sweeping out the old

[DWFII]

I am fairly new to smartphones and this is my first post here...be kind.

This might be a broad question with many answers but I need to start somewhere.

I just bought a Samsung S4 for my wife.

It is "pre-owned" from Swappa. When I got it the battery was completely discharged.
Charged it overnight and when I powered it on I saw that several screens had "mottos" on them such as "Life Companion", etc., and there were a few apps (which may or may not be third party) that I know my wife will never use--such as "chat."

I'm a minimalist and I don't want to start out with other people's preferences and idiosyncrasies...

How do I get rid of these unwanted apps, personalizations and screens...is there a way to reset the phone back to a "clean" default, factory interface? (didn't get a user manual with this phone although I have downloaded one in pdf format)

 

[Golfdriver97]

Welcome to the forums. There are going to be a lot of stock apps that have been put in place by Samsung. A lot that will be like duplicates. Calendar, emails, etc.

As for removing them; they can't be completely removed, however, some can be disabled without getting any extra apps. There will be some that an extra app will be needed. You can look at this app: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...om.ospolice.packagedisablerpro&token=JXAul428

 

[DWFII]

Welcome to the forums. There are going to be a lot of stock apps that have been put in place by Samsung. A lot that will be like duplicates. Calendar, emails, etc.

As for removing them; they can't be completely removed, however, some can be disabled without getting any extra apps. There will be some that an extra app will be needed. You can look at this app: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...om.ospolice.packagedisablerpro&token=DPNwa_jN

Thanks for taking th etime to respond and thanks for the welcome...

I am not necessarily looking to eliminate the "stock" apps. Trouble is, I am not sure which apps are stock and which are added.

And I suspect the motto screens and backgrounds are not "stock".

I just want to get back to a "clean install" so that my wife can make it hers, as wjo should say.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Thanks for taking th etime to respond and thanks for the welcome...

I am not necessarily looking to eliminate the "stock" apps. Trouble is, I am not sure which apps are stock and which are added.

And I suspect the motto screens and backgrounds are not "stock".

I just want to get back to a "clean install" so that my wife can make it hers, as wjo should say.

If a factory reset was done, then what was on the phone was stock. Samsung adds a lot of extras. The Life Companion slogan as I recall was a Samsung thing.

To make an analogy: Android stripped down would be like a plain cake with a thin layer of frosting. No extras...just plain. As you go to different OEMs, they do different things. Add more frosting, change the flavor, add extra layers of cake, etc.

The Nexus devices are about as stripped down as they can get. There is a possibility of flashing a Nexus like ROM called AOSP (Android Open Source Project), and that would make the device similar to a Nexus.

There are some ways to alter the amount of customization for the device without going that far. You can install a third party launcher, like Nova. That will give you look and feel options that will greatly change the way the device looks as opposed to other Samsungs. Nova is a supported launcher for custom icon packs as well. All of these can be found on the Play Store.

 

[DWFII]

If a factory reset was done, then what was on the phone was stock. Samsung adds a lot of extras. The Life Companion slogan as I recall was a Samsung thing.

To make an analogy: Android stripped down would be like a plain cake with a thin layer of frosting. No extras...just plain. As you go to different OEMs, they do different things. Add more frosting, change the flavor, add extra layers of cake, etc.

The Nexus devices are about as stripped down as they can get. There is a possibility of flashing a Nexus like ROM called AOSP (Android Open Source Project), and that would make the device similar to a Nexus.

There are some ways to alter the amount of customization for the device without going that far. You can install a third party launcher, like Nova. That will give you look and feel options that will greatly change the way the device looks as opposed to other Samsungs. Nova is a supported launcher for custom icon packs as well. All of these can be found on the Play Store.

How about the package disabler? Will it get rid of the motto screens? What package is that anyway (what do I look for in the disabler)?

 

[Golfdriver97]

The slogans are part of the OS. You might be able to change the lockscreen wallpaper (I think that's where you are seeing that?)