DEX died after ADB Bloatware Removal

[binar]

Greetings,

I decided to debloat my Samsung Note 20 Ultra phone of all the bloatware apps Samsung installs. I used the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) shell to perform this bloatware removal and the list shown below identifies all the Samsung bloatware app names which I used as a guide in my removal process.

Everything went perfectly except for the fact I mistakenly uninstalled DEX which is an app that allows me to connect my Note 20 Ultra to a monitor via an HDMI connection. Once the connection is established DEX would automatically start and magically generate a "Windows Like" desktop GUI on the monitor. In short, my DEX is no longer working in the same way it was working before I performed the debloat process.

I hope somebody in this community can identify to me which Samsung parent app from the list shown below is the DEX app subordinate to? Because my theory is the DEX app is hiding inside one of the parent apps shown below and what is not making it easy is how the word "DEX" is nowhere to be seen. Therefore, I hope somebody can tell me which of the Samsung apps shown below I should leave untouched so my DEX app remains operational.

Any tips welcome.


Samsung Bloatware App Removal List
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.service.livedrawing : Penup app
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.kidsinstaller :Kids Mode
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.storyservice :Samsung Story video collage app, now defunct.
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.service.peoplestripe :Access contacts etc from Edge Screen
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.app.galaxyfinder : Phone Search App
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.service.airviewdictionary :Samsung Translate
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.easysetup :Smart Things setup
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.beaconmanager :Bluetooth beacon service, location tracking and smart things
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.scloud ::Samsung Cloud Service
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.spayfw :Framework for Samsung Pay
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.samsungpass :Biometric replacement for web logins etc
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.authfw :Samsung Authentication Framework for Samsung Pass
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.samsungpassautofill ::Samsung Pass autofill
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.app.watchmanagerstub :Galaxy Gear Watch App
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.svoiceime :Samsung Voice Input
pm uninstall --user 0 com.sec.android.app.billing :Samsung Billing
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.app.simplesharing :Samsung Link Sharing (Using Samsung Cloud)
pm uninstall --user 0 com.sec.android.cover.ledcover :LED Phone Cover Service
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.rubin.app :Customisation Service
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.stickercenter :Call Stikers, discontinued by Samsung
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.aremoji :AR Emoji
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.livestickers : Deco Pic, Photo decoration app
pm uninstall --user 0 com.diotek.sec.lookup.dictionary :Samsung Dictionary
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.app.social :What's New, Samsung Social. Samsung Social Network with Contacts
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.forest : Digital Wellbeing and parental controls
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.ardrawing :AR Doodle, drawing on photos and video in 3D
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.arzone :AR Zone, Provides AR features.
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.app.tips :Tips, User manual and usage tips.
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.aremojieditor
pm uninstall --user 0 com.sec.android.mimage.avatarstickers
pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.kgclient : Payment Services

 

[Unforgiven]

I'm no expert, but just from my S20 Samsung experience, Smart Things seems to be a Samsung hub for connected external devices. Might be worth a shot of reinstalling that.

 

[binar]

Thank you for the post Unforgiven. That is funny, I too was thinking the Smart Things app has a high probability of being the parent app for DEX. I'm no expert either, and Google has not been able to confirm to me that the Smart Things app actually is the one app I need to leave alone if I want my DEX not to break.

Unless somebody in this community can tell me with 100% certainty the only option I have left is to do a factory reset on my Note 20 phone and then uninstall everything again except for the Smart Things app. I wanted to avoid such guessing but maybe this is the only recourse I got left.

 

[Unforgiven]

Fair enough, sometimes with things like this, 100% certainty isn't probable. Good luck!! I'll be following along just in case I can learn something.

 

[mikedt]

I have a Note20 Ultra myself, and I removed some of the third-party apps I didn't require, however I didn't need ADB to do it. I know what DEX is and I've used Smart Things for Bluetooth audio devices, however I don't know they're interrelated or not.

 

[binar]

I'm still stuck. Can anybody in this forum community offer any insight into this problem?

 

[mikedt]

I'm still stuck. Can anybody in this forum community offer any insight into this problem?

Think you might be looking at the nuclear options there, of a factory reset, or even re-flashing the original Samsung firmware.

Of course I'm not deleting anything else off my Note20, other than the third-party bloat apps I've already deleted, and disabling Bixby.