• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Root Removed Some Bloat

burningembers

Android Enthusiast
May 1, 2010
331
26
Portland, OR
WARNING: I basically have no idea what I'm doing so I take no responsibility for how you use the information below, nor any responsibility for any issues it might cause.

After following the rooting process and installing Titanium Backup and the 1-Click Lag Fix. I decided to explore...and I was actually able to remove some of the bloatware apps WITHOUT being in recovery mode.

After obtaining root ADB Shell (the shell with a # sign instead of a $) I basically did the following commands:

Code:
# mkdir /system/app.disabled
# cd /system/app
# mv CityID_1.0.27_vzw.sch.i500_12118-release.apk /system/app.disabled/
# mv TetrisInstallerSamsungEMBED.apk /system/app.disabled/
# mv vnav_4.7.0.258_i500_rel_PROD_signed.apk /system/app.disabled/
# mv I500_MyVerizon_05202010.apk /system/app.disabled/
# mv Skype_mobile.1.0.0.19.live.apk /system/app.disabled/
After rebooting my phone, they are no longer in my Applications list and per ATK are no longer automatically running themselves anymore.

Hooray!
 
I'll give it a look. I'm kind of cheap and a sucker for playing via command-line so doing it sans Root Explorer seemed fun...

I use Titanium Backup to uninstall bloatware also.

On a side note, I uninstalled the mobile hot spot or whatever its called and now the wifi cannot scan LOL! Maybe you or someone can get the apk so I can put it back and make sure that is the real issue lol.
 
Upvote 0
I use Titanium Backup to uninstall bloatware also.

On a side note, I uninstalled the 3g hot spot or whatever its called and now the wifi cannot scan LOL! Maybe you or someone can get the apk so I can put it back and make sure that is the real issue lol.

I'll hollar at you later this evening if you're still having trouble. I'm at work right now and don't have all the necessary tools on my computer at the moment to provide it...
 
Upvote 0
I prefer to just rename it. I use RootExplorer too. I have changed the following.

Final_Schi500_3.0.3.3_07262010.apk (Mobile IM)
I500_BingSearchAndroid_07152010.apk (Bing)
I500_MyVerizon_05202010.apk (My Verizon)
i500_VCASTTones_QA_060310_1436.apk
Memo.apk
NFSSInstallerSamsungEmbed_1.1.64.apk (Need For Speed)
VCastMusic.apk
VCastVideo.apk
VisualVoicemail.apk
vnav_4.7.258_i500_rel_PROD_signed.apk (VZW Navigator)
VVMService.apk (Visual Voicemail)

These 2 I tried to rename to .bak, and succeeded, but they still show up in my app drawer
redding-7648-signed-zipped.apk (Kindle)
Skype_mobile.1.0.0.19.live.apk (Skype)
 
Upvote 0
Upvote 0
I seem to have accidentally gotten rid of bing :) I renamed the apk like summerfish did then went to manage applications and clicked on bing and noticed it had an 'Uninstall Updates' button so I clicked on it and it said uninstall failed. Then I clicked on the soft search button and it let me map it to google voice search.

Edit: looks like someone beat me to it. http://www.androidcentral.com/verizon-fascinate-google-search-fix
Looks like you don't have to do the 'uninstall updates' part.
 
Upvote 0
I prefer to just rename it. I use RootExplorer too. I have changed the following.

Final_Schi500_3.0.3.3_07262010.apk (Mobile IM)
I500_BingSearchAndroid_07152010.apk (Bing)
I500_MyVerizon_05202010.apk (My Verizon)
i500_VCASTTones_QA_060310_1436.apk
Memo.apk
NFSSInstallerSamsungEmbed_1.1.64.apk (Need For Speed)
VCastMusic.apk
VCastVideo.apk
VisualVoicemail.apk
vnav_4.7.258_i500_rel_PROD_signed.apk (VZW Navigator)
VVMService.apk (Visual Voicemail)

These 2 I tried to rename to .bak, and succeeded, but they still show up in my app drawer
redding-7648-signed-zipped.apk (Kindle)
Skype_mobile.1.0.0.19.live.apk (Skype)

I was able to remove the Skype and Kindle by deleting the .apk's in /data/app/ & /data/app/app-private/
As an update to my original post. I removed more .apk's if anyone wants to remove even MORE bloat. It's more like an Android system than a Samsung/Verizon device.

Blockbuster_Stub_v0_2_build_12-unsigned-signed.apk
BuddiesNow.apk
CityID_1.0.27_vzw.sch.i500_12118-release.apk
DualClock.apk
DualClock2.apk
InfoAlarm.apk (Daily Briefing)
MobileAP.apk (3G Hotspot)
MyFiles.apk
SamsungWidget_AnalogClock1.apk
SamsungWidget_AnalogClock2.apk
SamsungWidget_AnalogClock3.apk
SamsungWidget_AnalogClock4.apk
SamsungWidget_DigitalClock1.apk
SamsungWidget_DigitalClock2.apk
SamsungWidget_ProgramMonitor.apk
SamsungWidget_WeatherClock.apk
Talk.apk (Google Talk)
TATLiveWallpapersConnection.apk
TATLiveWallpapersDandelion.apk
TATLiveWallpapersForest.apk
TATLiveWallpapersLayersOfLight.apk
TetrisInstallerSamsungEMBED.apk
WriteandGo.apk
 
  • Like
Reactions: GoBruins and Frisco
Upvote 0
Thanks for providing that great list, Summerfish.

I love cli when I can use it, but I have to confess that the Root Explorer has me spoiled; I was using it with my Eris and that little phone needed bloat removed a lot more than the Fascinate does. ;)

Last night I learned the "rename vs delete" lesson; one of the benign looking files in there (VSuiteAPP.apk), which I thought was part of the Vcast group, was renamed (I just put a "Z" as the first letter so it would appear at the bottom of the list in /system/app) and immediately got FCs with the prompt blocking the app list.. it came up about every three seconds..

..I finally managed to quickly click my way to getting it named properly.. lol.. embarrassing. :eek:
 
Upvote 0
A word of caution. Over at ACForums they advise renaming instead of deleting. Apparently OTA updates some how verifiy data against what is supposed to be in the ROM. So if you rename or can always un-rename. Or even if you just move it to the sdcard. If you delete... you might not the get OTA if that matters to you
 
Upvote 0
A word of caution. Over at ACForums they advise renaming instead of deleting. Apparently OTA updates some how verifiy data against what is supposed to be in the ROM. So if you rename or can always un-rename. Or even if you just move it to the sdcard. If you delete... you might not the get OTA if that matters to you

Yes, this is very true, but what I like to do is take the files that I don't want on the phone and put it on the Sdcard like you mentioned. If I take it from system/app/, then I make the same folders on the sdcard so I know where it came from. I seriously removed (Moved) over 42MB of BLOAT! All of the stuff I listed made up to over 42MB, not to mention some were deleted! The Need For Speed was over 15MB when installed. I can't believe it. But I did add Google Maps to my /system/app/ directory.

As an update. In /data/app/ is the Need for Speed info. It's labelled as com.ea.nfsshift.apk, IT'S OVER 99MB!
 
Upvote 0
A word of caution. Over at ACForums they advise renaming instead of deleting. Apparently OTA updates some how verifiy data against what is supposed to be in the ROM. So if you rename or can always un-rename. Or even if you just move it to the sdcard. If you delete... you might not the get OTA if that matters to you

Rooted devices get the OTA?
 
Upvote 0
Yes, this is very true, but what I like to do is take the files that I don't want on the phone and put it on the Sdcard like you mentioned. If I take it from system/app/, then I make the same folders on the sdcard so I know where it came from. I seriously removed (Moved) over 42MB of BLOAT! All of the stuff I listed made up to over 42MB, not to mention some were deleted! The Need For Speed was over 15MB when installed. I can't believe it. But I did add Google Maps to my /system/app/ directory.

As an update. In /data/app/ is the Need for Speed info. It's labelled as com.ea.nfsshift.apk, IT'S OVER 99MB!
Yeah same here. Mine all went to the sdcard so that can go right back if ever needed. Man, I havent removed nearly the bloat you did, of course I and my kids actually like NFS [though Asphalt is better IMO] so its staying on for now. But yeah these racing games take up a ton of space. Asphalt was a 101-102mb add-on DL. Crazy but then when you see how good they look you relax a tad.
 
Upvote 0
Gotcha.. thanks.

Too late for me, though; I have deleted many many things in there that I can't stand, such as the social networking stuff, TTS ("Pico"), etc.

yeah i deleted alot of things but not the things needed to keep the phone from bricking. Hopefully a custom rom will be out soon so that we dont have to wait for vzw to push froyo we can just get it that way
 
Upvote 0
Has anybody actually measured the effect of removing the bloat? Something like boot times, times to launch, lag... also ram used/free?

I hover around 235 having only removed the BING virus. Are you guys actually freeing up (lowering) this RAM usage when you rename and/or move these files?

I'm about the same as you. Rooted, removed bing stuff, running AutoKiller at optimum. Sometimes I'll use a little more when a few games are open.
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones