Even beyond what you lead with, carriers do a lot of snooping.
So a nod to XDA Developers if you want to root and more.
Bob
I want to get the opinions of the informed out there on bloatware for the various Android devices we love.
Every hardware manufacturer has their own media store, app store, streaming service, etc.. In the case of phones with a mobile carrier you also have their junk, which usually is working to fill the same niche as the hardware manufacturer. In my case, I have the Samsung suite of media players/stores AND T-Mobile's, and I don't use any of them. Google also has a few like their music service. So where does this end? When the carriers and manufacturers are selling us 'life companions', shouldn't I be able to control what my life companion is and what it isn't without rooting the device? Shouldn't I be able to say "No, Samsung, I don't want your (insert unwanted app here) gnawing at my battery and device performance?" <div>Am I completely out of line with this complaint?
One of the reasons I LOVE Android is that it's customizable and there's not one company (to a degree) with a stranglehold on the entire ecosystem. I appreciate the recent Android update allowing me to disable and hide certain apps, but they're still there. Nobody would be satisfied if they went to their doctor and he gave them something to simply hide the effects of an illness when the cure was simple and easily available. Will we have to wait for a 3rd party OS threatening Android market share before this is addressed?
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