Root Uninstalling Apps (Guide on How To:)

[12stringchap]

If you get to root access you can delete non-useful apps. I will not be responsable for any apps you uninstall that cause problems to your phone running. Know what you are deleting before you do.

There are two ways to do this.
Through the terminal emulator on your phone or through cmd prompt on windows.

Through your phone:
1. Open Terminal Emulator
2. Next to the $ type su should look like $ su
3. You will get the # symbol, if you don't your not rooted
4. You need to remove the read only protection, to do so type:

mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock4/system

(Please back up your img files before this as shown in the root thread)

5. Type in: cd /system/app

6. now you can type in: ls

(This will list every app in the directory)

7. Now you can remove app's, make sure while you do the next command is must be spelled accurately or will not work.

8. I will use the myspace one as an example, to remove it type:

rm MySpace.apk

9. Once that is done it will still be on your app board but a reboot will remove the icon

10. You can remove other apps if you like, again I will not be responsable if
you screw up your phone.

11. Type: reboot

12. Your phone will restart and you will no longer have those app's
installed.

To do this on the PC:

1.) Connect your phone to the computer in debug mode.

2.) Go to command prompt and change to your android directory, ie
mine is

cd C:\android\sdk\tools

3.)Once you get your directory, ie mine would show C:\android\sdk\tools\>
You are going to type:

adb shell

4. It will take a minute and you will get the $ symbol

5. Type: su (A prompt will display on the phone and say do you will to
allow this superuser privledges. Click allow. After this a # symbol
should appear.

6. At this point if you have the # symbol you can go back to the top
where I did the phone instructions and continue on with that step 4.
Entering in the command to disable read only protection.

Enjoy and if questions ask.

BTW I do not know what the socialite.apk is on the phone.
I will post when I figure it out.


****** found this website which breaks down some of the apps****
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php/Barebones

 

[icon123]

Nice writeup. Maybe we should keep a list of good and bad apps to uninstall. I assume, if you did a factory reset, those deleted apps would be back, correct? So, if you mess up something, you could always do a factory reset to get back?

 

[12stringchap]

Nice writeup. Maybe we should keep a list of good and bad apps to uninstall. I assume, if you did a factory reset, those deleted apps would be back, correct? So, if you mess up something, you could always do a factory reset to get back?

No, I am 99% sure they would not be back. I will do a reset and find out.
However, myspace, amazon, and amazon mp3 I believe you could find with ease if you really want them again.

 

[icon123]

No, I am 99% sure they would not be back. I will do a reset and find out.
However, myspace, amazon, and amazon mp3 I believe you could find with ease if you really want them again.

So... could you keep a copy of the .apk files on your computer and reinstall them if you ever wanted them back?

Edit: I wonder what the LG and the Verizon hidden menu .apks do?

 

[12stringchap]

So... could you keep a copy of the .apk files on your computer and reinstall them if you ever wanted them back?

That you should be able to do. Then you can do what we did with rooting, and place the file back into the /system/app folder. As we did with the Superuser.apk

 

[will123w]

Finally rooted (thanks for all the help everyone) now I'm having trouble with this part. When I'm trying to remove myspace it's saying It's read only i noticed on the step about removing that protection it's looking like it's not liking what i'm typing in there. It's saying Usage: mount [-r] [-w] [-o options] [-t type] device directory

 

[cdsmith]

Step 4 also seems to be incorrect above... at least on my Ally, /system is /dev/block/mtdblock4, NOT mtdblock3. Also, there's a missing space in the command.

So try this instead for step 4:

# mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock4 /system

Since someone seemed to get mtdblock3, I'd suggest maybe being a little paranoid here: before you do this step, just type "mount", and look for the line of output that mentions "/system". Use the device name from that line. I think it will be mtdblock4, but... who knows? maybe some Ally devices are different from others?

 

[will123w]

Step 4 also seems to be incorrect above... at least on my Ally, /system is /dev/block/mtdblock4, NOT mtdblock3. Also, there's a missing space in the command.

So try this instead for step 4:

# mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock4 /system

Since someone seemed to get mtdblock3, I'd suggest maybe being a little paranoid here: before you do this step, just type "mount", and look for the line of output that mentions "/system". Use the device name from that line. I think it will be mtdblock4, but... who knows? maybe some Ally devices are different from others?

Worked thanks!

 

[bamaredwingsfan]

Has anyone been brave enough to try an remove some of the LG apps? Namely LG Home and LG calendar?

 

[kqswde]

Since someone seemed to get mtdblock3, I'd suggest maybe being a little paranoid here: before you do this step, just type "mount", and look for the line of output that mentions "/system". Use the device name from that line. I think it will be mtdblock4, but... who knows? maybe some Ally devices are different from others?

Thanks a lot.. Bin searching for the past 5 hrs how to get rid off that damn moxier mail.. n this is the only guide that worked for me..
Im a complete moron wen it comes to the android so this was a lifesaver.

 

[will123w]

Has anyone been brave enough to try an remove some of the LG apps? Namely LG Home and LG calendar?

I removed LGHome a week ago. No issues.

 

[xirochanh]

4. You need to remove the read only protection, to do so type:
mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3/system

sometime, my phone auto reboot at this step.

(Please back up your img files before this as shown in the root thread)

Please explain me more on this, I have no concept about this.

8. I will use the myspace one as an example, to remove it type:

rm MySpace.apk

At this step, I always get an error message: rm failed for filenam.apk, Directory not empty

Please help me, thank you very much

 

[skater95]

Great guide!

Also, one of the only things that I know of that you can't delete is talk, it'll mess up the market

 

[xirochanh]

As I mentioned above that I've kept getting error message "Directory not empty" while removing a file.
I've just done this way, it seems to work well:
1. Turn off the phone.
2. Reboot into HBOOT screen: hold vol-down+power button
3. Choose recovery mode
4. From Partition menu, mount /system.
5. adb shell from your host PC
cd /system/app
rm filename

Hope that can help who got the same problem as me.
Should you hv any comments about this way, please suggest.
Note, my phone is Wildfire, rooted with unrevoked3

 

[savoxis]

Rather than removing the applications you could move them using a command like this

su
mkdir /sdcard/oldapps
mv /system/Email.apk /sdcard/oldapps/

This way if you remove something that you ended up needing you can just move it back with a similar command

 

[TT1080i]

Good idea...
question
i'm thinking it is a good idea to re attribe the read only status when I'm finished.
would the line below be correct to do that
mount -o remount,r -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock4 /system

thank you

Rather than removing the applications you could move them using a command like this

su
mkdir /sdcard/oldapps
mv /system/Email.apk /sdcard/oldapps/

This way if you remove something that you ended up needing you can just move it back with a similar command

 

[savoxis]

mount -o remount,ro -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock4 /system

close, just add the o

 

[TT1080i]

perfect... ty

I'm a mirosoft lan admin getting up to speed on this.
I am very excited about android software.
Question.. is android linux or an off shot of it?
Thanks again

mount -o remount,ro -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock4 /system

close, just add the o

 

[savoxis]

perfect... ty

I'm a mirosoft lan admin getting up to speed on this.
I am very excited about android software.
Question.. is android linux or an off shot of it?
Thanks again

From what I understand it is very similar, but not the same. Both are module based, but there are a few differences mostly in structuring. I have allot of user experience on Linux going back about 5 years, no developmental experience however. And from a users perspective they are the same

 

[jetblack]

Has anyone uninstalled Voice Search? I'm toying with the idea. The main reason I rooted was to get rid of as many unwanted running services as I could. That's about the only one left, but I'm not sure if it's a core component of anything.

 

[death2all110]

I wouldnt test it. its a google app, and just like google talk it could be tied in with other services such as market.

 

[jetblack]

Cool, thanks. It looks like it might have some hooks into the standard keyboard? Not sure about that, but the running services list seems to imply it. Probably best not to go messing with it. That's ok - I've freed up a lot of memory and it's made a noticeable difference. I'm just starting to get a little obsessive. It'll pass.

 

[death2all110]

Lol, i know what you mean.

 

[darkxsun]

is android linux or an off shot of it?

Android runs a Linux kernel, which is the *actual* operating system by definition (the piece of software that handles communicating with the hardware directly, and acts as your gatekeeper to that hardware). In casual conversation, of course, OS has come to mean the whole system -- including the GUI etc.

So, technically, Android is a system built on top of the Linux OS (as are webOS and MeeGo).

 

[flick159]

Has anyone uninstalled Voice Search? I'm toying with the idea. The main reason I rooted was to get rid of as many unwanted running services as I could. That's about the only one left, but I'm not sure if it's a core component of anything.

I've had it gone for over a month. You will get force close issues right after you remove it, however a reboot solves that.

Word of warning, you lose the on screen keyboard when you remove the Voice Search apk. Guess that's what it's tied into.

Physical keyboard still works as normal.