
To keep an Android device as speedy and efficient as possible, it’s a good idea to disable or uninstall any applications you don’t need. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to identify which of these apps need to be disabled and which ones can be left alone.
Several Google apps come pre-installed on most Android devices. If you don’t use these apps, you can disable them without any negative consequences. Similarly, you can disable other non-essential apps on your Android device.
There are a lot of apps that come pre-installed on Android devices that most people never use. While you can’t delete some of these apps, you can still disable them so they won’t appear in your app drawer and won’t run in the background.
To make the decision-making process easier, we’ve compiled a list of apps you can safely disable on your Android device.
What Apps Are Safe To Disable on Android?
Almost all Android devices come pre-installed with a lot of useless apps. Many apps can be safely disabled without impacting the device’s functionality. And in some cases, doing so can improve your battery life and free up storage space.
That being said, not all apps are safe to disable. Some, like the system ones, are essential for the proper functioning of your device.
There are a few types of apps safe to disable. These include the following.
Bloatware
Bloatware is any app that comes pre-installed on your Android device that you didn’t ask for and can’t uninstall. These apps drain your system resources and can slow down your device.
Some examples of bloatware are pre-installed games, apps from carriers or manufacturers, and system tools you don’t need.
In Samsung phones, for instance, all sorts of apps are pre-installed, such as Samsung Browser, Samsung Pay, Samsung This, Samsung That, and numerous others.
Bloatware can be annoying, but it’s not necessarily harmful. However, if you’re short on storage space or find that a particular app is slowing down your device, you may want to disable it.
It’s generally safe to disable or uninstall most bloatware apps, but there are a few exceptions. Don’t disable or uninstall any app you’re unfamiliar with, as it could cause problems with your device.
Apps by Google
There are a lot of apps that come pre-installed on Android devices, and many of them are made by Google. While some of these apps are useful, others are not so.
The Google app is the main search app on Android, and it’s safe to disable if you never use it. The same goes for Google Home and Voice to Text – if you don’t use them, you can disable them.
The main Google app you’ll want to keep is the Play Store, as this is where you’ll get all your apps and updates from. So don’t disable it.
Google Play Services is also a bit more essential, but you can disable it if you’re not using any Google services. This will free up some RAM and battery life, so it’s worth doing if you don’t need it.
You can also disable almost all Google apps if you don’t use them. This will improve your device’s performance and free up storage.
Other Apps You Don’t Use
If you’re not using an app, there’s no reason to keep it running in the background. Many apps run in the background and can use your device’s resources, even when you’re not using them.
If you’re not using an app, it’s generally safe to disable it. This will free up resources on your device and potentially improve its performance.
For example, you can safely disable Chrome if you prefer Firefox or Opera over Chrome on your Android device. You can improve the performance of your device by doing this.
Before disabling any app, ensure you know what it does and whether you need it. Some apps are required for other apps to work properly, so disabling them may cause problems.
Of course, it’s always a good idea to create a backup of your device before making any changes. You can easily restore your device to its previous state if something goes wrong.
With that being said, we hope that our list of safe-to-disable apps has given you a good starting point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Disabling an app removes it from your home screen and app drawer, and it will no longer run and use your resources in the background. However, it will not be uninstalled from your device.
Disabling apps on your Android phone does not uninstall them completely, so there’s no harm. Should any issues occur, you can always enable them again.
Disabling an app will free up some space, but uninstalling it will free up even more. Nevertheless, disabling an app will prevent it from running in the background, allowing RAM and storage to be freed up.
When you disable an app, your Android device will automatically clear the cache and delete the app data, leaving only the original app that you can enable again later if you want to.