Root List of Bloatware on the LG Optimus V

[agianne]

This is a list of pre-installed apps (crapware, bloatware, junk...) on the LG Optimus V (LG VM670). These apps are not part of the "standard" Android 2.2.1 software stack and were added to the phone by Virgin Mobile or LG.

In a standard, off-the-shelf phone, these applications can not be uninstalled. (In Settings>Applications>Manage Applications the "Uninstall" button is dark grey and does not respond to a finger press.) In order to uninstall these apps, you must first "root" the phone. However, these apps are (according to this post) stored in the system partition of the memory, not the user accessible memory partition, so even if you did delete these apps, that would not increase the available user accessible memory. (So, if you are getting a low memory warning, removing these apps won't help.)

Because these apps are loaded in the system partition, you can not move these apps to the SD card. irha73 points out in a reply below that if you do want to keep/use these apps and have a rooted phone, uninstalling the pre-installed apps from the system partition, then re-installing them via the Android Market will put the apps in the user partition, enabling you to move the apps to the SD card after installation.

Pre-installed apps clutter up the main applications menu and the widgets menu. Where, for example, has seven widgets that I'll never use listed in the widgets menu and I have to scroll through them every time I get near the end of that menu. If I could uninstall Where, I wouldn't have to deal with that.

__520 KB Activate (aka SSA in Settings>Applications>Manage Applications)
____4 KB airG Chat (not really an app, just a URL shortcut)
__220 KB Downloads
_____ __ My Account (not really an app, just a URL shortcut)
_1.67 MB Poynt
_1.00 MB SCVNGR
_5.93 MB Twidroyd
___28 KB Virgin Mobile Live
_1.48 MB Where
10.83 MB Total

I'm not an expert and therefore could be in error on some point. If this initial post does contain factual errors, please post a reply and I'll amend the above.

 

[Silenus]

Thanks for posting this, I was curious as to how much memory they were wasting. Not bad.

 

[GoHybrid67]

Thanks for posting this.

I was actually contemplating rooting my phone to delete a few of the preinstalled apps (SCVNGR and Twidroyd) that I NEVER use since my phone keeps warning me about low space even after moving everything movable to the SD card, but this thread saved me the trouble, if deleting those won't actually help the situation.

Which is GOOD I guess, I've only had the phone a month, usually like to NOT do something that might break it while it's still that new.

 

[irha73]

There is actually one benefit of removing these apps. For people who actually use these apps, they would want to obviously get updates from Market. The big issue with this is that if you update them, android insists on installing them on the internal memory, and even after using "Move2SD Enabler" as root, these updates can't be moved to SD, so removing the system apps and reinstalling what you want freshly from market will allow you to have them on SD. For those who don't use them, it still helps to remove them, because you would not see updates for them anymore on Market and you can hit "Update All".

 

[Inkymycat]

I have rooted my Optimus V. I would like to get rid of some of the bloatware listed above but don't no which program to use safely. I am mainly doing this so I can install the latest version of the app to my SD card. Is there a tutorial on how to do this for the Optimus V.

 

[lou61166]

I have rooted my Optimus V. I would like to get rid of some of the bloatware listed above but don't no which program to use safely. I am mainly doing this so I can install the latest version of the app to my SD card. Is there a tutorial on how to do this for the Optimus V.

Get Titanium pro,you can back up and delete the bloatware,do not delete any google installed apps,then get link2SD to move the apps to he sd card,only move apps you installed,stay away from moving any system or hardware files.

 

[sillycat9lives]

Thanks to everyone for all the great info here! Here's an FYI if you're interested ...

On a rooted LG Optimus V, available internal phone storage was 73.35MB. Using System Toolbox the following were removed:

• airG Chat
• Poynt
• SCVNGR
• Twidroyd
• Virgin Mobile Live
• Where

Available internal phone storage after removal was 77.32MB, a gain of 3.97MB. No issues with phone operation after the process.

 

[pamon]

used this tonight. thanks

 

[happyroot]

Will removing these applications increase internal memory? I have read conflicting reports. I know when I factory reset by phone I have roughly 160mb then after stock apps update it goes down to 130mb.

 

[mkbkr1]

No it won't. The bloat is in system/app, all your user apps are stored in data/app.

 

[hereusethis]

Good stuff. I think I'm going to ditch Kickback and News and Weather,too.

 

[jkdmoore]

Here's A dumb question, how do you increase internal memory? of course the obvious I know (all my apps are on my SD card), or I guess the better question is can you? or is that it. (I'm leaning towards this last statement) but hey does not hurt to ask Right?

 

[MacFett]

Here's A dumb question, how do you increase internal memory?

Link2SD

 

[happyroot]

No it won't. The bloat is in system/app, all your user apps are stored in data/app.

That makes me curious though I thought they were on internal. When I got my phone I checked the storage space and then I did updates and the internal space went down.

 

[MacFett]

The system apps are in the own internal partition, the updates are not. The updates do go into the available internal memory.

 

[happyroot]

The system apps are in the own internal partition, the updates are not. The updates do go into the available internal memory.

I saw a post somewhere about uninstalling the apps and reinstalling them via the market. Correct me if I am wrong but that would allow me to move the app with link2sd and further increase internal storage?

 

[MacFett]

Yes it would, I have done this with Google Maps.

 

[bac22]

I moved the larger bloatware apps. The actual file names (at least on my phone) are:

----rwxr-x 1 1000 1015 1.0M Dec 13 2010 Poynt-Virgin.apk
----rwxr-x 1 1000 1015 3.2M Dec 13 2010 TwidroydFree420-virgin-final.apk
----rwxr-x 1 1000 1015 2.5M Dec 13 2010 WHEREv1.9.8-2010-09-09.apk
----rwxr-x 1 1000 1015 1.4M Dec 13 2010 scvngr-3.4.0.apk

 

[tcat007]

OK, I removed "bloatware" (with link2SD), no custom ROM. Removed:

• airG Chat
• Poynt
• SCVNGR
• Twidroyd
• Facebook
• Virgin Mobile Live
• Where
• Smoke Live WP
• Music Live WP
• Downloads
• Kickback
• Soundback
• Talkback

These do not appear anywhere on my phone and they do not appear in my Appbrain list. But Market still shows them online and on my phone list as installed. Is there away to delete them from my Market account? (without buying Titanium) I've deleted Market cache and data on the phone. I had them all in Quarantine for a month and decided to get rid of them.

 

[MacFett]

Link2sd can't remove apps.

 

[Legion303]

Too much misinformation in this thread. link2sd can and does remove apps. I just did it on my Optimus V. Not only that, but removing the stock bloatware did in fact increase my internal "available space" by around 17MB (as displayed in Settings > SD Card & Phone Storage), and got rid of the low storage warning.

 

[benslgdroid]

Too much misinformation in this thread. link2sd can and does remove apps. I just did it on my Optimus V. Not only that, but removing the stock bloatware did in fact increase my internal "available space" by around 17MB (as displayed in Settings > SD Card & Phone Storage), and got rid of the low storage warning.

When he made that comment it couldn't. It has had three updates since then. Some apps update and that stores in you memory as well as there data so yes it can reprove some space. The development community has come along way in the last two months which is why sometimes its better to ask questions than to use old threads. Were constantly learning more about this phone.

 

[MacFett]

Not only that, but removing the stock bloatware did in fact increase my internal "available space" by around 17MB (as displayed in Settings > SD Card & Phone Storage), and got rid of the low storage warning.

There have been updates to the stock bloatware. Initially removing them didn't free up any space, but now that there are updates which get installed to the user accessable internal storage it does free up space.

 

[Michael323]

I rooted V #2 without activating - but that didn't get rid of the Virgin Mobile "Activate" app, which nags me every time I turn on the phone.

Does anyone know how to find it and delete it?

There is nothing named Activate in the the apps list. The first post in this thread says

Activate (aka SSA in Settings>Applications>Manage Applications)

but I can't find anything named SSA or anything that looks like it could be that.

 

[AndyOpie150]

You don't want to delete the activate app. Sometimes the V might loose the data connection, and the only way to get your 3G back is to use it.