Android Bloatware – More than 50 Companies contact Google against it

If you own an Android Phone, you may have experienced seeing a bunch of pre installed apps on it. These apps are known as Bloatware, while a user has no access to delete or remove them on its own. Furthermore, Android Bloatware is not limited to the apps only. It also eats a portion of phone’s memory and collects personal data whether you use or use them not. Like access to location, calls, messages, and data of IDs on the user’s phone.

This Bloatware is part of several Android Phones for more than a decade. While now, a number of organizations seem to be active on a single page against it. More than 50 Organizations have written an open letter to Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai for implementing new policies regarding these apps. Which must bound the manufacturers to exclude such a wastage from phones. Let’s check out the internal details of this open letter by organizations.

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Why Android Bloatware must be Removed.?

Signees of the open letter mentioned that the personal information collected by pre installed apps is against the rights of user’s privacy. Because bloatware is gathering this data on some advanced level than the other apps without any prior permission. Other than that a large percentage of apps among them are not even available on Google Play Store. Which might be a concerning situation for Organization’s confidential data. They also said that,

“These pre-installed apps can have privileged custom permissions that let them operate outside the Android security model,”

Signees

Android Bloatware may contain malware, viruses and security bugs. Because they don’t pass the screening test of the Play Store. This might leave a user totally at the risk of loosing personal information, in case he is using a cheap android phone. Google must take a solid stance against this cheap act by phone manufacturers. Because a privacy concern can badly damage the reputation of a brand, if not controlled on time.

Signees Demand for New Rules

The following 3 rules are demanded by Signees in an Open Letter

• Users should have access to remove, delete or uninstall the pre installed apps on phone.
• Pre Install apps must pass through the screening process of the Google Play Store.
• As privacy security, Pre Installed apps must be updated through Play Store without a user account.

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List of Organizations

Below is the list of Organizations standing with Privacy International in the campaign against Android Bloatware

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