STOP WITH MANDATORY APPS!!!!!
klawton22
Newbie

I have a Pantech breakout and the phone has very crappy storage but I love the phone. But, if I did not have an SD card on the phone it'd be useless to me. All the APPS that Verizon automatically puts on my phone with service destroys my internal memory. I do not use or like VZ navigator but I cant get rid of it. I hate football, yet for some reason its a requirement for me to have the app on my phone? Why? Stop making the APPS mandatory its stupid and makes me hate having a cell phone. I have so many other APPS and things I would like to do with my phone and I can't do anything because my memory is full of "Lets Golf" "Kindle" and "Blockbuster" Is blockbuster even open anymore? If I wanted those APPS I'd download them.(btw dont just think this is abiout a specific phone because all smartphones do this. >/ ) You want happy customers, get rid off all the fatty edges on your phones and let people customize it their OWN way. Not yours. The "kindle" is not part of my OS, therefore there is no reason for it to be necessary. I work for a Verizon retailer and I constantly have customers asking how they can remove those pointless  APPS and I'm sick of them being mad at me when I tell them they can't without risking hurting their contract. Also, even if it comes with the phone, the option for them to be uninstalled should be there. I have been a loyal verizon customer since I first got a cell phone and I wouldn't criticize if I didn't think this was something that NEEDS to be changed. Or if they can't be removed then the Amount of memory on your phone should be adjusted to you still have however many gigs AFTER those apps have used their space. so if they all combined were to use 3GB youd still have a 16GB phone after those 3GB were taken up. Along with any other verizon features, apps, etc. Does anyone else agree with this?

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Re: STOP WITH MANDATORY APPS!!!!!
silver6056
Specialist - Level 1

I think most would agree that the apps should be removable. (Adjusting memory is way too complex!)  The latest versions of Android do allow you to disable these apps.  Of course, not all phones have or will have these versions, but in the longer term the problem will reduce.

Putting the apps on the phone isn't stupid from Verizon's viewpoint, they get paid for them!  Just annoying for the users....

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Re: STOP WITH MANDATORY APPS!!!!!
ajestrab
Enthusiast - Level 2

I agree 100% give the users the ability to select what applications they wan to use.  I understand that Verizon may receive a cut for installing some applications on their phones, excellent, more power to them.  Install the apps, DON'T PREVENT USERS FROM REMOVING THEM. 

For instance, BACKUP ASSISTANT PLUS, is crap.  It is horrible, no matter how i try to configure it it will continue to annoy me with continuous updates / backup attempts using both my data usage and battery.  This is an Android, everything i want backed up is backed up on GOOGLE!!! 

Seriously thinking about changing providers here.

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Re: STOP WITH MANDATORY APPS!!!!!
mdram4x4
Champion - Level 1

all providers do it, so changing wonthelp you

there are ways, just search the internet

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Re: STOP WITH MANDATORY APPS!!!!!
jaums
Enthusiast - Level 3

Having these mandatory apps helps enable Vz to make the phones cheaper.  If we could easily remove them, the providers paying Vz would not be willing to pay Vz, so Vz would have to charge us more for the phone.  BUT, when there are so many that you get memory errors and "move to the SD card" is greyed out--not available, then that;s a problem Vz needs to solve.  Either less mandatory apps, more memory or let you move some to the SD card so you can add apps that you do want and not get errors that the phone is out of memory, threatening to malfunction.  After Tech Support walked me through resetting, then Vz sending me a new phone and having the same problems as soon as I added my 3rd app that I wanted, I gave up and deleted the 3 apps I wanted and now the memory hovers around 75%--no error messages.  Verizon:  Can you provide a solution?  I know it's possible to do the root thing, but I don't want to take the risks involved in doing that.  And, I'm willing to have all the apps you want as long as they don't get in my way, but as it is, there are so many that they are in my way.  Verizon:  Do you have a solution?

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Re: STOP WITH MANDATORY APPS!!!!!
jaums
Enthusiast - Level 3

bump

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Re: STOP WITH MANDATORY APPS!!!!!
Carrucan
Contributor - Level 1

It's a community forum.  VZW may respond, but they aren't obligated.  You bumping it just pushes this post to the top for the community.

Having memory at 75% is not a problem.  How much memory do you think you should have available?  90%?  What would your phone be doing?  No background processing?  If you aren't using those apps, they aren't usually doing anything and the apps you use the most will be in memory.  Your apps, the apps you are using, by design, will displace the memory used by the bloatware on these phones.  That's how Android works.  Unlike Windows, Android manages memory by swapping out priority apps with the current apps so they can run.  If you have 25% of memory left, you are good to go.  It means your phone has loaded the apps it feels are necessary, perhaps some bloatware, perhaps the apps you want to run, and if you now open another app that requires more memory, it will swap that app out for one you didn't request.  It's really that simple.  Like you, I don't want those apps on my phone either, but the newer phones, with the later versions of Android, handle that memory and those apps MUCH better than earlier versions.  But, I never really had a problem with even Cupcake.  Android has always done its job properly.  The only time you should experience any problems is if you load a crappy app.  Reduce the number of widgets, sports, news, and weather apps, or at least their frequency, and unload anything that is ad-supported, and you should have a good experience.

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Re: STOP WITH MANDATORY APPS!!!!!
commonsense101
Specialist - Level 2

Thats why you have an sd card.

Worry about something else

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Re: STOP WITH MANDATORY APPS!!!!!
mortb
Specialist - Level 3

Unwanted apps have been around for a long, long time. Take, for instance, my old Nokia clamshell I had with another provider. It had a couple of games on it that I never played. If memory serves me correctly, I believe one of them was called "snake" or something like it. These old phones didn't have as many unwanted apps as today's phones because they were not as powerful as today's phones are. But, they still had two or three apps most people would never use. I would add this to this argument:

when one buys a computer it contains tons of apps. Those you do not want, you can delete. Cell phone companies, all of them, should give you the same option.

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Re: STOP WITH MANDATORY APPS!!!!!
Tidbits
Legend

mortb wrote:

Unwanted apps have been around for a long, long time. Take, for instance, my old Nokia clamshell I had with another provider. It had a couple of games on it that I never played. If memory serves me correctly, I believe one of them was called "snake" or something like it. These old phones didn't have as many unwanted apps as today's phones because they were not as powerful as today's phones are. But, they still had two or three apps most people would never use. I would add this to this argument:

when one buys a computer it contains tons of apps. Those you do not want, you can delete. Cell phone companies, all of them, should give you the same option.

I somewhat agree with the bottom scenario, but those apps do not subsidize devices like they do with cell phones.  The price difference is like $50 on most computers while on a cell phone it could Equate to a $150 difference BEFORE carrier subsidization.  If more people were willing to pay more for their devices(especially those with new technology) then there would be less bloatware.  Google Galaxy Nexus for example may look "cheaper" and has no bloatware, but Google personally subsidizes the device to get you to use their platform where they generate money from.  Manufacturers do not have that luxury, and Verizon with what they subsidize they make money off the plans.  Most of these preinstalled apps are actually from the manufacturer and NOT Verizon or carrier.  Motorola is notorious example of this.

There is also a large difference between a personal computer, and a phone.  When one purchases a PC you already paid for it outright without ANY subsidization from the manufacturer or a carrier.  I would agree there should be an option for those who purchase the devices without any subsidization to remove what they want, and do what they want.  Under the current way the law sees things signing a 2 year agreement you don't own you device until your contract obligation has been met or you pay the ETF.

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