How to remove system applications (standard) on Android

Remove system applications on Android
Remove system applications on Android

Android has many different pre-installed applications that we don’t need – they just take up space and consume device memory. Each of them can be removed and the method of its implementation is described in this manual.

First of all, you need to get root rights on your smartphone or tablet. They provide the ability to not only remove system applications, but also to easily get rid of in-game advertising and programs, flash devices, run specialized applications, which significantly expand the capabilities of the device.

The method for obtaining Superuser rights varies for each device, but the most universal tools are: Kingo ROOT, Framaroot and Vroot.

Then you need to install a file manager that supports access to system directories and editing system files. For example ES Explorer, File Manager from Cheetah Mobile or Root Explorer. I will use ES Explorer in this guide.

How to remove standard applications on Android. Method 1

1. First, give the file manager permission to edit the root directory. How to do it in ES Explorer is described on our website in another article.

2. In the internal memory, go to the “/ system / app” folder   .

3. Select the .apk file for the selected application and click “Delete” in the pop-up menu that appears.

4. In addition, delete the .odex file with the same name if one exists.

In Android 5.0 and newer versions, on the “/ system / app” path,    all embedded system applications are in separate folders, so you must select and delete them.

5. Many system applications in store updates  “/ data / app”  in which you also need to remove them.

Again, in Android 5.0, updates of pre-installed applications are located on the “/ data / app” path   in separate folders. Select unnecessary and delete.

6. Now it remains only to delete the caches and databases of embedded system applications and services that are located in the folder  “/ data / data”  .

Remove pre-installed applications such as Gmail, Google Drive or Maps. System applications with the Android icon should not be touched (for example, CertInstaller.apk or PackageInstaller.apk), as there may be problems in the system.

Remove Android application using Root Uninstaller

Standard Android applications can be removed using the Root Uninstaller application.

1. After installation, open and give access to the superuser.

2. Select the application you want to delete.

3. Click Delete. You can backup before deleting.

In addition, the application cannot be deleted but frozen. So they stop working and disappear from the menu, but they will not be removed completely.

How to remove standard applications using ES Explorer

Some file managers have a special option to work with program files. Consider this feature in the ES Explorer example:

1. In the sidebar under “Library” select “APPS”.

2. At the top, click “Custom”, thus expanding the hidden menu. Select the “System” item in it.

3. Select the programs that you no longer need. In the list of options, select Uninstall.

I think that the methods I proposed will be enough to remove standard Android applications. Yes, there are Root Uninstaller equivalents and other file managers that have the function of quickly removing embedded applications. But the three ways I described are the most convenient.