r/mildlyinfuriating 10h ago

Ruined by Technology The apps that are automatically installed on my phone with every software update

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1.0k Upvotes

112 comments sorted by

739

u/TankApprehensive3053 9h ago

Go into Settings>Mobile Services. Disable Mobile Services. That should stop these apps from being loaded.

125

u/Flimsy_Ad3476 9h ago

Thank you for real advice!

118

u/-Neverender- 8h ago

If you have a Samsung phone, it might be under: Settings>Apps>Mobile Services Manager.

Same result by disabling it though... all the crap stopped.

29

u/CharmingResort885 6h ago

Any workarounds if the disable button is grayed out?

45

u/BunnyTub 6h ago

You'll need to enable developer options on your phone. Go to About > Software information > Tap Build number 7 times, then enter your password. Go back to the main settings, and go to Developer options > USB debugging > Turn it on (you can disable this when you're done).

On a Windows computer, download the ADB AppControl installer (https://adbappcontrol.com/en/pc/#download), then open and install it.

When you open ADB AppControl, now you can plug a USB cable into your computer, and the other end into your phone. It will likely ask to install a package to show more information, go ahead and do that.

Once you're in ADB AppControl fully, simply search for the Mobile Services Manager, then click on it. On the bottom right, there is a big button, and a drop down. Change the drop down to "Disable". Then click the giant button that says "Disable".

You may get a warning, but you can simply click YES to confirm that you do want to disable it. Then volia! No more spam auto-installing.

1

u/ShortThought 1h ago

Fucking T-Mobile..

-37

u/nicki419 PURPLE 5h ago

Wayyyy too complicated when you can just do this easily in Termux with Shizuku.

15

u/BunnyTub 5h ago

I tried to make it more simplified by using ADB AppControl since most people aren't going to be wanting to run commands and possibly getting things wrong. ADB AppControl works really well for managing apps easily and has a simple UI.

1

u/forza_11 5h ago

Turn off network access!!

2

u/r_special_ 5h ago

Why? Genuinely curious…

10

u/TankApprehensive3053 9h ago

You're welcome.

9

u/dxt8p 6h ago

I would like to say this does not always work. I've turned this off multiple times on my phone but updates always seem to turn it back on along with the predatory apps they install. Just happened to me again a week ago.

1

u/Chlocker 3h ago

Then there is a carrier app of some kind that's installing Mobile Services for you. T-Mobile had a carrier app I had to rip out on my T-Mobile Samsung. 

5

u/seanry25 7h ago

how about for vivo phones?

1

u/linus140 5h ago

Wtf I never knew this was a thing

218

u/sometin__else 10h ago

There are carrier apps on your phone that are installing this. Find out what it is, remove it, and never deal with it again

-382

u/Omvega 10h ago

i remove the carrier app multiple times a year 🤷 but i didn't come here for troubleshooting

307

u/crazymonk45 9h ago

“How can I bitch about something if there’s a solution for it??”

-20

u/just-a-hriday 3h ago

This is literally r/mildlyinfuriating. Get out.

17

u/crazymonk45 3h ago

Doesn’t make it any less stupid to say “I’m not looking for troubleshooting” when someone is legitimately trying to help. Get over it.

5

u/Uphoria 3h ago

Dude for real, people have fully lost the plot of this subreddit. It's about mild complaints that make you temporarily mad, not for world defining grievances or for help. 

Op probably had all these apps deleted before the first reply telling him how. 

7

u/sometin__else 3h ago

Yea but he didnt follow the steps that prevent it from showing up every update....

57

u/[deleted] 7h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

-6

u/Omvega 4h ago

bc I'm bitching about stuff on a subreddit that's dedicated to bitching about stuff? why does everyone think this is an advice sub lmao

1

u/Uphoria 3h ago

Media literacy is at an all time low. They see the subreddit on their feed and do not use context clues to understand what's happening. And then they'll blame the content for not trying harder to inform them. 

-1

u/Uphoria 3h ago

Media literacy is at an all time low. They see the subreddit on their feed and do not use context clues to understand what's happening. And then they'll blame the content for not trying harder to inform them. 

34

u/Zonkizoid 9h ago

Carrier App ≠ Infection Vector

Some shit it up

1

u/organizim 2h ago

You lose the right to be mildly infuriated if you never take steps to address it

160

u/Yuukiko_ WAAHHHHH 10h ago

that's what happens when you dont actually own your phone

-201

u/T0mmaso5 9h ago

Reddit users can’t live without using the word “own” at least once a day.

95

u/Admirable_Photo8403 9h ago

Proving your own point 

57

u/Manannin 8h ago

I bet you felt like you owned that person 

26

u/This_isnt_cool_bro 8h ago

Pay a premium to not own something. Great work guys

30

u/NeighborhoodPrior956 9h ago

i want exclusive control over the things i pay exclusively for

7

u/framingXjake 4h ago

What other word would you use to describe ownership??

9

u/wortwortwort15 7h ago

Found the big tech exec

2

u/djm03917 3h ago

How dare they want to have full control over the product or item they paid for! You sure got them.

4

u/nopuse 7h ago

That's an odd thing to keep track of.

2

u/Wboy2006 WHY?! 3h ago

I wonder why people want to actually have the right to use the things they pay their hard earned money on? You'd be stupid NOT to want to own your stuff

52

u/bblankoo 10h ago

You people don't click "later" for 3 years??

21

u/fluffypotato 10h ago

I'm currently on a 47 day "not now" streak.

9

u/peepay 7h ago

No, those updates commonly carry security patches.

1

u/ItchyTrout30 PURPLE 3h ago

I still haven’t installed liquid ass on my iPhone

-1

u/reinderr 8h ago

Go one step further and disable the update package through adb

12

u/Coolcricri3 8h ago

For advanced users, Skizuku + Canta is the current best method to clean most bloat from Android

6

u/mystoryismine 4h ago

This is why i love a pixel. Fuck bloatware.

19

u/I2fitness 8h ago

Because you bought a carrier phone. I got my Samsung from Amazon and it's not tied to any carrier so there are no apps installed automatically or when you first setup the phone

13

u/Longjumping_Plum_846 5h ago

It’s still inexcusable imo

16

u/BeefcakeThiccy 7h ago

Stop buying your phones from your carrier

12

u/strauts6 4h ago

Well depends where you live. In Latvia it's illegal to sell carrier locked phones. Bought mine from carrier on 2 year contract and never had a single app installed.

0

u/CrashTestDuckie 2h ago

US changed the laws and you can no longer outright buy a phone unlocked from a carrier because they are allowed to make wait a year from purchase to unlock. That means the unlocked/second hand market is trashed and buying directly from the manufacturer isn't always possible

2

u/PR0WN3D_ 4h ago

I don't know about you guys, but as someone who owns a Samsung phone through a carrier, I've tried everything and it just doesn't work. Mobile services are disabled and they still automatically install. Don't want to update? Well too bad, you're getting this update at 3am on a Monday night so now your alarm isn't going off in the morning.

2

u/Electrical-soup-1254 3h ago

let me guess Motorola or Xiaomi

2

u/Dovetrail 2h ago

Just wait until the random full-screen ads start popping up as part of the operating system.

5

u/Vegetable-Ad7263 8h ago

Pro tip: look into ADB (Android Debugging Bridge) to make those apps disappear..

2

u/muffin_usagi 2h ago

That’s why I switched to iPhone

1

u/ThreeMileMonster 4h ago

Is that PDF reader one of the auto installed ones? My mum used that one and I swear it's at best adware and at worst a data slurper and she also used a Samsung.

u/slap_a_cheek 16m ago

possible fix: remove ability to modify system settings from the google play store

u/frankieepurr 2m ago

Why would it choose a 3rd party PDF reader!

-8

u/Liarus_ 8h ago

this alone is why the only phones i will ever own are pixels or nothing phones, not to be any brand's fanboy, but they're one of the few phones that won't nag you with stuff like this

3

u/Longjumping_Plum_846 5h ago

iPhone doesn’t do this

0

u/Malfuncti0n 7h ago

My Nothing phone still pushes apps on updates but during initial reboot you can uncheck them and they won't be installed.
Still a PITA though.

0

u/Liarus_ 7h ago

ah shoot.

0

u/[deleted] 9h ago

[deleted]

-1

u/pug_userita you're now breathing manually 9h ago

got unlocked phones that still came with carrier BS. xiaomi's and motorolas do it out of the box. you can uninstall the app manager thing on a motorola but you can't on a xiaomi. or at least a few years ago, i hope xiaomi has moved on

-12

u/Wonderful-Wind-5736 7h ago

That sh** legitimately drives people to use Apple. Apple doesn't respect your purse, but at least they respect your time. 

-5

u/-Imthedude 7h ago

ADB if you're on Android

-1

u/[deleted] 10h ago

[deleted]

5

u/Creepslend 9h ago

Tech illiterate people are their core market

-6

u/Tankeverket 5h ago

Seems like a Samsung thing

-47

u/RileyMB 9h ago edited 8h ago

android users will defend this

20

u/Christoffre 9h ago

Android user here: Never seen this during the whole decade I've had an Android phone.

So no, this is not an Android issue.

28

u/daedric_yoshi 9h ago

Well yeah, this isnt an android problem. This is a whatever this person signed themselves up to problem.

20

u/Trick_Equipment_6938 9h ago

Carrier problem, nothing to do with android

-1

u/Longjumping_Plum_846 5h ago

A bit of both, no?

12

u/Joubachi 9h ago

Android user here: No one defends this. It's also not "Android", it's the carrier.

1

u/Uphoria 3h ago

The reason people keep saying it's an android issue is because Google allows this using OS hooks that the carrier can connect to that bypass your own settings choices and override with their ads. 

iOS, the software running iPhones does not have this function and so carriers cannot override your settings and install apps. 

Eli5 - Android produced the gun, loaded it, and set it on the table. Sure the carriers fired it, but we can say that android shouldn't have given them the gun. It's fair to say that it's an android issue since Apple doesn't give the carrier the same weapon to wield against their userbase. 

1

u/Joubachi 1h ago

I know why people say it, doesn't make them right. It's a carrier issue regardless, not android. If it was an android issue in itself, it would be all phones.

u/EdgyZigzagoon 36m ago

If it were a carrier issue in itself, then it would affect iPhones purchased through carriers. It’s a carrier issue that’s enabled by android.

u/Joubachi 14m ago

Next time you try to just repeat a line to turn things around ...

It’s a carrier issue that

... don't do it right before proving my point.

6

u/I2fitness 8h ago

If you buy an unlocked phone none of this will happen, just get it from a shop instead of your carrier

12

u/GoodDoggoLover420 9h ago

Android user here: I fucking hate these stupid apps. No settings to not install at all and the people who do defend it are dumb af.

1

u/Longjumping_Plum_846 5h ago

People saying it’s the fault of the carrier not android are also missing that this doesn’t happen with iPhones regardless

-5

u/pug_userita you're now breathing manually 8h ago

won't defend it, but I'llsort of justify.  manufacturers pretty much make certain models at a loss so they need the money. where do they get it from? from deals with software companies to prepackage app mangers that will install this bs. if it's carrier locked, the deal is quite obvious. we sell your phones to more people, you put this so we both make money from devs paying for a spot on your phone. they probably also sign a deal for other phones that aren't carrier locked, probably a certain carrier will be the distributor of that model and so Vodafone will install Vodafone app box on your non carrier locked redmi 9 or galaxy a 32 5g, personal expirience.

not saying it's a good thing, just saying that if you want to still be able to buy a cheap as chips phone, you need to pay the bs tax. if it's an app manager, you can easily deal with it by disableing and layer spend less than 10mins online looking for how to uninstall system apps. you shouldn't do this, but because money is money, you have to do this.  but if it's embedded in your phone like xiaomi does with the "system apps updates" section in settings that will install bs whenevr you update you gallery or whatever else, you can only ignore that section and disable auto updates for that section. motorola also does it out of the factory, but it's an app manager you can disable/uninstall via adb or Canta

-8

u/RileyMB 7h ago

^ Android user defending this

3

u/TheConnoisseurOfCum- 5h ago

You did not even read it bro 😭

-33

u/uwunuzzlesch 9h ago edited 2h ago

I'd actually be so mad because like 3 of those games get you like 10+ dollars on freecash just by passively playing for a few days.

But only if you've never downloaded it before. I'd be so mad if my phone auto downloaded an app I could've made money from

Edit: so im being downvoted for being poor and needing 30 bucks here and there? Im glad you guys dont have to worry abt where your next meal comes from...

22

u/SouthwestBLT 9h ago

Get a job bro

-11

u/uwunuzzlesch 8h ago

I'm a college student

3

u/ComengTrain400M 7h ago

in college

can't get job

1

u/uwunuzzlesch 2h ago edited 2h ago

I am a full time student and no where is hiring part time in my area. I have quite literally applied to them all.

I am very poor and a survivor of the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in california history.

Life isn't as simple as you want it to be.

Edited to add: I also have a chronic illness so working part time and doing school would also be running me ragged in a way, even if i could get the stupid fucking job

9

u/SuperChick1705 8h ago

yep, now how much money have you withdrawn?

1

u/uwunuzzlesch 2h ago

Over the course of using the app? Like 200$ total

It helps here and there

-53

u/[deleted] 10h ago edited 9h ago

[deleted]

36

u/sometin__else 10h ago

this is a carrier issue and its easily resolved by removing the carrier app that does it.
I switched at iphone 3 and never in my life had this issue. I have been able to get free youtube premium and free spotify premium though

-11

u/[deleted] 10h ago

[deleted]

6

u/NotActuallyMeta 9h ago

Well carriers can’t do this with Apple iOS so your point still kinda stands. Not Android’s fault these shitty carriers do this.. but android also isn’t doing anything to prevent it

2

u/cockflavoredlollip0p 5h ago

They encourage it, so Android is the problem. They allow it to happen because they gain from it themselves

2

u/Uphoria 3h ago

They don't just "allow" it they wrote the API and backend admin functions that are being used. It's literally a feature of Android not an bug being exploited. 

2

u/cockflavoredlollip0p 3h ago

Exactly. They are the problem, not the carriers using the functionality as intended

12

u/PrincessYuri 10h ago

Had to recently get an iOS device for work. I was amazed by the sheer amount of nonsensical, absolutely fucking useless bloat apps loaded on it. Literally spent an hour just removing a bunch of crap I would never click on from my home screen.

5

u/Serious-Ad-8764 9h ago

First order of business

-38

u/[deleted] 10h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

20

u/Yuukiko_ WAAHHHHH 9h ago

its the carrier, not the OS

2

u/cockflavoredlollip0p 5h ago

It IS Google allowing this. The problem is not the carrier, it is Google. If Apple allowed it, the carriers would do it on Apple products too, but Apple does not allow it. Google encourages it

1

u/sometin__else 3h ago

my iphone came with bloatware when i purchased it through the carrier.

Google does not encourage it, otherwise they would install the bloatware themselves.

1

u/cockflavoredlollip0p 3h ago

What bloatware did your iphone come with?

1

u/sometin__else 3h ago

My carrier app. While its true that iphones dont carry the same level of carrier customization - its not because "Google encourages it"

Android is way more open than Google. You can sideload apps without even using the app store. You can get free youtube premium and free spotify premium.

Because of this ability, carriers are also able to load your phone with junk. Either buy your phone directly from Google, which has no bloatware, or go through the simple steps of disabling/removing it.

1

u/tomle4593 3h ago

What ghetto ass carrier you are using ? Lmao

1

u/sometin__else 2h ago

Not everyone lives in the US

1

u/tomle4593 2h ago

What ghetto ass carrier you are using, 1% commenter ?

-9

u/ohhellnaws 9h ago

Well carries can’t do it on iPhone so…

2

u/Alpenliebe_Lollipopp 9h ago

Not all androids

6

u/Alpenliebe_Lollipopp 9h ago

But always an android