How to remove the bloatware which is applied after Setup Wizard? - Xperia Arc Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

After going through the SetupWizard from Sony, four apps are installed into /data/app everytime even if I deleted all bloatware in the ROM before. It's annyoing! How can I remove them or prevent that they'll be installed? I didn't find any solution after looking through the ROM files.

You have to do the same as what you did previously. Root your phone, download titanium backup pro (or find a pirated apk on the internet) and uninstall the ones you don't want

No, this is not the solution. I deleted all .apks in my custom ROM before the installation! But I want to find the place where those **** apps being pushed on my system during the first setup.
I looked through SEMCSetupWizard.apk and didn't find any line with code which start this process.
edit: Found it! Open your eyes and read carefully the content of your folder... :silly: They're in /system/etc/product/applications.

Related

[HOWTO] Install Latest WaveSecure in ROM

I found that [email protected]'s ROM had a good idea of adding WaveSecure to the system partition (preventing listing in the My Downloads part of market, and preventing uninstallation through normal means), but his version is slightly out of date now (latest version is 3.0.0.43)
As a result, I set about finding a means to install WaveSecure to ROM myself. Here are my findings for anyone interested in doing the same.
Install the latest version from the market (3.0.0.43 at this time). Now use adb pull to get it off the device onto your pc
Code:
adb pull /data/app/com.wsandroid.apk D:\com.wsandroid.apk
Now open Market back up from the menu, go to My Downloads, and choose Wavesecure Mobile Security Beta and uninstall it for just now (to get it off the data/A2SD location that normal apps are stored in) - thanks, my-space!
Then push the saved apk to the system partition after a remount (to make it read/write)
Code:
adb remount
Code:
adb push D:\com.wsandroid.apk /system/app/com.wsandroid.apk
Then set it all up as usual (will appear in apps list immediately)
and remount system as read only again
Code:
adb remount
And that seems to be it so far. Remember to change the D:\com.wsandroid.apk path to whatever you actually used.
Let me know if anyone finds any problems with this, but I've done it and, fingers crossed, it's worked OK for me.
Obviously, this is only for root users, and there are no guarantees for this.
Couple of questions that might need looked into -
- Do settings carry across after a wipe (as Paul claims Modaco's version does. I've never tried it so can't confirm)
- Is there any disadvantage to using this method? (I guess this is all Modaco's update.zip does, but I don't know)
you forgot to metion to uninstall wavesecure before it is pushed back into system....
my_space said:
you forgot to metion to uninstall wavesecure before it is pushed back into system....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops! Knew I'd forget something, as I always seem prone to do. Well spotted, and OP corrected.
Thanks
No worries I got a bit confused when i pushed it back onto the phone and was still in my downloads...
I've rooted my phone already but whenever i try to use the command adb remount I get "remount failed: operation not permitted". Suggestions?
I see more and more often, redundant threads.
What How-to will you post next time? How to change backlight settings?
You're pointlessly spamming the board.
I can't say i agree with the 'pointlessly spamming the board' comment, but i would have thought this would at least be better in the applications and themes subforum rather than in development.
Don't forget that an awful lot of android users (and more recently all HTC devices) are more and more 'newbs' and need stuff like this.
While this is good and provides info that people like that need (and myself cos i'm crap at adb and stuff like that so wouldn't have had a clue how to do this previously), maybe the development forum is not the best place for it....
I'm guessing one won't be notified via Market if there's an update available if you push an app to /system/app/, right?
usb0 said:
I'm guessing one won't be notified via Market if there's an update available if you push an app to /system/app/, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't be notified, correct
If anybody doesn't already know, WaveSecure have started hosting update.zip files. This means it's now easy to update your "baked-in" version of WaveSecure without much messing around.
https://www.wavesecure.com/installations/update.zip
Download the file, save it to your SD card, reboot into the recovery console and choose the option to apply an update.zip file.
Voila! Your version of WaveSecure will be updated to the very latest version
DJBenson said:
[...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's really awesome! Thanks for the tip!
Just a question of curiosity: If I push an app to /system/app/ and then issue the rm-command to remove its apk, won't there be lying a bunch of files associated with the program and with absolutely no function, since the app itself is removed? How do I know the name of these files and where they are located for removal?
I'm a bit confused by that question. My understanding (which may be incorrect but from what I've seen of the "guts of a ROM" appears to be the case) is that the applications reside in the apk files, they are not extracted. If you list the content of any of the app folders (/system/app, /data/app or /data/app-private) then all you get is a bunch of apk files (and some odex files). So when you 'push' an apk to the phone, that application is then "installed", when you rm/remove an application, you do so by removing the apk.
if you remove the apk you have left something in /data/dalvik-cache. wiping the dalvik-cache every now and then helps reclaiming that space, though it is not much.
the app settings and data are stored in /data/data, you could delete the files manually by checking their names (no idea if/what convention the names follow), imho not worth the trouble as it is only a few kb.
odex files aren't created if you don't do in a PITA process manually. don't worry about them, don't touch them, then you're good. odex files are only for system apps.
I bought a used phone and it had WaveSecure already installed. I couldn't find it in the applications list to uninstall, so I did a factory reset on the phone. The application was still there and it still didn't show up in the applications list.
I have the Superuser Permissions application, so someone must have rooted it.
Is there any way to uninstall this?
motomeup said:
I bought a used phone and it had WaveSecure already installed. I couldn't find it in the applications list to uninstall, so I did a factory reset on the phone. The application was still there and it still didn't show up in the applications list.
I have the Superuser Permissions application, so someone must have rooted it.
Is there any way to uninstall this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
""Just (re)flash a ROM................""
I just noticed that WaveSecure now points to this post for instructions to install as system application, and I am not sure that the update.zip maintained with them is up-to-date.
However, you can now select to download the .apk directly to your PC thus eliminating the first Market step in this guide.
strife242 said:
I just noticed that WaveSecure now points to this post for instructions to install as system application, and I am not sure that the update.zip maintained with them is up-to-date.
However, you can now select to download the .apk directly to your PC thus eliminating the first Market step in this guide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe it is kept up to date, as VillainROM kitchen uses it as a source for the WaveSecure app (fetched each night to keep it up-to-date).
I've certainly never had any problems with it.
Excellent guide Pulser,... I should really reinstall Wavesecure now Im not using a MoDacO Custom ROM. Nice one bruv.
Found this to be helpful.
https://www.wavesecure.com/blog/how-to-make-wavesecure-hard-reset-proof.aspx
I just did a search in the Market fro 'wavesecure' and two things popped up WaveSecure and WaveSecure UninstallProtection Add-on which needs to be uninstalled before WaveSecure and if the add-on is uninstalled it is supposed to lock the phone. (all this is in the description I have yet to try)

[APP] Softbankメール(mail) v1.5

Hi,
Since the release of the latest application (v1.6) a lot of users have been upset about the horrible downgrade in software.
It seems that Softbank has still not hired any native English speakers.....
Anyway I'm not here to rant I'll just post the files for v1.5 since a lot of people were asking where they could find a copy for themselves.
I pulled both of these files out of a backup I stored onto my SD card using MyBackupPro. Not sure what the zip file is for, but the APK is there. Maybe somebody could clear that up for me as well.
Zip file
APK
As far as I know there is two ways to get this installed (there may be many other ways).
1. adb push the apk or
2. download MyBackup and do a quick backup of some apps you have installed already. download both of these files and paste them into the directory where MyBackup stores the backups for apps. run MyBackup and choose to restore the Softbank Mail app.
cheers.
iDesire hTC said:
Hi,
Since the release of the latest application (v1.6) a lot of users have been upset about the horrible downgrade in software.
It seems that Softbank has still not hired any native English speakers.....
Anyway I'm not here to rant I'll just post the files for v1.5 since a lot of people were asking where they could find a copy for themselves.
I pulled both of these files out of a backup I stored onto my SD card using MyBackupPro. Not sure what the zip file is for, but the APK is there. Maybe somebody could clear that up for me as well.
Zip file
APK
As far as I know there is two ways to get this installed (there may be many other ways).
1. adb push the apk or
2. download MyBackup and do a quick backup of some apps you have installed already. download both of these files and paste them into the directory where MyBackup stores the backups for apps. run MyBackup and choose to restore the Softbank Mail app.
cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, after reading your post I discovered my version of SoftBank Mail is 1.0 but I've never received an update notification - probably because I'm not in Japan.
EDIT: Apparently it's because the version you've uploaded is designed for non-Japanese models and it's incompatible with mine.
I tried simply downloading the app and running a standard installation - it did install, but when I tried to launch it, I got a notification that it cannot be used on my device (Galapagos 005SH).
EDIT: The MyBackup method does not work because simply adding the files in the directory where the backed up APKs are doesn't automatically lead to the new APK(s) showing up in the list of available apps to restore - it's because the information is also written to a dedicated file (MBP extension I think it was). Perhaps that can be edited but...

[Q] Loose the unneeded stuff

I love my Desire and the new update is working well for me. Finally got rid of that stupid facebook thingy.
Now for the rest, I bougt this Desire but still can't do what I want (or better don't want) to do with it.
I would like the new rom BUT without:
Stock
FM Radio
Footprints
Friendstream
News
News and weather
Peep
Youtube
I don't want them,
I don't need them
and sure ass hell don't use them.
There are better apps for those!!! and I can put them on my SD card
I read some threads in this forum but none of them seems to do what I want. Is there anyone here that can tell me how to remove the apps OR how to bake a GB rom without all of the crap I don't want to have. Last time before update I saw on Modace a ROM kitchen that could take away a lot of the pain but that would cost me to much in my opinion.
you could either remove them with adb or android commander so go ahead and flash away whatever you like and then remove the apps you don't want, or alternatively you can always open the zip and remove the apps you don't want to be installed in the first place they're in /system/app
ADB help http://androidforums.com/desire-all...fastboot-windows-updated-1st-june-2011-a.html
bortak said:
you could either remove them with adb or android commander so go ahead and flash away whatever you like and then remove the apps you don't want, or alternatively you can always open the zip and remove the apps you don't want to be installed in the first place they're in /system/app
ADB help http://androidforums.com/desire-all...fastboot-windows-updated-1st-june-2011-a.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In addition to this post, here is a nice guide about system apps one can delete and which should not be deleted:
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Barebones

Device is Rooted,Still Cannot Remove Bloatware

My device is rooted.
I've read a few other topics regarding this issue, but I'm still confused. As I understand it, using typical uninstall apps such as Titanium or Root Uninstaller do not remove the manufacturer apps from the phone still because of an S feature? I'm new to this process, so please forgive my naive rhetoric. I tried those programs, and as previously stated in other posts, the bloatware comes back.
I installed AROMA file manager to try and manually find the bloatware and delete the physical files, but I can't find the files that I'm looking to delete. I don't mind taking the time and manually deleting these unnecessary files, but, I need some guidance on where to look (or any other viable solutions.)
Thanks for your time!
Download this patch and edit update-binary file what application need remove then flash via recovery mode .
espmma said:
My device is rooted.
I've read a few other topics regarding this issue, but I'm still confused. As I understand it, using typical uninstall apps such as Titanium or Root Uninstaller do not remove the manufacturer apps from the phone still because of an S feature? I'm new to this process, so please forgive my naive rhetoric. I tried those programs, and as previously stated in other posts, the bloatware comes back.
I installed AROMA file manager to try and manually find the bloatware and delete the physical files, but I can't find the files that I'm looking to delete. I don't mind taking the time and manually deleting these unnecessary files, but, I need some guidance on where to look (or any other viable solutions.)
HTC devices are set "S on" from the manufacture. That means there are certain partitions in the nand storage that you can't access without S off ( boot partition, radio partition). The write permissions to the system partition are also not accessible unless you either obtain S off through the Sunshine app which costs $25 or a another option that is not true S off is a write permission mod called WP.MOD_ko that you flash to your phone and it installs a script and changes your phone's SElinux permissions and enables the system partition write permissions to be able to uninstall system apps or fully use certain root apps like Link2SD that also need the system write permissions at bootup.
1st option " fully" unlocks your phone and all partitions. 2nd option just installs scripts to kind of trick your system partition to allow apps to write to it and you to be able to uninstall system apps. It also changes your SElinux permissions from enforcing to permissive so be aware that's disabling the phone's security system. Not a problem unless you get malware but you should be aware of what any mod does to your phone. They have to do that because the mod can't get the phone to be true S off so this is a workaround for that one partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay cool, thank you for breaking that down for me. So, if I use what pham posted, then that would be a script change? But, even if it were a script change I could still fully uninstall the bloatware, with the risk of a potential virus. Is that correct?
espmma said:
Okay cool, thank you for breaking that down for me. So, if I use what pham posted, then that would be a script change? But, even if it were a script change I could still fully uninstall the bloatware, with the risk of a potential virus. Is that correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome. I'm not familiar with what Pham linked you but I'm sure it's similar to the 2nd option I mentioned. The one I was referring to was written for lollipop versions by CaptainTitti I believe is his handle but if you search XDA for our phone WP_MOD.ko that forum should be for kit Kat and a few pages forward is the link to the lollipop version with instructions from CaptainTitti on how to install it. The malware risk is minimal i just wanted to mention it. You have that as well with just rooting and also full S off it's just those 2 leave your SElinux permissions set to enforcing not permissive. Just giving you the info so your informed because no one but us pays for our devices so we should have as much info as possible I believe but good info .
The only one of these I've actually tried is the full S off one with Sunshine so understand and read the whole forum for the other before flashing so you know all the feedback but it does work. Also be aware that the WP_MOD.ko would have to be fully removed and SElinux reenabled to be able to do stock updates and there's not just an " uninstall" box with them. You have to use a root file explorer and remove what was changed and replace with the stock files I believe. Good idea to do a stock Android backup using your custom recovery before flashing any of these, S off excepted as it doesn't mess with doing stock updates. Not knocking the others but these are the things you don't find out about till after you flash them. Now you know before.
Below is the link to the forum page for the kitkat mod and if you scroll down a bit CaptainTiiti had a link to the one for lollipop.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2707378&page=7
Can't you just use Root Browser, then go to system/app & system/priv-app to remove the bloat? That's what I do on my phone everytime I install a new ROM [emoji1]
Stachura5 said:
Can't you just use Root Browser, then go to system/app & system/priv-app to remove the bloat? That's what I do on my phone everytime I install a new ROM [emoji1]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know my friend I've never tried that. Maybe he can try it first and see if it works. To be honest I never tried to just remove system apps before i was S off I just read of all the people here on XDA saying they couldn't without S off so I did it. Turns out I switched to debloated CM roms soon after and never even debloated my stock rom, which definitely needed it ! I used Titanium backup to debloat my Samsung tablet after root to get rid of Knox and Samsung junk but it wasn't nand locked like the HTC's are. Can't hurt for him to try it because S off costs and the other mods have their down sides also.
i have completely deleted their bloatware folder, but bloatware will appear if the device boots without root and there is no app folder in user app or system folder but they can run and update normally, maybe it specially designed. Will the above patch zip help me clear the problem completely? i want to clean up the crap, and my device uses system as root so i need to flash modified binary in boot.img separately after signing.

Removing bloat... almost there

So I'm trying to get rid of my bloatware.
I'm doing this in TWRP by mounting System, then going into File Manager > System > App
Selecting folder and deleting it.
I'm nearly there but can't find the folders for the following:
Car
FM Radio
Internet
Polaris Office 5
Where are they?
"Yo. Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen... found 'em!"
[Corporal Hudson. Aliens. 1986]
I realise that owing to S-On TB will not permanently remove apps.
It does however inform me of the path to these apps, which were hiding in: sys/priv-apps/
How to remove app? all tools in google play do not work.
(TWRP, SuperSU, S-ON, Bootloader unlock ... I have)
Thansk for answering
aestheble
there's no need for you to delete anything, just grab SD Maid (root) at the store and freeze all those apps you don't need at the drawer. that way you keep the aesthetic and the stable.

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