Optimize Application Manager

[Macnerd1948]

I bought my 1st smartphone yesterday. It’ll take a while for me to figure it all out.

If it helps you, it is a Verizon phone.

I want to optimize the Application Manager(AM). My phone comes with a lot of bloatware. I don’t want NFL football, Amazon, internet radio, internet music, etc, running in the background. I want a stripped-down or basic phone.

I’ve looked at the AM. I noticed that there are Android icons. I shouldn’t change any of those, right?

Can you provide me with a list of apps in the AM that are safe to disable? Or at least guidance on which apps are safe to disable & which aren’t. If I need to do a factory reset, i want a list of apps that I can disable after the reset. I noticed that an app can either be stopped or disabled. What’s the difference? If I power down the phone & then power it back up again, will the stopped/disabled apps be started/enabled again? If that’s the case, what do I need to do to prevent that from happening?

 

[FrogVomit]

Do a search for "safe to freeze" ... there are lists around. Most critical things cannot be disabled. Certainly, apps like NFL and Amazon are safe to disable.

"Stop" just kills a running process, and it will run again when it wants to. "Disable" prevents it from ever running, and prevents it from showing up in the launcher.

 

[Macnerd1948]

Do a search for "safe to freeze"
Do you mean a Google search?

I stopped an Amazon app & the phone popped up a warning that stopping that app will make the phone stop working or something to that effect. Suppose that I make a mistake & disable a critical app. What will happen? Should I leave all apps with the Android icon alone?

"Disable" prevents it from ever running, and prevents it from showing up in the launcher.
Well, if I make a mistake & disable a critical app & it doesn't show up in AM, then how do I make it visible again short of doing a factory reset? Likewise, if I disable an app & later decide that I need it, do I have to do factory reset?

"Stop" just kills a running process, and it will run again when it wants to.
Then I'd have to keep stopping it. I've got a lot to learn!

 

[meyerweb#CB]

1. That warning just means that that if some other app is dependent on the one you disabled, and tries to run, it will crash. It won't make the entire phone stop working.
2. Disabling doesn't delete the app, so if you disable something and start having problems, you can go into the App manager and enable it again.
3. You could do a Google search or search on any of the major Android forums, like this one, Phandroid or XDA.

 

[Macnerd1948]

I'm confused!

Frogvomit states: ""Disable" prevents it from ever running, and prevents it from showing up in the launcher."
You state: "Disabling doesn't delete the app, so if you disable something and start having problems, you can go into the App manager and enable it again."

By "launcher", does Frogvomit mean the Application Manager?

I found out that I can download a free app that makes me the administrator so I can backup & remove unwanted apps. I'm concerned that doing that will void the warranty. I've had the phone for only a few days.

 

[stang6790]

Disabling an app will keep it from running and will remove it from your app drawer, it will basically look like it is no longer on your phone. But if you go into the application manager and swipe all the way to the left you will see the far right tab is the disabled apps and this is where you can re-enable it.

As far as the administrator app I'm not sure what that would be, but you can disable or remove apps within the application manager. If it can't be disabled or removed from there the only way to do it is with an application (titanium backup, my backup pro) that requires rooting your phone. I would suggest getting much more familiar with the phone before considering root as you can mess things up if you don't know what you're doing. Also this will void the warranty.

For a list of apps safe to disable see this thread: List of bloatware that are safe to disable | Verizon LG G3 | XDA Forums Please read the entire thread before disabling apps to make sure they aren't going to affect any apps you use.

 

[meyerweb#CB]

The launcher and the application manager are two different things. The launcher is what you normally interact with. The App Manager is accessible through settings.

 

[Ricky Babalu]

I bought my 1st smartphone yesterday. It’ll take a while for me to figure it all out.

If it helps you, it is a Verizon phone.

I want to optimize the Application Manager(AM). My phone comes with a lot of bloatware. I don’t want NFL football, Amazon, internet radio, internet music, etc, running in the background. I want a stripped-down or basic phone. ]These are safe to "disable"

I’ve looked at the AM. I noticed that there are Android icons. I shouldn’t change any of those, right? Correct, those should not be messed with.

Can you provide me with a list of apps in the AM that are safe to disable? See Below. Or at least guidance on which apps are safe to disable & which aren’t. If I need to do a factory reset, i want a list of apps that I can disable after the reset. I noticed that an app can either be stopped or disabled. What’s the difference? If I power down the phone & then power it back up again, will the stopped/disabled apps be started/enabled again? If that’s the case, what do I need to do to prevent that from happening?

Any Verizon app
IMDb
Isis Wallet
NFL
Slacker
I even uninstalled a few apps, but can't remember which one's (most likely games I would never use).