HTC Desire on Vodafone UK hit by unremovable apps

Vodafone UK has sparked anger on its forums and elsewhere today as an Android update forced unwanted apps on HTC Desire owners. The upgrade improved the OS but also installed both the 360 service, redundant carrier-branded music store and web browser apps, and a shopping app. None of the apps are removable and also weren't mentioned as part of the update.

The company dodged complaints and through a forum moderator justified the surprise additions as part of usual updates to "optimise customers' experience" and said that the Vodafone apps were simply examples of more "extensive" changes than it does in the past.

Vodafone's decision highlights an increasing problem with forced app installs on Android devices. Android as a whole allows more customization by the user, but carriers are also free to modify the OS and can not only add apps beyond those of Google and the hardware designer but lock down the OS to prevent users from clearing these apps. The decisions can leave those without unlocked, independent phones with reduced space to install other content and can even bog down the phone itself if the apps run in the background.

Apple in contrast has routinely been criticized for the number of restrictions it puts on apps it allows into the App Store, but the 2007 launch of the iPhone was trumpeted as a win for customers as it marked one of the first moments that a phone maker successfully blocked a carrier from interfering with the stock experience of a device. With the exception of a web shortcut on the Japanese model and the temporary absence of standard Wi-Fi on the Chinese edition, the iPhone has remained virtually clean worldwide.

By Electronista Staff