What do certain apps mean and can they be deleted?

[AC Question]

Hi there - this is my first time in the forum. I have so many pre-installed apps and I don't know what half of them mean or do - how can I find that out to determine whether they can be deleted to free up storage space? Also, what is the difference between force stop, uninstall, disable and clear data? Thanks so much!

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Which phone do you have? Most pre-installed apps can't be removed--that's why they call it "bloatware." You can usually Disable the app, which means it's prevented from opening in RAM. This can at least prevent the app from competing for RAM with other apps that are more important to you.

Force Stop can be helpful if the app is misbehaving. Clear Data clears out app data like login credentials and locally saved data, while Clear Cache only clears out temporary data that the app uses to work more efficiently.

See this guide for more help: http://forums.androidcentral.com/ge...ng-started-android-updated-2015-lollipop.html

 

[Venkatramanan Ramasubramanian]

Mobile OEMs will usually embed their services in the mobiles along with the Android OS. They are usually called bloatwares and very rarely used across the globe. If you want to remove the bloatwares, you have to root your Android mobile which will void the mobile warranty. It is better to disable them in the settings.

You can find the app's purpose by simply googling its name.

 

[B. Diddy]

You can find the app's purpose by simply googling its name.

This is not always clear, even when searching on the web--especially some of the more obscure system apps.

 

[Venkatramanan Ramasubramanian]

Many times it worked for me when i search with device manufacturer name. There are lot of forums like Android Central which discuss about it.