Weren't we promised less bloatware?

[dcool19d]

Or buyer beware....

That as well.
Samsung has a history with bloatware but at least it isn't as bad as the previous phones

 

[danthman]

But apps that you have downloaded giving you the option to use them for pdf viewers isn't bloatware... that's the point I'm making. Maybe someone likes Google drive but doesn't want Dropbox or whatever else it was giving the option to use. So that user would probably only get the option to use dropbox.

Fair point that the apps in question may not be Samsung installed bloatware, but it's still bloatware. As I said above, the problem is that there should be stock Android utility apps for things like viewing PDFs, viewing images, and watching videos. If an app developer wants to try to make a better PDF reader, they can put it on the Play Store as a standalone app, then people can see the ratings and read the reviews to decide if they want to install it. I don't like just being presented with a choice of three apps that all do the same thing without any information on the differences between or relative goodness of each app.

Pick one and move on. It's not that big of a deal. Lol people these days spoiled. Adaptation is the way of a happy healthy wonderful life.

My attitude is that things only get better if people speak up. So I'm speaking up. I promise you I'm not having a miserable day just because of having to choose from 3 different PDF apps, but I do think that the Android ecosystem would be better if a bunch of app developers were not all wasting effort tacking on their own PDF readers to apps that really have a different purpose.

 

[Kalvin Kerns]

I'm guessing the issue here is OP's carrier? My S6 only has the Hancom Office.

That's the problem with android, carriers. They love bloatware.

My family & friends DO NOT know how to delete or disable them.

I do not see hancom office in my app drawer, if I did I would remove/disable it.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[edubb256]

I think OP has a point in that this is a general usability issue, especially for new Android users. There are multiple options for a lot of things (my phone came with: two web browsers, two email apps, two music players, two photo apps, two PDF readers(my phone did not come with Dropbox preinstalled)). In these cases, you have a stock Android version and a Samsung version. I don't know how you get around this. OEMs are going to want to install their versions, and Google will insist that certain Google Android apps get installed. Some users prefer the choices, others would prefer not to have it. I, personally would be annoyed if they took away the choices, like Verizon did with browser, taking away the Samsung browser.

 

[AlphaTango414]

Then wait for the next Google phone with Vanilla android to release. They did say the s6 would have less bloatware. Well they weren't lying because there is less than phones before this one.

Also look at it this way, you are prompted to make a decision once, set it, and never worry about it again and keep on moving.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[danthman]

Then wait for the next Google phone with Vanilla android to release.

Again, just because I have one complaint that I voice doesn't mean I want to ditch the phone!

I'm not going to wait for another phone that will have a different set of problems. Rather, I just hope Google and Samsung both continue to improve their products and services and integrate them together more tightly.

 

[Kalvin Kerns]

Again, just because I have one complaint that I voice doesn't mean I want to ditch the phone!

I'm not going to wait for another phone that will have a different set of problems. Rather, I just hope Google and Samsung both continue to improve their products and services and integrate them together more tightly.

It's a valid complaint.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[danthman]

I think OP has a point in that this is a general usability issue, especially for new Android users. There are multiple options for a lot of things (my phone came with: two web browsers, two email apps, two music players, two photo apps, two PDF readers(my phone did not come with Dropbox preinstalled)). In these cases, you have a stock Android version and a Samsung version. I don't know how you get around this. OEMs are going to want to install their versions, and Google will insist that certain Google Android apps get installed. Some users prefer the choices, others would prefer not to have it. I, personally would be annoyed if they took away the choices, like Verizon did with browser, taking away the Samsung browser.

Ultimately, I'd be happier if all Android phones were Nexus (or "pure Android") phones, and Samsung, LG, Motorola, and HTC just concentrated on making great hardware. If they want to make software too, fine, they should put it up in the Play store where I can learn more about it before downloading and installing it. That's the kind of choice I'd like. Give me a seamless stock Android experience with any device, but let me choose to download any enhancement I want to that experience.

 

[jcp007]

Ultimately, I'd be happier if all Android phones were Nexus (or "pure Android") phones, and Samsung, LG, Motorola, and HTC just concentrated on making great hardware. If they want to make software too, fine, they should put it up in the Play store where I can learn more about it before downloading and installing it. That's the kind of choice I'd like. Give me a seamless stock Android experience with any device, but let me choose to download any enhancement I want to that experience.

If stock Android is your desire, wait for the Nexus device. Google allows,the other brands to apply their own UI. If you don't want a Nexus device, pick the brand with a UI that suit you best. Google and Samsung made a first step of many that I hope will lead to very thin UI and is more compliant from a design perspective. Coming from a GS4, it was refreshing to be able to download certain features and disabling others. I would have preferred to uninstall them and add them back by downloading them on an ad hoc basis.

 

[danthman]

If stock Android is your desire, wait for the Nexus device. Google allows,the other brands to apply their own UI. If you don't want a Nexus device, pick the brand with a UI that suit you best. Google and Samsung made a first step of many that I hope will lead to very thin UI and is more compliant from a design perspective. Coming from a GS4, it was refreshing to be able to download certain features and disabling others. I would have preferred to uninstall them and add them back by downloading them on an ad hoc basis.

I like the pureness of the Nexus UI, but I significantly prefer the S6 device.

 

[jcp007]

I like the pureness of the Nexus UI, but I significantly prefer the S6 device.

Compare and contrast in terms of why you prefer the GS6.

 

[danthman]

Compare and contrast in terms of why you prefer the GS6.

Nexus 6 - too big

Moto X - poor camera, poor battery life

GS6
pros: great screen, great camera, fingerprint sensor, quick charging, heart rate sensor, IR transmitter, (eventually) Samsung pay, nice form factor/size/weight
cons: battery life, bloat, some bugs/glitches

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

Ultimately, I'd be happier if all Android phones were Nexus (or "pure Android") phones, and Samsung, LG, Motorola, and HTC just concentrated on making great hardware. If they want to make software too, fine, they should put it up in the Play store where I can learn more about it before downloading and installing it. That's the kind of choice I'd like. Give me a seamless stock Android experience with any device, but let me choose to download any enhancement I want to that experience.

That would be nice but then it would be harder for manufacturers to differentiate from one another. The extra software addons are features the OEM adds to try and value-add to entice customers to buying their products.

I personally like stock Nexus and HTC's Sense software the most. The others just aren't as good as those two in my opinion.

I'm in agreement with your sentiments with apps. Just give us the basics and let me the consumer explore and add apps to my desire. Having so many mail and messaging apps for example is just unnecessary.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

 

[jcp007]

Nexus 6 - too big

Moto X - poor camera, poor battery life

GS6
pros: great screen, great camera, fingerprint sensor, quick charging, heart rate sensor, IR transmitter, (eventually) Samsung pay, nice form factor/size/weight
cons: battery life, bloat, some bugs/glitches

Hopefully, some of your issues may be addressed in the upcoming update. Just my opinion based only upon what I have read in posts and news stories.

 

[Raptor007]

The answer was yes we were and yes they did put less in there form Samsung. The problem is, will always be and will never change is the Carriers stick their bloatware on the device. AT&T has 23+ apps of, Verizon has 11+ apps and so on. I disable a ton of garbage apps and even if you could delete them by rooting you will not get the space back since that is partitioned out for the OS which the bloatware is factored into.

 

[jcp007]

The answer was yes we were and yes they did put less in there form Samsung. The problem is, will always be and will never change is the Carriers stick their bloatware on the device. AT&T has 23+ apps of, Verizon has 11+ apps and so on. I disable a ton of garbage apps and even if you could delete them by rooting you will not get the space back since that is partitioned out for the OS which the bloatware is factored into.

I hope that the trend for less non-carrier bloat continues and that future updates allows us to actually delete apps we don't want or need. Carriers should follow with less bloat. With the GS6, it was a good first step but not the more substantial step that needs to happen. All the bloat can be structured so that it can be downloaded from the Samsung store, Play Store and the carrier if we want it.

 

[Zoostation]

I hope that the trend for less non-carrier bloat continues and that future updates allows us to actually delete apps we don't want or need. Carriers should follow with less bloat. With the GS6, it was a good first step but not the more substantial step that needs to happen. All the bloat can be structured so that it can be downloaded from the Samsung store, Play Store and the carrier if we want it.

In some ways you could tie in the carrier bloat to the discussion of S6 sales. Apple won't allow all that carrier bloat, and Samsung doesn't have enough clout to demand the same.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[jcp007]

In some ways you could tie in the carrier bloat to the discussion of S6 sales. Apple won't allow all that carrier bloat, and Samsung doesn't have enough clout to demand the same.

Posted via the Android Central App

Samsung being the largest Android does have clout. Google has to make up its mind to exist the space and let one brand manufacture their devices or Google becomes the sole brand controlling everything. Samsung has signaled that they are moving to increase vertical integration and device optimization using their own chipset to making their own cores and UI. The latter two will take some time.

 

[Captain Loogie]

Strange that Sammy doesn't put the foot down with US carriers.

Got mine Sim free in the UK and doesn't even have facebook installed. Only disabled 6 apps, One Note, One drive, S health, S voice, Memo and smart remote. May disable one or two more as I complete my set up but there's nothing obvious at the moment, delighted with the lack of bloat.

 

[geezer1]

regarding bloatware remember that best is to freeze applications. Unless you know what you are doing. I got bootloops so many times after removing some apps...