I would like to discuss, preferably with Googler participation, what can be done about pre-installed apps. Because as a user, I can think of nothing more annoying than apps that come with your device and cannot be removed. I can understand carriers and manufacturers loading their custom roms up with their custom (cr)apps, but there is *zero* reason the stock platform should come with all this garbage.
Backstory: This morning I got my N1 2.3 update - awesome. After playing around I checked the Market for app updates (since the thing refuses to notify me) and sure enough had two updates. One was for Google Books, which was curious because I did not remember downloading that app. I click it and "Uninstall" was greyed out ... and "Auto Update" was checked ... and the latest comment mentioned it could not be removed on 2.3. So if finally dawned on me that this was latest addition to the ever-growing list of unwanted crapware on my phone. And there went my enthusiasm for 2.3 - it lasted for about 7.5 minutes. First Amazon MP3, then Facebook and Twitter, then Google Goggles, and now Books. So my question is simply "why"? Why do these app need to be pre-installed? Considering the popularity of them already (does anyone really need to be informed that a Facebook app exists?), and the fact that most of them are readily available and quite frequently featured on the Market anyways, it does not make sense that Google feels they need to be pre-installed on the stock OS. *If I wanted ANY of these apps, I could just go download them for myself!* Not only that - it's bad enough they're pre-installed and un-removable - but it gets worse when you add the Market app to the equation. Pre-installed apps automatically get set to "Auto Update". Seriously? Why is that? Shouldn't THE USER be in charge of deciding if they want this option enabled? I don't care if an app is from Google or it's built-in - if I want it to auto update that should be my choice to ENABLE - this most definitely should not be the default. I really should not have to go through every single one of my apps after updating the firmware and un-check that option for all the unwanted crap that sets themselves to auto-update by default. Second issue with the Market is that most of these apps are now on the Market and it picks up updates. So even though I did not want the Books app, it now shows up prominently at the top of my downloads list with the "Update" label. And it will stay that way unless I update it - but I don't want to because I didn't want the damn app in the first place and I certainly don't want to waste another 2MB of space on an update I also do not want. So at this point, as user, I'm left with three options. 1 - Update these apps that I do not, have no interest in, and will never use thereby wasting precious space that could be used for app I DO want. 2 - Uninstall all updates to save space and have all these app that I do not want, have no interest in, and will never use show up at the top of "My Downloads" in the Market, taunting me for all time. 3 - Take the risk in rooting my phone just so I can uninstall crap I never asked for. 4 - Whine, bitch, and moan about it on a public forum. I do not like any of those options. #3 is not even feasible for the average user. I'm sure there is some ridiculous business logic that drives this practice and I don't know how much say the Google people on this list have in what goes into the firmware, but there has got to be something you guys can do about this. Dianne in particular is very vocal and passionate about constructing a good experience for the end users. You all have admit: this is NOT it. If your hands are tied and they must be included, can we at least get an option to "disable" them somehow? So they don't show up in the launcher and Market? Another thing to consider is that not only is this *ridiculously* annoying for users, but it hurts the apps themselves. Just look at how poorly rated these apps are and count the number of "can't uninstall - 1star" ratings they get. People are really not happy about this. I'm sorry if this comes off as a rant (though it is). More so, though, it's a very serious problem on the Android platform that really needs to be addressed. I would love to hear Google opinions, thoughts, and explanations for any and all of these questions. Please discuss. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TreKing <http://sites.google.com/site/rezmobileapps/treking> - Chicago transit tracking app for Android-powered devices -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Discuss" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-discuss?hl=en.
