Which Apps Should I Disable in Android?

Let’s cut to the chase, you have apps on your Android phone that you don’t want, which are safe to disable?

This is a non-exhaustive list of applications that can be disabled without root on our test phones (currently a Galaxy Note 3) and any effects they have. This is not a full list of apps that CAN be disabled, especially across different manufacturers.

Pre-installed Bloatware

Here is a list of apps that right off the bat, if you don’t want them, you can disable them:

  • Amazon Apps
  • Amazon
  • Amazon app suite
  • Amazon Kindle
  • Amazon Music
  • Appstore (Amazon)
  • Audible
  • Google Apps
  • Google+
  • Google Play Movies & TV
  • Hangouts
  • Photos (Picassa)
  • Play Newsstand
  • Verizon Apps
  • Cloud
  • My InfoZone – Seems to just be the widget.
  • My Verizon Mobile
  • Support & Protection
  • VZ Navigator
  • VZ Protect
  • Samsung Apps
  • Group Play
  • PEN.UP
  • Samsung account – Probably don’t disable if you have and sync a Samsung Account.
  • Samsung Billing – Used to make payments in the Samsung app store.
  • Samsung Link – See System Apps Below
  • Samsung Push Service
  • SapaMonitor – Seems to be for the app “Soundcamp”, but my phone didn’t have that installed…
  • S Beam
  • S Translator
  • S Voice
  • Story Album
  • Story Album Widget
  • TripAdvisor
  • Travel wallpaper – Comes with phones that has Trip Advisor, it allows you to create a slideshow wallpaper.
  • WatchON
  • Misc Apps
  • These Might be Owned by companies listed in other categories, but you might not know that.
  • ANT Radio Service
  • ANT+ Plugins Service
  • BlurbCheckout
  • Clock (digital) – I think this is the widget, I don’t use it either way.
  • Dual Clock (digital) – Also appears to be the widget.
  • Downloads and Download manager – This seems like a bad idea, I’ll have to test it.
  • Flipboard
  • NFL Mobile
  • POLARIS Office 5
  • Slacker Radio
  • Swype – You know, the keyboard, if you use that, don’t disable this.
  • IMDb
  • Yahoo Finance
  • System Apps
  • Uninstalling/Disabling these can actually have unwanted effects on the system, unlike other apps, each will have a description of the impacts.
  • Samsung Link
  • This is said to handle updating Samsung Apps and some other features. On the test Galaxy Note 3, many of the Samsung apps are disabled or unused, but that being said, it’s a Samsung phone, so most basic apps are Samsung. Problems are below.
    1. The Photo Editor app crashed in the background, but still works.
    2. While Using the Apps Tray, the TouchWiz Home crashed, recovered.

 

If there are any apps missing from this list you’d like us to test, use the Contact Us page.

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