Help Bloatware

[whitesurfer]

I know this has been discussed many times but...I have a Galaxy Tab A 16Gb with 32Gb memory card on which all my photos are stored. I am now running low on space on the hard drive and find that there are 30 apps which can be disabled but of course it then says I may upset the system I realise some are system apps but there are so many I don't want and will never use. Also many I've never heard lf. I know little about Android and fight shy of anything called rooting. How do I kniw what is safe to disable.

 

[Hadron]

That is a standard warning when disabling any system app (where "system" means installed to / system, so all pre-installed apps). The truly vital ones it should not let you disable anyway (I've known Samsung make irrelevant bloat impossible to disable though, so not having the option may not mean it really is important). So basically just do it: if there is a problem you can re-enable.

If you want advice on specific apps you'll need to tell us which you are unsure about.

It will only save you space if you uninstall updates (can't recall whether disabling will do this) and/or clear the app's data.

 

[whitesurfer]

Thanks for reply and I have disabled several with no ill effects so far. Some I can't disable so will have to live with it. I've gained some valuable space which was the aim of the exercise and I gather that updates are removed. It seems a cheek that the tablets are advertised with 16Gb when so much is already taken up. I can live with the system being used but all the bloatware annoys me when one cannot remove it. They have us over a barrel. Again my thanks

 

[Hadron]

It's standard practice that the quoted device capacity is the total storage, including space used by the system software. This is true of iPhones and PCs as well (though most PCs will have so much storage that this won't be a big deal).

So 16GB is pretty minimal these days, and it doesn't help that Samsung add more bloat to the OS than anyone else (I also have a 16GB Samsung tablet, albeit an older model, though my current software has less than the original version had, so they improved a bit). I can cope because I use the tablet for specific tasks so it doesn't need the range of apps my phone has - there is no way I would buy a 16GB phone these days.

 

[whitesurfer]

Yes I too had an older version which I much preferred. The battery died. I hate the new one, it was a problem from the start and had to be replaced. Still cannot pick up wi-fi even if all the other tablets, laptops and pcs in the house get really good speeds anywhere so have had to resort to a booster. I dislike the design too but having purchased a cover for the first, which of course would not fit any other make I was lumbered. Still I don't doubt I will cope. Thanks for your help again.