How to Remove Unwanted Apps From Your Android Device (and Why You Should)
Any new phone almost certainly comes with a bunch of preinstalled apps you’ll never use, regardless of manufacturer or operating system. Some devices are more cluttered with apps than others: for example, Google Pixel phones have a relatively clean design compared to Samsung phones and typically don’t come with third-party apps and games.
But you might still want to remove apps and features that clutter your home screen, take up valuable space, and slow down your performance, especially if you have better alternatives. On Android, this likely means uninstalling the easy-to-remove apps and disabling everything else.
What You Can (and Can’t) Delete on Android
Unfortunately, many preinstalled Google apps can’t be easily uninstalled. This varies by manufacturer and device—for example, Pixel users can uninstall Google Play Games and Books, but only Chrome, Drive, Maps, and Calculator remain. As HowToGeek notes , it’s possible to uninstall other preinstalled Google apps added during initial setup, such as the Pixel Watch app and NotebookLM.
Samsung Galaxy phones, again, come with a number of unnecessary apps preinstalled, but ZDNET highlights five built-in apps that most users should uninstall immediately: Global Goals, Samsung Free, Samsung TV Plus, Samsung Shop, and Samsung Kids.
To uninstall an app on your Pixel , go to the Google Play Store and tap the profile icon. Tap Manage apps and devices > Manage , select the app you want to uninstall, and tap Uninstall . On a Samsung device , go to Settings > Apps , tap the app name, and tap Uninstall > OK . You can also touch and hold the app icon on the home screen and tap or drag it to uninstall.
If you absolutely want to remove pre-installed apps that can’t be removed using the steps above, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), but these methods are more complicated.
How to disable pre-installed apps
Built-in apps you don’t use can be disabled by hiding their icons from the app drawer. They’ll still take up space, but at least they’ll be hidden. Most preinstalled apps can be disabled if you don’t need them, with the exception of critical system apps.
On your Pixel , go to Settings > Apps > Show All Apps to select individual apps and tap Disable at the top of the screen. You can hide pre-installed Samsung apps from the Home screen settings: tap Hide Apps , then tap the icon of the app you want to disable and tap Done .