New Android user Q's

[3rdBnRangers]

Hey everyone. I got a Galaxy SIII through Sprint, (yeah, I know Sprint sucks, and I'm done with them after this contract is up) and I have had all manner of problems figuring out how to take my phone back from the Google Spies that have seen to it that this phone remains theirs even though I bought it fair and square.

Some explanation...I have gone through all the settings i could find, and tried to get it to STOP updating all the Google stuff that I don't want, don't need, don't use, and would LOVE to get off this phone, except it won't let me remove them. I'm not a fan of Google at all, or any of their spy tech BS that they willingly share with certain government agencies. I have nothing to hide, I just like my privacy. But this phone won't let me uninstall ANY of the apps with a Google or Samsung tag, or stop them from auto updating.

Wi-FI...I turn it off, it turns itself back on. It kills my battery, and again, It's supposed to be MY phone, not Googles, and it appears it's the Google apps that keep turning it back on to update themselves.

Same with some of the Samsung apps that came with it. No option to remove these apps that I don't want, don't need, and don't use.

Getting frustrated here, and could use a little guidance if there is any to be had. Mostly I would just LOVE to remove most of the Google/factory apps that it insists must be on the phone, like Chat on, Flipboard, Google+, Gmail, Play Books, Play Movies, Play Music, Play Newstand, Play services, Text to Speech, etc, etc etc. I don't want them, need them, nor do I use them.

Thanks in advance!
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[funkylogik]

Try just disabling them in Settings, Application Manager, ALL :thumbup:

 

[3rdBnRangers]

Tried that. Says it will cause problems in other apps because it's a "built in" app.

 

[Thom]

Welcome to Android Forums.

I moved this thread to the forum dedicated to your phone. There you;ll meet a lot of other users who share your experience.

The classic complaint with Android is those extra apps and some people feel so strongly about it that they root theri phone violating their warranty so they can remove them. This takes a lot of involvement.

An alternative is to let the apps stay and update as needed and you can just hide them. I use Nova Launcher Prime ($4) and it allows me to hide them in an area that I am not forced to look at.

These apps probably need to be present for a sytem upgrade in the future and that upgrade may fail if they are not present.

... Thom

 

[3rdBnRangers]

If any of you know for sure which apps I can do this to WITHOUT causing problems in other apps, I'd love to hear which ones can safely be done. I just don't know which ones will effect the functionality of the phone, and i already made one mistake that took a while to fix.

 

[funkylogik]

Thats just the standard android warning.
My rule of thumb is to only disable apps that are visible in the app drawer :thumbup:

 

[aml1025]

If you're on Sprint and having trouble keeping Wi-Fi from enabling itself, your culprit isn't Google but a Sprint feature called "Connections Optimizer." It seems to be designed to keep Sprint users on public Wi-Fi whenever possible in order to ease their network's data burden.

On my Virgin Mobile S3, I can find it under Settings > Connections > More Networks > Mobile Networks > Connections Optimizer. Select "more information" instead of "I agree" if it gives the option, then uncheck "Automatically select the best mobile network." Depending on your phone, you may need to repeat this periodically.

Also, if you go into Google Play's settings, you should be able to disable auto-updating for all apps, including the Google and Samsung ones. You can even go into the individual apps under the Application Manager and uninstall all the updates you've received, to possibly lessen their functionality. ( "Force stop" never seems to do anything for me but cause the apps to immediately restart.) It's not a perfect solution but it does help.

 

[3rdBnRangers]

If you're on Sprint and having trouble keeping Wi-Fi from enabling itself, your culprit isn't Google but a Sprint feature called "Connections Optimizer." It seems to be designed to keep Sprint users on public Wi-Fi whenever possible in order to ease their network's data burden.

On my Virgin Mobile S3, I can find it under Settings > Connections > More Networks > Mobile Networks > Connections Optimizer. Select "more information" instead of "I agree" if it gives the option, then uncheck "Automatically select the best mobile network." Depending on your phone, you may need to repeat this periodically.

OK, I found and unchecked that box. Thanks a lot. We'll see if that helps cure the problem.

Also, if you go into Google Play's settings, you should be able to disable auto-updating for all apps, including the Google and Samsung ones. You can even go into the individual apps under the Application Manager and uninstall all the updates you've received, to possibly lessen their functionality. ( "Force stop" never seems to do anything for me but cause the apps to immediately restart.) It's not a perfect solution but it does help.

I find no such options. I don't even find Google Play's settings. I did try unchecking the box for each app that looks for updates in the app manager where you would normally uninstall them. I did this once before, but they all got rechecked somehow. We'll see if it sticks this time. I also uninstalled the updates again, but after unchecking the box this time.

Thanks for the replies so far. :tee:

 

[javamann]

i would follow Funky's advice: jus disable in the app mgr. That's what I did without any problems.

JM

 

[3rdBnRangers]

Thanks guys. I went into the app mngr and unchecked the box that told it to listen for updates on all the Google and Samsung apps, then uninstalled each update. Then I found that Sprint wifi setting and unchecked that. Results were an immediate extention of batt life. I mean like 50% more at 2000 hrs last night. We'll see if it holds out.

Thanks again for the pointers.
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