HOW TO: Stay stock and get rid of the bloat

**LikeAChampion3** · 12-17-2010, 10:38 PM

For those of you who want to stay "stock" but also want to get rid of the bloatware, I have the solution and will post the process. Obviously this is done at your own risk, so I am not responsible for your breaking anything on your phone. Full disclosure: I am new to this and I am sure some of the more experienced people on the forum can add to this or correct any mistakes I made. Please proceed with caution.

I upgraded to the newest HTC update today (12/17) and wasn't happy about the Nova demo or the fact that Blockbuster kept popping up in my notification area. Amazon MP3 has always pissed me off because of the updates and I always see it running and presumably wasting resources. I was this close to rooting and flashing a custom rom, but I got intimidated by all of the different methods out there and decided against it. All I really wanted to do was get rid of the few apps on my phone that I didn't want. I run Launcher Pro Plus and have all of the customization that I think I need.

Anyway, after doing research and getting some help from the other members, I was able to put this little procedure in place in order to remove those annoying bloat apps one at a time:

Prep
1. Download z4root (not in the market, do a google search)
2. Download Titanium Backup (Market)
3. Do a Google search on which apps you can safely remove, I'll list the ones I did below.
4. Plan to sit around for a while as each app takes a few minutes to get rid of since you have to reboot the phone after each one gets deleted.
5. Backup your apps. Do a NAND backup for everything if you know how, otherwise use Titanium or an alternative method/app. This is very important!
5.a. Read the thread first so you know what to expect and what others have been doing.
Process
6. Open z4root and allow it to temporarily root your Evo. This is the scariest part for me because I still don't quite understand rooting and I don't want to brick my phone or anyone else's! Please do your homework and proceed at your own risk. I am 100% confident in the app personally, for what its worth. Also, it was recommended to me by a big-time forum user.
7. Open Titanium Backup, go to the middle tab "Backup/Restore", long press on the unwanted app, scroll down to the bottom and choose the last available option "Force Remove app". This will reboot your phone (causing the temporary root to go away), and when it restarts the app is gone!
7.b. FREEZING THE APP (as is mentioned in the thread) may be a better option, so consider it instead of un-installing.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for every app you want to get rid of. After your final reboot, you are back to stock minus the stock bloat apps!

I deleted the following and will likely do more in the future.
Amazon Mp3
Nova
Facebook
Nascar
Twitter

I REPEAT: I AM NEW TO THIS AND HAVE NOT TESTED THIS EXTENSIVELY YET. IF ANYONE CAN VOUCH FOR THIS PROCEDURE I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. PERHAPS ITS ONLY A MINOR HACK, BUT IT IS BY FAR AND AWAY THE "HACKIEST" THING I HAVE DONE ON MY LAUNCH DAY EVO. PLEASE DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE DOING THIS AND UNDERSTAND THAT THESE TOOLS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE MAJOR ISSUES WITH YOUR PHONE.

Full Disclosure Part Two: I have since fully rooted my phone and love it. I highly recommend it. If you are going to go so far as to use the method described here, in my opinion you might as well just go 100%.

Here is a thread that talks about the apps you can delete

Special thanks to igotsanevo4g on this for the tip in the regular Evo forum in this thread.

http://forum.androidcentral.com/htc-...ory-reset.html

**igotsanevo4g** · 12-17-2010, 10:43 PM

Z4 .apk Attached here.

Root explorer is the best app for it but, oh well

Keep in mind, removing these apps may or may not prevent you from getting future OTA updates from sprint. We cant know until the next update pushes.

Easy fix though, just reinstall the apps. Ill pull them and post em if needed.

You can get rid of alot of stuff fyi. Widgets, google voice, fm radio, stocks, sprint nascar/nfl/tv, and manyyyy more.

If youre gun shy about deleting an app, post on this thread and ill give you a yay or nay

Here is the orginal Z4 root thread at XDA -

**LikeAChampion3** · 12-17-2010, 10:52 PM

Ha, I'll take your word on Root Explorer but I couldn't figure it out.

I'm not too interested in removing apps just for the sake of removing them, just the ones that I see (or perceive to be) wasting system resources. I will say this, however, this project was probably just another step in the direction of doing a full-blown root on my phone. Now that I have a taste for it I am not as hesitant anymore....we'll see.

Are there any of the bloat apps in particular that you would recommend that I get rid of beyond those that I already have?

**igotsanevo4g** · 12-17-2010, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by LikeAChampion3

Ha, I'll take your word on Root Explorer but I couldn't figure it out.

I'm not too interested in removing apps just for the sake of removing them, just the ones that I see (or perceive to be) wasting system resources. I will say this, however, this project was probably just another step in the direction of doing a full-blown root on my phone. Now that I have a taste for it I am not as hesitant anymore....we'll see.

Are there any of the bloat apps in particular that you would recommend that I get rid of beyond those that I already have?

Well anything you dont ever use really.

Take the rooting leap man, we'll (or me) be here to help you if you get snags/questions.

**aclem08** · 12-18-2010, 09:03 PM

What is your preferred rooting method for the Evo? Also, what ROMs do you like? I was looking at Myn's Warm 2.2 when I finally do root.

**Cyber Warrior** · 12-18-2010, 09:10 PM

If you used z4root and deleted with titanium........you've basically rooted the phone. With Titanium you can freeze the bloat instead of deleting the apps. That way when you need to update you can just unfreeze them.

**RUSH** · 12-18-2010, 09:16 PM

I love this phone a lot... but why is everything seem so technical to do. I'm at a total lost with rooting method and stuff. I would love to root my phone - but to be honest, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

**igotsanevo4g** · 12-19-2010, 02:18 AM

Originally Posted by aclem08

What is your preferred rooting method for the Evo? Also, what ROMs do you like? I was looking at Myn's Warm 2.2 when I finally do root.

The methods that are stickied are preferred.

**Dave Blake** · 12-19-2010, 07:40 AM

This smells like a good place for a Sticky

Later,
Dave

**Jerzyiroc** · 12-19-2010, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by rushrl

I love this phone a lot... but why is everything seem so technical to do. I'm at a total lost with rooting method and stuff. I would love to root my phone - but to be honest, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

They do it to protect the carriers. The carriers are basically strong arming the manufactures to make the phones unrootable so people wont go and use wifi tethers instead of the paid tethering through the carriers, like Spints $30 a month Sprint Hotspot.

**ChadH42** · 12-19-2010, 10:55 AM

I have been in the I.T. industry for a long time. I was a Unix System Programmer ages ago and I'm afraid to root! When I used a blackberry, I was flashing the damn thing every day but the EVO feels to easy to brick.

Is there a failure-proof way to un-brick an Android phone? Something similar to the blackberry Loader that can push a ROM to bare metal.

**igotsanevo4g** · 12-19-2010, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by ChadH42

I have been in the I.T. industry for a long time. I was a Unix System Programmer ages ago and I'm afraid to root! When I used a blackberry, I was flashing the damn thing every day but the EVO feels to easy to brick.

Is there a failure-proof way to un-brick an Android phone? Something similar to the blackberry Loader that can push a ROM to bare metal.

Yes, the ruu can be run from fastboot. I havent heard of ANYONE bricking their evo for good. Soft bricks happen where you lose the USB port, and sd card doesnt work - but those can easily be fixed if youre rooted.

If your phone just wont boot up and you need to switch roms, you can boot into recovery, mount your sd card and put a rom on it. Then flash it and youre all good

**fluxcore072** · 12-19-2010, 06:27 PM

dose z4root work on evo built after oct 1 its an 003

**igotsanevo4g** · 12-19-2010, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by fluxcore072

dose z4root work on evo built after oct 1 its an 003

Z4 root works with ALL evo's for temporary root.

**LikeAChampion3** · 12-19-2010, 09:54 PM

Originally Posted by Cyber Warrior

If you used z4root and deleted with titanium........you've basically rooted the phone. With Titanium you can freeze the bloat instead of deleting the apps. That way when you need to update you can just unfreeze them.

I probably should have done that, but I got a little "delete happy" when I figured out how to do it. As I mentioned in a previous post, I've got the bug and am going to go ahead and permanently root the damn thing finally!

**igotsanevo4g** · 12-19-2010, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by LikeAChampion3

I probably should have done that, but I got a little "delete happy" when I figured out how to do it. As I mentioned in a previous post, I've got the bug and am going to go ahead and permanently root the damn thing finally!

Atta guy!

Just post if you run into problems. I'll be around.

**hdhuntr** · 12-20-2010, 09:58 AM

I'm going on a search I guess. I only get one option to root...no temporary on the Z4 I downloaded and after 4 times all I have found is a new way to reboot my EVO. I have 1.1.0.apk I'll check here for news if I don't see it out there...

1.3 seems to be working. Maybe this'll help someone else.

**blckz28** · 12-20-2010, 11:16 AM

I must be doing something wrong. I'm on the new OTA update that was just released. I have v1.3 of Z4Root and Titanium Backup for root right off the market. Z4Root goes through all the motions and at the end says temproary root applied. However when I go into Titanium it says it could not acquire root privileges. Anybody have any ideas what I'm missing?
Thanks

**blckz28** · 12-20-2010, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by blckz28

I must be doing something wrong. I'm on the new OTA update that was just released. I have v1.3 of Z4Root and Titanium Backup for root right off the market. Z4Root goes through all the motions and at the end says temproary root applied. However when I go into Titanium it says it could not acquire root privileges. Anybody have any ideas what I'm missing?
Thanks

Well nevermind, my phone must have been jacked. I did a factory reset and all is good now.

**colestein** · 12-21-2010, 10:27 AM

Alrighty - This seems like the solution to me, I just wanted to make sure that I understand this thing.

I have Z4root 1.1.0 downloaded. If I run it on my phone it will create a temporary root situation.

I run Titanium Backup and freeze the programs I don't want to use anymore (blockbuster, nascar, qik,etc)

Once I've frozen these programs I can turn off the phone and the temporary root will go away unless I run Z4 again? Have any changes been made to the phone? (been reading about this S-On vs S-Off thing for example)

This will work on an Evo running 2.2 and the new sprint update?
Will it let me download new updates (like 2.3?) or have I blocked myself from future updating?

This thing seems too good to be true. What's the risk (besides bricking my phone?)

**Schufly** · 12-22-2010, 09:12 PM

Well, Root explorer doesn't work for me. I get temp root, delete the files, reboot, and there they are again. Doh! Tried the Titanium backup. Temp root, then long hold on a program. Choose force remove. It reboots twice, and the file is gone. Long process, but it works. Then do it all over again. Plus I don't have permanent root. Just had a bad experience with permanent root on my wife's Optimus S. I like the idea of root when I want it.

**Enraged Medic** · 12-23-2010, 03:37 PM

So I figured by reading the simple instructions on how to remove the bloat from my new EVO that the process should be a piece of cake! NOT! I'm coming from BlackBerry and installing/uninstalling OS's and Apps was a PIECE OF CAKE compared to this! Download BBSAK and connect your phone via USB and BAM!

So I find the download link for z4root and unzip the file...ummm, k, no .exe or .msi files...WTF do I do now??? I do not know any command lines and don't know if I should just plug in my phone via USB and hope somehting magically happens? I went to the market and downloaded Titanium Backup Free Version to my phone (that was easy).

Would anyone care to help this noob? Credit goes out to the OP for this thread, but seriously man, I know you're new like me, but you can't OMIT steps like how to get z4root up and running.

**SBT** · 12-23-2010, 06:46 PM

When I try to do this on my evo, all that happens after hitting z4 root is I select root, it says rooting, then flashes to white screen and reboots the phone. But when I open up Titanium backup after that it says "can't find the root" can someone please help me out as I have wanted all this BLOATWARE off my phone since day one!!

**RUSH** · 12-23-2010, 07:19 PM

My question is - what would we accomplish from doing this? Does this make the phone battery last longer or what? I'm at a lost.

**prittyboy203** · 12-23-2010, 07:19 PM

The z4root app is supposed to turn to a white screen but not supposed to turn the phone off that's why the apps that need root can find Su because when you use temp root and the phone shuts off or reboot that's why its temp its going to loss root maybe uninstall the reinstall the app again but after the white screen you should verbal confirmation at a blue screen saying you have successfully temp root till the next time you reboot

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