Cross-platform GUI written in Rust using ADB to debloat non-rooted android devices. Improve your privacy, the security and battery life of your device. - GitHub - 0x192/universal-android-debloater:...
I just discovered this amazing app! It lets you remove (or just disable) preinstalled apps like Facebook, Netflix, etc. and system apps like samsung knox apps, diagnostic, bixby, and even One UI (but you must have installed other launcher). You can’t brick your device, worst case it falls into a boot loop and after 5 reboots it will factory reset.
Debloating your device will make it faster, more private and more secure (less atack surface).
The gold standard is to flash a new ROM, but a lot of people dont't want to, or cannot because either the phone won't allow (Samsung etc) or it is too daunting. Next we had ADB commands via terminal (hello hours in the terminal). UAD in isolation might seem daunting, but compared to the alternatives, it it is a heaven sent gift, and I'm not even religious.
I used it for the first time on my tablet. I went from LineageOS with unlocked bootloader to debloated Stock OS.
I found it well documented. It has filters to mark apps for removal. You can be conservative or more aggressive. It tells you the purpose of each package and even if it unexpectedly affects functions that shouldn't be linked to them at all.
Having a way to reinstall Stock android is a good precaution though.
Looking at the github page, the tool seems to come with certain lists telling you what is safe to delete based on what brand the phone is from or what carrier you're using.
Is this better, or just quicker, than going thru the apps in Settings>Apps one by one and hitting "Uninstall" "Uninstall" or "Disable" whenever the button is available?
Always wondered how deeply these types of de-bloating systems affect the OS overall. I'd be keen to give it a go but phone stability is pretty paramount.
Apps that are considered "bloat" are of course installed to the system partition. Which is something you don't have access to. The link to the app is created for your user account during device setup. It's still available to the system. Without root access they're not permanently removed. Removing them from your user means they don't run. If there is an OS update that updates apps for feature or security reasons, they have the potential to come back. You must remove them again. It does actually save battery once they're removed. You can verify this by using debug tools to look at all running services. You also don't need this app to remove bloat. It just makes it easier for those who don't want to use ADB command line.
A majority of apps won't ruin your stability if removed. The only app I know I can't remove is My Verizon Services. If I do, I lose certain functionality. If you're unsure, look up what each app does.