get rid of sprint apps- How?

[crashem]

I bought the htc evo and the samsung epic through sprint, last week. Is there a way to unlock my phone so I can delete sprint apps? I am very new to smart phones. My previous phone was a flip with a pull up antena. I have yet to send my first text message. (Very New). Also is there any stickeys or sites I can go to educate my self on the various op systems and or site for my particular phones?
Thanks
Its good to be back on the AnandTech forums its been about 10 years..........

 

[ew915]

there is an app called 1 click root, then use titanium backup to get rid of everything, but before doing any cleaning work it is advisable you d/l rom manager and make a nandroid backup in case you mess up.

 

[YoungGun21]

Look at forum.xda-developers.com and androidforums.com. They are places I frequent to get root news and updates. They will both have root tutorials for you. Following the tutorials, everything becomes very simple.

 

[olds]

I've read that it's a bad idea to remove the apps. Something about never being able to do an OTA update (should you decide to go back to stock) if they are removed.

I rooted my Evo and used Titanium Backup to freeze the Sprint apps.

 

[gsaldivar]

What Oldsmoboat said.

Be very careful removing apps. Back everything up, and be sure you know how to return everything back the way it was. Otherwise, the missing apps may prevent you from applying any future updates on your phone.

Good luck!

 

[Dulanic]

xda-developers.com has instructions on rooting. I'd recommend using a ROM with all the sprint software already removed as this will also improve your battery life. There are step by step guides to doing so. I have a Sprint epic myself and it is awsome.

As for rerooting for updates, there is a software thing called Odin which can quickly and easily flash you back to stock. Feel free to PM me if you need anything. If you use a ROM it is kind of pointless to do as the devs will come out with updated ROMs very quickly after the OTA update.

 

[YoungGun21]

What Oldsmoboat said.

Be very careful removing apps. Back everything up, and be sure you know how to return everything back the way it was. Otherwise, the missing apps may prevent you from applying any future updates on your phone.

Good luck!

The whole point of rooting the phone is so that you don't have to use the crap the carriers send out. The developers will have the update incorporated into their ROMs and ready for flashing before you know it, and they make it 50x to 50000000x better than the original.

 

[Bryf50]

Root and use titanium backup to freeze(basically removes them but allows them to be restored easily) them. Then if an update comes out thaw them. The root itself shouldn't prevent ota updating. If you search on some forums you can usually find which are safe to freeze.

 

[gsaldivar]

The whole point of rooting the phone is so that you don't have to use the crap the carriers send out. The developers will have the update incorporated into their ROMs and ready for flashing before you know it, and they make it 50x to 50000000x better than the original.

Agreed. But modders often find that they want to revert their phones to stock condition for a variety of reasons (resale, etc). Like Oldsmoboat, I've also come across the stories of many people who have run into problems trying to apply a carrier's official update to a modified phone.

 

[boomhower]

Geez there is some paranoid folks here. Root and install an aftermarket ROM. Try a few and see what you like. When Sprint releases and update most of the chefs have an updated ROM incorporating the update within 24hrs. Many of them get a hold of them before they are released. Personally I like Fresh's ROM. He has even incorporated OTA updates.

If you need to revert to stock there are tools that allow you to do it in five minutes. Do some reading and have fun.

 

[slag]

there is an app called 1 click root, then use titanium backup to get rid of everything, but before doing any cleaning work it is advisable you d/l rom manager and make a nandroid backup in case you mess up.

You cant use 1 click root on the Evo since the nand is locked.

 

[olds]

Geez there is some paranoid folks here. Root and install an aftermarket ROM. Try a few and see what you like. When Sprint releases and update most of the chefs have an updated ROM incorporating the update within 24hrs. Many of them get a hold of them before they are released. Personally I like Fresh's ROM. He has even incorporated OTA updates.

If you need to revert to stock there are tools that allow you to do it in five minutes. Do some reading and have fun.

I used ROM Manager and tried a couple of the ROMs listed there. Most of them wouldn't even install.
The stock, rooted phone with the Sprint Apps locked works fine for my needs.

If I had had more spare time I might play around with different things. I also find reading the different threads confusing as they are all written for different skill levels and many are poorly written and hard to follow.

 

[Bill Brasky]

I used ROM Manager and tried a couple of the ROMs listed there. Most of them wouldn't even install.
The stock, rooted phone with the Sprint Apps locked works fine for my needs.

If I had had more spare time I might play around with different things. I also find reading the different threads confusing as they are all written for different skill levels and many are poorly written and hard to follow.

I couldn't agree more. I was convinced I wanted to root my evo, but then I found the ridiculous amount of time required for reading. Plus I get more than one day from a charge so I don't see any reason.

Do rooted phones have all the same functionality as a stock phone? In this case I'm thinking about the camera and 4G. I saw a bunch of rooted users complaining they didn't have these features.

 

[boomhower]

I used ROM Manager and tried a couple of the ROMs listed there. Most of them wouldn't even install.
The stock, rooted phone with the Sprint Apps locked works fine for my needs.

If I had had more spare time I might play around with different things. I also find reading the different threads confusing as they are all written for different skill levels and many are poorly written and hard to follow.

You did root before you tried to install a ROM right? ROM Manager is overused. Since you have it use it to install Clockwork recovery. Now go to XDA and download a ROM you want to try. Stick on the root of your SD card, boot into recovery(hold volume down while booting), flash it, clear cashe, and reboot. It's not difficult.

Do rooted phones have all the same functionality as a stock phone? In this case I'm thinking about the camera and 4G. I saw a bunch of rooted users complaining they didn't have these features.

Depends on the ROM. All have the camera with the exception of bleeding edge ROM's, currently the ones based on the desire. All ROM's that are based off Sprint releases will make use of 4G, currently pretty much all except CM and desire based ones.

Personally I use FreshRom with King's #11 Kernal.

This is something that requires some time on your part. You need to read, learn how things work, and the proper way to do it. It's not complicated or that time consuming. Spend a solid hour reading up and you'll be good to go. That is enough to learn how to root and install a ROM. If this is to much for you, then yes, just leave it stock.

#1 tip, use Titanium Backup. It will save you a ton of time reinstalling apps after flashing to a new ROM. If you find yourself doing it a lot upgrade to the premium version as it works faster.

 

[s44]

Steps:

(1) Root.
(2) Install ClockWorkMod/ROM Manager (method depends on device -- some you need to flash a CWM-compatible kernel before installing ROM Manager from the Market, some you can just install ROM Manager and have that install the files for CWM).
(3) Install Titanium Backup. Don't do anything with it yet, except install Busybox and SQLite if you didn't already as part of the rooting process.
(4) Run ROM Manager and choose "Backup Current ROM". This makes what's called a nandroid backup -- a dump of your current ROM state.
(5) After this is done, freeze or delete whatever bloatware apps you want.
(6) If you want, install a complete custom ROM. Make sure you read through the xda thread on it before installing! Don't install anything that's made for a different phone!

Then, if you want to install an OTA update:
(1) Run Titanium Backup and have it back up all apps & data (if you have the paid version, this is a single click on a batch operation).
(2) Go back to ROM Manager and use "Manage and Restore Backups" to restore the nandroid you made in step 4.
(3) Do the OTA update.
(4) Run Titanium and have it restore all missing apps and app data.

Note that even if you don't make your own stock nandroid, every phone should have a couple of stock images at xda you can just stick in if you've already deleted all the bloatware. Alternately, as others have said, forget OTA altogether and wait for cooked versions of the new stuff.

 

[Bill Brasky]

Thanks to both of you guys for explaining that. I have been looking at threads in XDA and it seemed a little overwhelming at first, but it really helps to have you break it down like that.

Two more noob questions:
1. How did you all choose a rom? Just trial by fire or are reviews/ summaries available to help people understand the differences?

2. What does OTA actually stand for? From context I gather that it's an official software release, but have no idea what it means. LOL

Thanks.

 

[s44]

Just read through the ROM threads, see which ones have features you like, which ones people are having issues with, etc. There should also be some comparison threads in the general (NOT dev) forum.

OTA = over the air, i.e. straight from the carrier to your phone

 

[YoungGun21]

You cant use 1 click root on the Evo since the nand is locked.

Wrong.

Unrevoked is 1-click root. It definitely works on Evo.

 

[gsaldivar]

Wrong.

Unrevoked is 1-click root. It definitely works on Evo.

Nope.

Unrevoked and "1-click root" are not the same thing.

The latter is an app that is not compatible with the Evo.

 

[YoungGun21]

Yes the app is called 1-click root. But Unrevoked is a one-click root at that works for the HTC Sense phones. So, yes, one-click root does work on the Evo.