HP Print Services Plug-In on Nexus 5

[ptonantryloc]

I just noted an update to the "HP Print Service Plugin" on my Nexus 5:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hp.android.printservice

The problem is, I don't have an HP printer and didn't install the app in the first place. So, I and about 19,000 other people stuck a 1 star review on the app. But, really, does anyone actually KNOW why Google pre-installed this app on the Nexus 5? I can't believe they violated the spirit of the Nexus just for more of that filthy lucre that they don't know what to do with. There's got to be a real reason.

 

[Golfdriver97]

It could have been worse. There could be as much bloat as a carrier Samsung/HTC.

 

[bjrosen]

BFD, just uninstall it. True bloatware are the carrier apps that are welded into a phone and can't be removed or the duplicate services like those that Samsung layers onto their phones that double the space taken by the OS. A couple of default apps that you don't need aren't bloatware because they are small and easily removed.

 

[JConn_Lefty]

BFD, just uninstall it. True bloatware are the carrier apps that are welded into a phone and can't be removed or the duplicate services like those that Samsung layers onto their phones that double the space taken by the OS. A couple of default apps that you don't need aren't bloatware because they are small and easily removed.

bingo.

 

[crxssi]

BFD, just uninstall it. True bloatware are the carrier apps that are welded into a phone and can't be removed .

It *is* bloatware because it is included on the ROM image, does not relate to the base OS, and can't be uninstalled. You can, however disable it. NASTY bloatware is also marked as not being disableable- Sprint does that on a few apps on other phones, drives me crazy. Thankfully it looks like Google doesn't pull that crap on the Nexus.

Of course, I kinda feel like some of the Google stuff is bloatware, too... like Google Books, Magazines, Music, Games , +.... All disabled on my phone now. I am curious if an OS update will re-enable those things I disabled. Guess I have to wait and see.

 

[ptonantryloc]

BFD, just uninstall it...

As crxssi said, below, it can't be uninstalled. Hitting the "Uninstall" button on it only uninstalls the latest update.

It is a small app, but that's not the point. It's not like Google Cloud Print which allows us to "print from any compatible Android device to any Google Cloud Print connected printer." It's an app specifically for HP printers and, AFAIK, not necessary for anything else. It just shouldn't be automatically included on all devices. Especially Nexus devices. I just don't understand why Google is doing this.

 

[Bazza1]

Google is becoming just as guilty as Apple in embedding unnecessary/unwanted apps (of their own or others' creation) in their OS - problematic when the phones do not have expandable storage to work-around the loss of built-in storage, and the aggro of having stuff you don't want/ won't use/ can't uninstall that really needs to be be user-choice freeware from the Play Store.

 

[RealDogBoy]

It *is* bloatware because it is included on the ROM image, does not relate to the base OS, and can't be uninstalled. You can, however disable it. NASTY bloatware is also marked as not being disableable- Sprint does that on a few apps on other phones, drives me crazy. Thankfully it looks like Google doesn't pull that crap on the Nexus.

Of course, I kinda feel like some of the Google stuff is bloatware, too... like Google Books, Magazines, Music, Games , +.... All disabled on my phone now. I am curious if an OS update will re-enable those things I disabled. Guess I have to wait and see.

That's what I thought this thread was going to be about. The HP print app is relatively minor.

Still, compared with what else is out there, Google is pretty decent about these things. And remember that the N5 is a completely unlocked phone so you can do what you want.

 

[B. Diddy]

As far as I know, all smartphone OS's have closely integrated apps related to their own ecosystem that are not removeable unless the device is significantly modified (i.e., rooted for Android, jailbroken for iOS). You can't remove iTunes, Appstore, Newsstand, etc. on an iPhone, and I assume you can't remove those similar apps on Windows Phone. At least you can disable a lot of those types of apps with Android. You can't with iOS--you can't even hide them on the homescreen, can you? (Unless that's a new feature on iOS7--I'm mostly familiar with iOS6.)

 

[UJ95x]

As far as I know, all smartphone OS's have closely integrated apps related to their own ecosystem that are not removeable unless the device is significantly modified (i.e., rooted for Android, jailbroken for iOS). You can't remove iTunes, Appstore, Newsstand, etc. on an iPhone, and I assume you can't remove those similar apps on Windows Phone. At least you can disable a lot of those types of apps with Android. You can't with iOS--you can't even hide them on the homescreen, can you? (Unless that's a new feature on iOS7--I'm mostly familiar with iOS6.)

Nope. Don't know why people say iPhones are bloatware free when they have at least 10 of their own apps preinstalled.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.2

 

[patruns]

Interesting to read the reviews in the Play Store.

 

[Deegan]

I use Google books constantly. Being an English major and a avid reader it is one of my favorite apps. I also use Google's music app over my Chromecast when we have friends over. I love both of these apps! They are hardly bloatware.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Bazza1]

...You can't remove iTunes, Appstore, Newsstand, etc. on an iPhone ... At least you can disable a lot of those types of apps with Android. You can't with iOS--you can't even hide them on the homescreen, can you? (Unless that's a new feature on iOS7--I'm mostly familiar with iOS6.)

Well, no, you can't disable unwanted embedded apps in iOS, but I have placed them in a folder called 'Junk Drawer' and then placed that in a home screen by itself to be forgotten. In that regard, Android is not far off - you needn't place any unwanted app (as found in the App screens) on your home screens. But it's still there on your device, whether you 'disable' it or not.
Its just a pity that Google is tagging along with imposed software lark, rather than let the user choose which of their products to use. I appreciate that Google is primarily an analytics company and they need us to use their 'free' products to generate this information for others, but I gotta tell you, there's a whack of their stuff I'll never use, taking up valuable room on my Nexus.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Well, no, you can't disable unwanted embedded apps in iOS, but I have placed them in a folder called 'Junk Drawer' and then placed that in a home screen by itself to be forgotten. In that regard, Android is not far off - you needn't place any unwanted app (as found in the App screens) on your home screens. But it's still there on your device, whether you 'disable' it or not.
Its just a pity that Google is tagging along with imposed software lark, rather than let the user choose which of their products to use. I appreciate that Google is primarily an analytics company and they need us to use their 'free' products to generate this information for others, but I gotta tell you, there's a whack of their stuff I'll never use, taking up valuable room on my Nexus.

Putting them on a homescreen all by themselves does nothing. It's an "out of sight, out of mind" type of thing, which isn't the same having an uninstall or a disable option. Disabling does just that. It might not hide the icon, but it does stop the app from doing anything. As was pointed out, though, sometimes it will be re-enabled by an app update, so you might want to occasionally check and make sure it's still disabled from time to time.

The vast majority of things that come preinstalled on the Nexus 5 can be disabled, with very few exceptions. The beauty of the Nexus, though, is that you can easily unlock, root, and install another OS image that might be more tailored to your liking. For any device that isn't a Nexus I wouldn't say this is a viable, but part of the beauty of the Nexus line is the ease with which you can do that.

If some of these "bloat apps" are that annoying, or you really need those extra few MB's then please, flash something that will be more to your liking. It's really easy, and if you mess it up you can flash the factory images and start fresh again.

 

[UJ95x]

Putting them on a homescreen all by themselves does nothing. It's an "out of sight, out of mind" type of thing, which isn't the same having an uninstall or a disable option. Disabling does just that. It might not hide the icon, but it does stop the app from doing anything. As was pointed out, though, sometimes it will be re-enabled by an app update, so you might want to occasionally check and make sure it's still disabled from time to time.

The vast majority of things that come preinstalled on the Nexus 5 can be disabled, with very few exceptions. The beauty of the Nexus, though, is that you can easily unlock, root, and install another OS image that might be more tailored to your liking. For any device that isn't a Nexus I wouldn't say this is a viable, but part of the beauty of the Nexus line is the ease with which you can do that.

If some of these "bloat apps" are that annoying, or you really need those extra few MB's then please, flash something that will be more to your liking. It's really easy, and if you mess it up you can flash the factory images and start fresh again.

Any AOSP-based ROM, minus the Gapps. Problem solved

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.2

 

[crxssi]

I use Google books constantly. Being an English major and a avid reader it is one of my favorite apps. I also use Google's music app over my Chromecast when we have friends over. I love both of these apps! They are hardly bloatware.

Just because something is possibly good or useful doesn't make it not bloatware. Lots of people love Angry Birds, but that doesn't mean it should be included in the base ROM image, does it?

 

[crxssi]

Well, no, you can't disable unwanted embedded apps in iOS, but I have placed them in a folder called 'Junk Drawer' and then placed that in a home screen by itself to be forgotten. In that regard, Android is not far off

That is not the same.
Such apps are still not "disabled", and as such, they can be cached, can still wake and perform background "services", can monitor what is being done, can use data/cpu/battery, etc. Not saying any particular app WOULD do that, but Google Music and Books (or it might be Magazines) are PERFECT examples of apps that will do exactly all I just listed, even when you don't use Google's cloud services at all for music or books/mags (I have direct observation of it). Disabling them really does make them stop. If it is similar in IOS, then just ignoring them doesn't make them really go away.

 

[kolyan2k]

Uninstalled. I use Brother printers

 

[newsman787]

Glad it came over. I would not have known to go looking for it. No complaints here.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[dkhmwilliams]

I also wondered the same thing about the HP Printer plug-in. But I really don't consider that bloatware. I actually have an HP printer so that would come in handy for me. My iOS devices seem to have a few more "bloatware" apps than I had on my Nexus devices. First of all, I don't consider Google apps on an Android device bloatware. So other than the HP plugin, there really isn't any bloatware on a Nexus as far as I'm concerned. My iPhone on the other hand has integrated software for Vimeo, Nike, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter. Now the apps aren't preinstalled, but the OS does steer you in the direction of those apps by integrating them into the operating system.


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