How To Uninstall Android Apps
Learning how to uninstall Android apps is pretty straightforward, but it varies depending on your the version of Android, operating system, and the app you’re trying to remove. For instance, preloaded apps are usually harder to remove than apps from the Play Store. To get help with the process, take a look at these tips.
How to Uninstall Android Apps | Easy Methods to Follow
In This Article:
- Tap and Hold to Delete Apps
- How to Delete Android Apps from Settings
- Delete from the Google Play Store
- How to Uninstall Android Apps from Kindles
- How to Uninstall Preloaded Apps
Tap and Hold to Delete Apps
One of the easiest ways to uninstall Android apps is to delete them directly from your app drawer. It is the icon on the Android device that displays all the installed apps.
To do this, simply open your app drawer. If you have an Android application in an individual folder, open it as well. Hold your finger on the application icon. As you hold it down, a delete option should appear. It usually resembles a trash bin. To delete apps, drag them to the uninstall area and confirm you want to delete them.
If you’re trying to figure out how to uninstall Android apps, this is the easiest option. But if you have an older version of Android, these steps may not work. In that case, you need to explore some of the other methods.
How to Delete Android Apps from Settings
You can also uninstall an app from the Settings menu, and this works on all Android devices. To get to Settings, hit the “gear icon” on your home screen or in your app drawer. In the Settings menu, look for an option that says “Apps” or “Application Management.” This should display an app list.
Usually, the list is alphabetical. Search for the app you want to delete and tap it. After you do that, the Android phone displays an info page about the app. This page shows how much storage the app uses, notification settings, and other details.
At the top of the page, there is a button that says Uninstall. Hit that option. Typically, it takes just a few seconds for the app to delete. At that point, the app list reappears, and you can continue uninstalling apps from your Android smartphone as desired.
Delete from the Google Play Store
You can also delete your applications directly from the Play Store. Open the “Play Store” on your device. It appears like an arrow.
Go to “Settings” and select “My Games and Apps.” It then presents the apps in three different categories: Updates, Installed, and Library. Updates shows a list of apps that need updates, Library contains all the apps you own, and finally, Installed shows the applications that are currently downloaded on your device.
Go to “Installed” and find your app in the list. Again, simply select the app. On the next page, you have the option between uninstalling and opening. Hit “Uninstall” and the app will disappear from your phone. Do the same thing for your other unwanted apps.
How to Uninstall Android Apps from Kindles
Kindles are Androids, but they are a highly customized type of Android device. They use the Amazon Play Store instead of the Google Play Store, and they have their own process for deleting apps.
Find and tap “Apps” on the home screen. This is near the top of the screen with the list of other options such as Newsstand, Books, Music, and Videos.
On the apps page, you have a choice between Device and Cloud. Cloud shows you all the apps you own that are currently in the cloud. Device shows you the apps currently on your device.
You need to select “Device.” Then, find the application you want to delete and hold it down until a menu appears. Choose “Remove from Device.” Verify you want to uninstall the app.
At this point, the app should appear in your Cloud section but not in your Device section. If you have the app saved in your Favorites section, it may still appear there. Simply find that icon, hold it down, and select “Remove from Favorites” when the menu appears.
How to Uninstall Preloaded Apps
Most Android devices come with a number of preloaded apps. These tend to be popular ones such as the Chrome browser, Play Store, Uber, and YouTube.
In most cases, there are going to be a few you don’t want. Many people, though, think there’s no way how to uninstall Android apps that have already been preloaded.
If you’re not using these preloaded apps, you don’t have to let them clutter up your Android phone, but you won’t be able to use the above steps to delete them.
Typically, if you go to “Settings” and select a preloaded app, the information page will give you the option to disable or to force stop the app, but it won’t give you the chance to delete. To do that, you need root access. It means you’re going deeper into the “roots” of the system, which include system files and commands off-limits to most Android users.
When you root an Android, you go from being a basic user to an administrator. In rare cases, rooting can prevent your device from booting up properly, and sometimes, automatic updates stop after you do it.
If these happen, you can always manually do the updates. Finally, if you update the device in the future, it may become unrooted, and you’ll need to complete these steps again.
Now the warnings are out of the way, you can decide if you want to root your device or not. The instructions vary based on the exact Android device you have, but if you search for your device, you can find the instructions online.
Once you work through the steps, you should be able to delete the preloaded apps. If you decide against rooting your device, you can disable these apps. It won’t remove them, but it will prevent them from taking up space by running.
One of the reasons to learn how to uninstall Android apps is to remove the risk of malware. CNET, though, shares some pointers on how to avoid it in the first place:
Now you know how to uninstall Android apps, you can freely try them out and easily delete them when you don’t want them anymore. Luckily, Google tracks the apps on Android you buy. Even if you delete them, you can always redownload them in the future. To get more tips and ideas, look around our site or contact us directly. At Noobie.com, we offer the technology help you need.
What preloaded apps would you like to remove? Share your list below!
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