Sprint vows to cull bloatware on Android and beyond
updated 07:05 am EDT, Wed July 20, 2011
Sprint's Fared Adib promises to cull bloatware
Sprint VP of Product Development Fared Adib has promised that it will cull the bloatware pre-installed on Android and other platforms sold on its network. Bloatware, once infamously referred to as a “feature” of the Android platform by Google’s Andy Rubin, is carrier specific software that tries to direct users to online content that users often have to pay extra for. Frustratingly for many users, this software can sometimes be embedded into the OS and next to impossible to remove.
Speaking to Engadget, Adib has said that Sprint has already begun to limit the pre-installed carrier software as well as make it easy for end-users to remove if they choose. Adib cites the recently launched EVO 3D as an example of a device sold on the Sprint network that highlights its new approach to the issue.
Adib says that it’s Sprint plan to push this approach across all of its future product releases, and that where carrier specific apps are installed, that users can quickly delete them if they don’t want to keep them.
Power users, in particular, prefer to have clean installations of an OS on their devices for several reasons. Bloatware that is embedded into the OS can make the process of upgrading the OS much slower than might otherwise be the case. Manufacturers often have to work closely with each carrier to customize it for their network and for their particular applications and services. A side-benefit of having pre-loaded apps that are easily removable, in addition to being less of an annoyance, is that users will also be more likely to receive OS updates sooner.
