• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

How do I remove Virgin/Bell Bloatware?

ROBOCRIPPLE

ROBOCRIPPLE

Member
I just switched from Virgin Mobile to Freedom on my Samsung Galaxy S10, and I cannot get rid of the apps that were installed with Virgin, even after I reset the phone to factory settings. I cannot uninstall them AT ALL; I can only "disable" them. They just won't get away! It's driving me mad!

Even after a hard reset, those pesky apps won't go away. I backed up my data, before I attempted to reset my phone, so I'm OK with that.

How do I get rid of these apps, for good? Thanks.
 
you can't get rid of bloatware, they are part of your system apps. the only true way to get rid of them is to root your phone, which if you have a US samsung device, chances are it is unrootable at the moment.
 
ocnbrze said:
you can't get rid of bloatware, they are part of your system apps. the only true way to get rid of them is to root your phone, which if you have a US samsung device, chances are it is unrootable at the moment.
Click to expand...

This bloatware is not part of the phone itself, it's the bloatware that was installed into my phone when I inserted the Virgin SIM card for the first time. I remember I set up my phone before inserting the SIM card, and all of the sudden it reset again and I had to go through the setup process all over again and I noticed the Virgin/Bell bloatware being there after that.
 
ROBOCRIPPLE said:
This bloatware is not part of the phone itself, it's the bloatware that was installed into my phone when I inserted the Virgin SIM card for the first time. I remember I set up my phone before inserting the SIM card, and all of the sudden it reset again and I had to go through the setup process all over again and I noticed the Virgin/Bell bloatware being there after that.
Click to expand...
yep its part of the reset process. if you do not have an option to uninstall the app then that means it is part of the os....not much you can do other then disable it like @Dannydet mentioned.

or

root your device
 
Last edited:
I tried everything I could (what is available to me): I followed these directions, found out the CSC Version on my phone and CSC in my order in the Samsung store (XAC). Still, I ended up with the same blue screen that installed the Virgin/Bell carrier bloatware, even with no SIM card.

How do I prevent that from happening?
 
Last edited:
There's also the ADB way which is a little more involved, but for me it makes a non-rooted phone more tolerable. It's what I use. Now this is for linux, but I'm sure you can find a windows version out there. Anyways, here's the link...
https://techstop.github.io/backup-and-debloat-android-no-root/

Do keep in mind that when you "remove" apps with ADB, you're not removing them from the phone, just from the user-space. This however, works even on system apps, so you do need to be careful what you remove.
 
I looked at another guide with similar instructions, only to find that my phone has the OEM Unlock option missing from Developer Options. I followed these instructions on how to unhide it, but it is still missing. These instructions look like they were only made for the S8/S9/Note 8, NOT the S10. :(

I think because OEM Unlock is disabled, the Virgin/Bell bloatware will never go away, even after I install the stock firmware via ODIN.

I guess I will have to live with it until I find a proper way to unhide OEM Unlock... Or wait 7 days IRL...
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom