How to get rid of default apps on your Google Pixel

In a digital world driven by app-based experiences, it can feel overwhelming when faced with an endless list of software program icons on your smartphone.

Some phone makers have better control over the set of built-in applications that come out of the box than others, and some, including Samsung, are notorious for bundling questionable amounts of software and services by default.

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Google has taken an iPhone-like approach with its Pixel series of phones, with a no-fuss, lightweight approach when it comes to default apps: When you first boot up your new Pixel, there’s no carrier bloatware or social media apps pre-installed.

Still, like the iPhone, the number of built-in apps on the Pixel has steadily increased over the past few years, and while the usefulness of these apps varies, it’s quite likely that at least some of them are taking up space on your phone for no good reason.

We’ll show you how to uninstall unnecessary default apps that you don’t use on your Pixel phone, as well as how to disable apps that you can’t currently uninstall.

How to uninstall default apps on a Pixel phone

Not all default Pixel apps can be completely removed. For those that can, like Google Docs or Google Wallet, you can remove them by following these steps:

1. Swipe up Tap on the home screen to bring up your phone’s app drawer.
2. Long press Click on the icon of the app you want to uninstall.
3. Tap App Information When the context menu pops up.
4. Tap Uninstallwhich is the large button in the center of the app info screen you’ll be redirected to.
5. Tap got it Confirm your selection.

If you want to restore a deleted app, Google Play Store Please re-download the software in question.

How to disable default apps on a Pixel phone

For those pesky apps that Google won’t let you remove, you can disable them so they don’t clutter your Pixel’s interface. Certain system apps, like Settings and the Phone dialer, can’t be disabled because they’re considered critical components of the operating system. For apps that aren’t considered part of the core interface, like Calculator and Clock, you can disable them this way:

1. Swipe up Tap on the home screen to bring up your phone’s app drawer.
2. Long press Click on the icon of the app you want to uninstall.
3. Tap App Information When the context menu pops up.
4. Tap To disablewhich is the large button in the center of the app info screen you’ll be redirected to.
5. Tap Disable the app Confirm your selection.

If you need to re-enable an app that you stopped using, setting > Apps > See all apps Scroll through the alphabetical list to find the app in question. From here, To enable And the app will come back.

Towards a more modular future

As big tech companies continue to grow in size and influence, they are facing increasing pressure from government agencies to dismantle entrenched software ecosystems across industries.

One result of ongoing investigations and antitrust lawsuits against platform owners is a trend toward giving users more control over pre-installed apps and services. For example, Microsoft now allows users in the European Economic Area (EEA) to uninstall virtually all system apps, including the default Edge web browser that the company wants users to switch to.

This all-encompassing trend towards modular control of built-in software is likely to grow over time — it’s not hard to imagine a possibly not-too-distant future in which you’ll be able to uninstall more of the default Pixel apps, for example.

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