a test of stability for the OS.

Read more
Android 15 is now rolling out to Pixels. Here’s what’s new
Android 15 logo on a Google Pixel 8.

The wait for a next-generation Android experience is finally over. Google today released the public version of Android 15, and it is now making its way to compatible phones, starting with the company’s Pixel series of smartphones.

Among the key areas where Android 15 brings the biggest set of upgrades are safety and privacy. To that end, users will soon be able to create a safe space for all their sensitive apps, locked behind their device’s local password or biometric layer.

Read more