Help S4 bloatware: Can i disable the following

[Seks]

No I don't want to root my phone. Just want to know if I can just disable the following

KNOX
Music
My Files
Optical Reader
Play Books
Play Games
Play Newsstand
Play Movies
Play Music
POLARIS Office 5
S Health
S Translator
S Voice
Samsung Hub
Samsung Link
Story Album
Voice Recorder
Voice Search
WatchON
Google Settings
ChatON
Downloads
Dropbox
Photos
Gmail
Group Play
Hangouts
Internet
Help

 

[Rukbat]

No I don't want to root my phone. Just want to know if I can just disable the following

If you're not rooted, how are you going to disable anything without uninstalling it?

Once you're rooted, use Titanium backup to freeze any app you don't want to be able to run. If that causes a problem you can unfreeze the app.

If you disable My Files, you should install another file manager. You'll probably need one from time to time. Settings is definitely a no-no. You always need to have access to the phone's settings.

 

[ironass]

Most of those items can be, "Disabled", in Settings > More > Application Manager > ALL, without the need for rooting.

For a list of apps that can be disabled safely, see, Bloatware removal - Dummies Guide

 

[Kaat72]

Please notice this guide is for rooted phones, whilst OP stated he doesn't wish to root his device.

 

[ironass]

Please notice this guide is for rooted phones, whilst OP stated he doesn't wish to root his device.

Cheers Kaat72. Whilst the guide is primarily for rooted users, some apps can be disabled, as mentioned in my previous post, without rooting and the guide contains a spreadsheet of the various apps and their uses.

Alternatively, there is some bloatware that can be disabled in...

Settings > More > Application Manager > ALL (see screenshot)

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10. To see if it is safe or advisable to freeze an app you should first check the list here:-

Galaxy S4 Application Database

(Be advised that this database is still under construction)

11. App's shown in red on this list should not usually be frozen. Green apps can be safely frozen. Those in yellow/buff/orange can be frozen using caution as other processess may rely on them. For instance, I have K-9 mail installed and use it to download and send my Gmail. Therefore I have frozen the Gmail app so that it does not appear in my app drawer or run. I have also frozen Messaging as I use Handcent which does not require Messaging support as it is standalone as well as Internet as I am using Chrome.

 

[Rangerdavid]

most of those apps can be "turned off" if you go into developer mode. So yes, they can't be deleted but they can be shut down and not use up your memory or speed. **edit** this can be done without rooting

 

[electricpete]

From a quick scan, I think everything on ops' list can be disabled without root except Knox, which is a security program and a special case that's gotten a lot of attention on various forums. Some people got a little bit lost after launching the program in attempt to uninstall and disable and ended up temporarily locked out of portions of their phone. Even if rooted, getting rid of Knox was tricky for some. Luckily for rooters, the "safe root" process on xda disables Knox in the process of running the root script.