How to Remove Default Applications from Rooted Android Phones
Gone are the days when the phone manufacturer will refuse to attend your phone just because of a reason that since the phone is rooted the warranty stands lapsed. As due to the biggest advantage of Android being Open Source, you can now easily not only just root the phone but also you can revoke the root access just with the help of some simple tricks with which you can then claim the warranty back. With the hep of rooting, one can easily access the system level files after which the customization becomes not only possible but also easier.
The reason being stating the above paragraph is that many of the Android users still ask on what are the benefits of rooting the phone, though there are many advantages of rooting the device and will not be possible to list and explain each of them but we will see one biggest advantage of rooting the phone which is on how you can remove the stock / default application from your Android phone which otherwise is not possible to remove with a non-rooted phone. So, in the due course of this article we will see on how you can easily remove stock apps by following a simple procedure which is mentioned below.
Basically this Android Terminal Emulator lets you access the Android’s built in Linux based command line kernel and changes the registry level entries to satisfy your needs of removing the stock applications as it emulates the Digital Equipment Corporation VT-100 terminal which powers the Android smart phones. The only requirement to make this possible is that you will be needing the rooted Android Phone so as to grant the Super user access
Note : If you want to Root your phone then you can find the procedure on how you can root your device from the site androidadvices.com. Just in case if you are unable to find the same in our site then in the comments section mention your Android device Name and Model number along with which version of firmware your phone is on so that we can guide you on how you can root your phone and can proceed to remove the default applications on your Rooted Android Phone.
Caution: Kindly ensure and double check the command before proceeding to deleting any application as if you delete any crucial application then the only way you can retain that app is by installing the firmware again on your phone which again is a very tedious task, so its recommended to use the below trick very wisely.
Procedure to Remove Stock Apps from the Rooted Android Phone:
- So, before you proceed you will have to ensure that the phone is rooted successfully. The simplest way to find out whether the phone is rooted or not is that in the list of Applications you will find an icon named as “Super User” which will be in the skull shaped.
- So, once you see that the phone is rooted you will now have to download Android Terminal Emulator to your Android device be it a tablet or a smart phone. Once this app is installed, you need to open the same on your Android phone after which you will see that a blue screen terminal window will be opened up as shown in the below screen shot.
- Now, in this screen you will have to type in “su” without the inverted comas and need to just press “enter symbol” on your keypad. Once its done, you will be prompted to confirm the Root access from the Super user Application, just tap on the “Allow to Proceed”.
su
- Now next up you will have to type in the command which is mentioned below in a step by step manner as shown below,
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblk3 /system
- Up next is you will have to now type in the command as “ls /system/app” without inverted comas after which you will see that all the applications which are there in the phone will be listed as shown in the below image.
ls /system/app
- Now, after the application listing you will see that all the apps will be listed, to remove any application of your choice, you will need to enter in the below command as shown below,
rm /system/app/<app-name>
- Just in case suppose if you wish to remove the amazon MP3 application from your phone then the command which you need to enter is
rm /system/app/com.amazon.mp3.apk
- Similarly, just in case if you wish to remove the Voice Dialer you need to enter the command as,
rm /system/app/VoiceDialer.apk
rm /system/app/VoiceDialer.odex
- Now, to check again whether the application has been successfully removed or not, you will need to enter the command as, “mount -o remount,ro /dev/mtdblock3 /system” without the inverted comas to again get a list of apps which are present on your phone.
mount -o remount,ro /dev/mtdblock3 /system
So, that’s it you have now successfully seen on how one can easily delete / remove the stock applications which are there in your phone. Many times it has been found that some of the unknown language apps are found as soon as you update your phone’s firmware. In such times, you can use the above mentioned method to remove all such applications from your phone. Just let us know if you face any issues in the comments section below while removing the apps from your phone as we will try our level best to address the issue
Comments (130)
Friends call him Droid Geek because he tries out different ROM’s everyday and helps droid users experience better features on their devices. Add +Neal Pradeep on Google Plus for more Updates.
Ouch, scary if some app should not be deleted. Thats why Titanium Backup has freeze command to test what happens without this app.
hey neil i tried to use this command on Samsung galaxy s gt i 9000 with 3.5 xtra long battery firmware upload by you. but these commands are not working in this . plz help me regarding this issue
hey raju, which commands you are talking about!?
I think I have a fair idea….this work beautifully and removed successfully one network provider eyesore already but it took me a bit to get it right myself, since as you typed it as someone who is well familiar with such commands…but some of us are not
Let’s see
- things are case sensitive and spaces count.
- this command mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblk3 /system looked different on the picture and this is what I had to type to make it work: mount[space]-0(zero, not aw)[space]remount,rw[space]-t[space]yaffsw(not yaffs2 as written)[space]/dev/block/mtdblk3[space]/system
-this ls /system/app therefore is ls[space]/system/app
-And rm /system/app/ is rm[space]/system/app (app names to be typed exactly as and being case sensitive)
-This command mount -o remount,ro /dev/mtdblock3 /system is still a zero not an o and you’ll need to retype ls /system/app after of course
That’d be the add-on for idiots like me
Thanks for the tip! it’s awesome.
hey..could u plz explain the procedure in details?
do u have to press the ‘enter’ key after the first command?
it didn’t work with my phone..i might be doing something wrong.
thanx
PLEASE FOLLOW THE PROCEDURE AS MENTIONED ABOVE!
hey it dose not work please help have a 9003 rooted.
Hi, I think instate of remove the file. We should backup/copy the file to sdcard before remove it.
Also any guild as to restore back the app back to original place incase we would like to perform warranty claim.
hi, is’t baseband will problem if we root the phone and how to get back the baseband.
plz help me….
thanks
baseband version gets changed from version to version, why do you want the baseband version to be changed?
How do I root my Samsung Droid Charge? Please help!
Model Number SCH-I510
Firmware Version 2.2.1
we will soon come up with the article on the Rooting of Droid Charge!
Hi Neal
Is there any way to “know for sure” which apps. are “required” system apps and should NOT be removed?
Colpro
no apps are compulsory, you can remove any app if you don’t need it!
I think there is no need such a complex method to uninstall system appls. Titanium backup (even nopro) does it easily on rooted phones and tablets. And in addition with TB you can backup the appls for restoring them back when necessary.
it has to be rooted and then only you can backup the apps!
hi neal
can u please help me when i type su it comes with access denied message, can u please help what wrong i am doing it here
i am using galaxy ace
where you are getting this message, have you rooted the phone, if yes then its in which version?
Hi, Thanks for good article. I’m new to Android as i have been using iPhone4 and N900 previously. Even though N900 wasn’t totally a different platform.
Now I have LG’s Optimus 3D P920 and have already rooted it and managed to screw it once and had to hard reset it. Now i’m bit more confident about this phone but would like to tinder around with booting process as i dont like the booting screen or awful sound of LG. Any idea the folders or files i can move around w/o bricking it again?
Also when i change it to usb mode there is this loud notification tone which i really hate. Pls do let me know about removing this as well.
cheers
as of now there is no such customization for the LG Optimus 3D phone but once it arrives, we will surely update the same !
Anyone has successfully rooted viewpad7 by Viewscenic ?
as of now not, we will soon come up with the same, which one you wish to have?
Is it possible to replace apps ?
For example i want to replace the default dialer with Dialer One and make it the default dialer apps
yes you can do the same!
Hi, need to root my current android device.
Device name: Samsung SGS2 I9100
Firmware Version: 2.3.4
BAseband Version: I9100XXKH3
Kernel Version: 2.6.35.7-i9100XWKH4-cl487028
Build Number: GINGERBREAD.XWKH4
Hope you can help me.. Thanks in advance.
hey jon, you can follow the instructions which is mentioned at the below link to root your phone!
http://androidadvices.com/root-samsung-galaxy-s2-gt-i9100-android-234-xxkh3-firmware/
hi i want to know how to root my Galaxy S plus GT I9001
kernel 2.6.35.7-perf
firmware 2.3.3
gingerbread.JPKF7
8Gb Internet
1.4 Gz
512 ram
i dont have external Sd card
on every where i found they talk about Galaxy S but when i cheached the version of |Android i found it’s diffrenet
can you help me to root it and plz can y
as of now S Plus dont have any rooting process, once it arrives we will update you!
I have an incredible that’s rooted and have gone over all the steps in this tutorial. When I enter the app I want to remove it tells me that the file is not found, but the file exists in the list? What am I doing wrong
Can anyone of you please tell me how to root Samsung Galaxy S 4G.The firmware version for it is 2.2.1.
Thanks in Advance.
Kunal Oswal.
you can use the Super One click
Am planning to buy T-Moble’s Samsung Galaxy SII but hate all the added apps. Is there a way to remove them? I’m new at Android products and have minimum computer skills.
Thanks for your help.
iTS A GOOD PHONE GO AHEAD!
Thanks for your reply. I presume you will be providing instructions on how to root and remove apps from this t-Mobile phone model at a later date. Another concern is hacking. Word on the street is t-Mobile Android phones are easy to hack. Is there a way to stop/minimize this problem?
Hi,
I have successfully removed unwanted apps from my SE x10 with help of above article.
is there any option where we can delete these unwanted apps with GUI.
Thanks
Trying to.delete on Droid incredible downloaded term. Emulator goto type in Su hit enter and comes up mount denied any help would be greatly appreciated
Thank u in advance
Tugboat
is your phone rooted?
Try this method,
Install ES File Explorer in a rooted phone.
(any root explorer will do)
Allow Root permissions for the explorer
Mount in RW mode
open /system/app
remove the files that you do not want, just pick and delete.
tugboat, try restarting the phone. Sounds stupid, I know, but worked like a charm on my Samsung Inspire, and seems to work for 90% of forum-posters with this problem.
No problem.
Hi,
I have rooted my samsung galaxy S2 and flashed the kernel. I have given ES Explorer super user permissions but when I open a pre-installed app in explorer like photo editor, after you click uninstall it says the uninstall failed. Any ideas?
Mick
what are the permissions you are selecting? your phone needs to be rooted for the same!
How to update LG Optimus P350?
Android version 2.2.2
we will come up with the article soon!
And how to root it on android 2.2.2??
which is the phone you wished to root?
This didn’t work for me from the get go. After typing in su then hitting the SYM key, nothing. However, as someone stated, why do this when you can install and run Titanium Backup and remove any apps you don’t want easily.
it can back all the data which is there in your phone! but it only works on rooted phones!
interesting post, pretty much covered it all for me, thanks.
Hey ! Another solution to this is to install “Root Explorer” app and then navigate to /system/app and start removing
I recommend though to back-up into a folder in /sdcard …
Im using LG p500, how can i root my device and uninstall the default packages..?
Thanks..
we will come out with the same, which firmware you are on?
i am using galaxy pop(mini s5570) samsung moblie.can u please let me know how can i remove default apps
you need to root the same to remove them!
I had installed terminal Emulator I had punched the command “su’ I am able to see a message permission denied
please help me out to pull out the application
it will require the root access!
I had installed terminal Emulator I had punched the command “su” I am able see a message permission denied
please help me out to pull out the application
is phone rooteD?
Hi I’m trying to remove Milocker app and I get the msg \ can’t remove Read only file system\ any help/ideas?
you need to root the same!
Hi there, I am a newbie and would like to root my android. Any help would be much appreciated.
SGH-T959P – Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate 4G
Running Firmware 2.3.4
Build Number GINGERBREAD.PTLKH2
Thank You
Hi
I tried removing Quickoffice from my rooted galaxy y s-5360
but when i try “rm /system/app/Quickoffice.apk an error msg appears saying “rm failed for ?system?app?Quickoffice.apk, Read-only file system”
Help please! wanna remove tht crappy s/w frm my phone!
yes there is a some issue with some apps!
what do you mean root the same?
means, you need to root your phone!
By mistake i uninstall Generic driver for debugging.
so how i re-install that
please help me.
yes anant, you can re apply the firmware!
Hi when it comes to the installing section it keeps telling me its unable to do because its a read only file, all i want to do is remove the Audioteka, ipla and the nexto. any ideas?
Samsung S5380
Gingerbread 2.3.5.
ROOTED
p.s. awsome website.
thanks for your appreciation and trust!
Hi, need to root my current android device.
Device name: Spice Mi280
Firmware Version: 2.3.4
Baseband Version: MAUI.11AMD.W11.19.SP.V2.P1,2011/08/20 02:14
Kernel Version: 2.6.35.7 ckt@ckt-droid-nest #1 Fri Dec 9 11:18:49 CST 2011
Build Number: Spice_Mi-280_IND_Ver1.2_111209112503
Custom Buil Version: 1323400740
Thanks in advance.
we will try to come up with the support for this device!
Thanks for the information!
It works!
Could you suggest what all applications we should not remove.
thx for the info, that worked successfully on my phone but i wonder that if it s possible to make an app (which i download from android market) a default app and how? what i mean is,after i load the factory settings back, can i have a Flashlight app without downloading it from market, among the default apps
I tried deleting a couple of things; myspace and amazon mp3. However after both things I got rm failed for /system/app/(name), read only file system. What does that mean? I desperately need to free up space on my lg ally and was hoping to get rid of some of this crap I never use.
Dear Colleen I am also facing same problem. If you got any solution please let me know.
I can’t find the “Super User” icon.
Hi, i am using LG P500 handset, and my android version is 2.3.3 and Software version is LG P500-V20c and Kernel Version 2.6.35.10-perf.
Pls let me know how to remove the default applications from my handset… Can these be reset once removed?
Many thanks
Devaraju
you need to root your device for the same!
@Neela Pradeep,
pls guide me how to root my device.
which device you are using?
I am using LG P500. Software version is V20c. Android version is 2.4.3
Sorry ,android version is 2.3.3
Hi,
I have successfully removed default apps using the above steps but my phone’s internal memory is still low. It shows “Low on space” warning. I have Spice MI 280. Pls help me out
Hi, need to root my current android device.
Device name: Samsung SGS2 I9100T
Firmware Version: 2.3.6
Baseband Version: I9100TDVKJ1
Kernel Version: 2.6.35.7-I9100TDVLB1-CL957836 dpi@DELL166#2
Build Number: GINGERBREAD.DVLB1
Hope you can help me.. Thanks in advance
when I’m trying to remove quickoffice.apk it says ” Read-only file system”
please help
yes its a default app, you need to root to remove this app!
android version is 2.3.6
note If u have superuser installed, and want to remove it this app can do it
simply follow the steps above to get to the point of removing an app then
enter
rm /system/app/SuperUser.apk
that should remove the app…..just incase anybody wanted to know.
it worked for me.
when i try to rm the system/media/bootani.qmg i am told i cant because it is a directoty…i just dont want the boot screens! arrrrgh! makes me REALLY miss my old HTC SHADOW
actually everytime i try to rm any “confirmed” apk or odex im given a “read only” msg…please help
are you on the rooted firmware!
yes i can get as far as seeing my system/app …all i want to do is remove the bootari.qmg which as far as i know is located in system/media thanks for any and all help
*bootani.qmg
hey while deleting app
i am getting
rm failed for /system/app/ ,read only memory
what should i do
I need to root MY Galaxy M Magic
Model No : SHW-M340K
Android Version : 2.3.6
Baseband Version : M340K.FC15.1239.KT
Kernel version :2.6.38.6
Build no :GINGERBREAD.FC15
Hey. I am a new Android User and I just got a Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-19100 and I’d like to delete some system apps that was installed by a network provider but I don’t know how. Can you help me? Please and Thank you
Kimmy
Hey. I am a new Android User version 2.3.4 and I just got a Advil ZTE Z 990 and I’d like to delete some system apps that was installed by a network provider but I don’t know how. Can you help me? Please and Thank you
you need to root the device and then clear these apps!
If i remove these system apps by the network provider, will it have a negative effect on my phone? I am afraid i might remove apps that is actually needed.
I understand the root thing just cant get permission too
I just removed a bunch of files using this method from an LGVS660. But they are still showing up as if nothing has happened??? They are no longer listed on the blue screen. I tried Titanium Backup, and it lists the files but says it cannot find the .apk file. HELP!
WORD OF CAUTION: The terminal commands ,for one, are CASE-SENSITIVE. Same with the names. QuickOffice and Quickoffice are DIFFERENT words for the terminal. Got it?
I am getting the msg that the files are read only and therefore it is not deleting them…What should I do? I have a samsung Exhibit II G4. Thx.
great tutorial!!! I really like it!!!!
one small comment, according to the tutorial you have this two commands
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblk3 /system
and
mount -o remount,ro /dev/mtdblock3 /system
because the “origin” folder doesn’t match
I am using Samsung Galaxy M style (Korea) Phone i would like to request ti root the phone
Model No – SHW -M340K
Android Version :2.3.6
Baseband version :M340K FC15 1239.KT
Kernel version 2.6.38.6
Build Number : GINGERBREAD.FC15
When i used the rem command to delete a crappy that came with the phone, I get the message, system file cannot be deleted. What’s wrong ?
how to root my HTC explorer
when iam trying to remove pre-installed apps…
its showing “this app is read only”
please help me how to remove apps…
Says that the remove failed because the app was a read-only. I did voicedialer.
To get rid of all the system and non-system apps use Root Uninstaller
Thanks
Need the root procedure for a Sprint HTC EVO Shift 4G.
I’ve updated my phone recently and those apps popped up again. I can’t seem to be able to remove them using the same method..
Having trouble removing midnight bowling 2 from my samsung zio. Please advise.
you can try removing apps from the manage apps section!
you can try removing apps from the manage apps section!
It worked great on my SE Arc S.
Thanks
Regards,
Soma
Great article I was trying to remove these stock apps for a very long time they just keep killing my RAM. Thanks
I kno the terminal is case sensitive but when ever I type I it automatically capitalizes it so I can’t seller any apps that include an I. Im using a samsung admire someone please help
by entering what command in terminal you are getting the error?
You can turn off auto-capitalization from key-board settings (Settings>>>Language & keyboard settings).
Please, while trying to remove app, it say directory not empty
Thank You! It worked perfectly on my LG Optimus One P500h !
Worked like magic for me. Kudos to you. You’re brilliant
Hey, I followed these prompts and successfully removed the apps I selected. However they are still taking up space on my devices internal memory. Why is this?
yes you can save in the internal memory
same problem with me too… did u find any solution to free up space on internal memory?
Hi All, I was able to remove the default apps using both methods. The one mentioned in the above article as well as using “Root Uninstaller”. The root uninstaller does it so easily if your phone is rooted so all those having trouble in uninstalling apps using commands on terminal can try “Root Uninstaller”. There are two apps with same name so download the one with green android icon and apk written on the icon.
Hope this helps.
thanks for your advice on the root uninstaller – so easy to do and even though I don’t understand lots of phone related things I understood this!
it does not work. Says ‘not found’ after you press enter
Hi, I am new android user with samsung Galaxy Y. Whenever I want to make a call, a pop-up appears on the screen saying……”Phone” did not allow accessing network by default. Similarly for messaging, but this time the pop up states …….”Messaging” did not allow accessing the network by default. Lastly when I am scrolling various pages a pop-up keeps showing up which says …connecting network please wait for a while. However, all the time I am able to make the call, send SMS etc……its just that these unwanted pop-ups keep appearing. How do you stop them?
Please help how to restore the uninstalled apps…i have uninstalled my phone.apk, now i cant text or call…please help me.