Hi
I've recently installed a Package Disabler program on my S8, initially, so as to disable the package called "Software Update" to stop the phone nagging about the Oreo update and fix it at the current version. That works a treat.
I'm familiar with Windows, so if I scroll down the list of "Services" I can recognise each service name, what it does, and whether or not I want it running, but not so with Android.
I don't have a Samsung account, I don't use any of their software (I think), I don't backup the phone nor do I need to - everything on it is on my desktop (except photos which backup to OneDrive anyway), and I don't use Google for much except searching. I don't use Chrome or GMail. Nor do I use the voice control.
I just basically use it as a phone and a gadget for looking at stuff when not at my PC. Sometimes for playing music. That's about all.
So I'd like to lock the phone down as far as possible by blocking all the services that the interface doesn't allow you to since I now have control over it.
Some package names are obvious, others, mysterious.
I've disabled a stack of things so far with no obvious consequence. These are "obvious" things such as everything starting with "Bixby", same for "Facebook" and the things related to "Software Update" and various Google things like "Gear".
The phone now runs like greased lightning, just as it did out of the box.
Yet I have this desire to know what each thing does and whether I should disable that, too, in case it provides a backdoor for Samsung or Google to undo what I have done or is a conduit for "snooping".
Is there some authoratative guide that lists what all these things do, which are bloatware, which are security risks, which involve snooping etc.? (Typing each package name into Google is a long exercise since there are so many).
Thanks.
I've recently installed a Package Disabler program on my S8, initially, so as to disable the package called "Software Update" to stop the phone nagging about the Oreo update and fix it at the current version. That works a treat.
I'm familiar with Windows, so if I scroll down the list of "Services" I can recognise each service name, what it does, and whether or not I want it running, but not so with Android.
I don't have a Samsung account, I don't use any of their software (I think), I don't backup the phone nor do I need to - everything on it is on my desktop (except photos which backup to OneDrive anyway), and I don't use Google for much except searching. I don't use Chrome or GMail. Nor do I use the voice control.
I just basically use it as a phone and a gadget for looking at stuff when not at my PC. Sometimes for playing music. That's about all.
So I'd like to lock the phone down as far as possible by blocking all the services that the interface doesn't allow you to since I now have control over it.
Some package names are obvious, others, mysterious.
I've disabled a stack of things so far with no obvious consequence. These are "obvious" things such as everything starting with "Bixby", same for "Facebook" and the things related to "Software Update" and various Google things like "Gear".
The phone now runs like greased lightning, just as it did out of the box.
Yet I have this desire to know what each thing does and whether I should disable that, too, in case it provides a backdoor for Samsung or Google to undo what I have done or is a conduit for "snooping".
Is there some authoratative guide that lists what all these things do, which are bloatware, which are security risks, which involve snooping etc.? (Typing each package name into Google is a long exercise since there are so many).
Thanks.
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