Verizon takes bloatware to a whole new level

[ew915]

Bought a Droid 3 a few days ago and of course the phone came with a collection of apps that i will never use, i mean all the V bloatware plus some a lot more.
Now i'm used to not being able to remove it until root access is acquired so i just live with that, but what is really annoying is that now somehow "randomly" your dock icon like the ones you mainly use for Dialpad, Contacts, Emails... will be swapped to some Verizon app.
This is being annoying and takes it to a whole new level, i'm wondering what is going to be next.

Yes i know this can be solved with another launcher, but that leaves me wondering, why make your paying customers go through so many hoops? Is not like the phone was given free to me, sure its subsidized but it also came with a contract.

I'm sure the next iphone will be unbranded and virgin of any sorts of bloat. Why can't android be like that?

 

[dguy6789]

That sounds like a bug or perhaps a configuration issue with defaults. It shouldn't be opening up a Verizon app if the icon is supposed to take you to another app.

 

[shortylickens]

Step 1: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682
Step 2: http://www.cyanogenmod.com/devices
Step 3: ??? Profit?


Any device I buy from now on, whether service phone or standalone gadget, will be rooted and custom fitted with something awesome. The hassle of a DRM loaded bloatware infested commercial product isnt worth it anymore, especially when you can do better for free.
And my Droid didnt even have any Moto or VZW bullshit!

 

[MotF Bane]

Like shorty said. Root, ROM, enjoy.

 

[ew915]

That sounds like a bug or perhaps a configuration issue with defaults. It shouldn't be opening up a Verizon app if the icon is supposed to take you to another app.

Several Droid 3 owners have experienced the same results, and why is always the verizon crap that gets switched and not something else?

 

[Pliablemoose]

Apple can dictate some terms because of it's marketshare, one of the awesome things it does is say no to bloatware.

Android manufacturers are less able to demand things like that, as no single phone manufacturer has that kind of clout...

 

[Raduque]

Sprint is giving you the option to remove any of their carrier-installed apps on upcoming phones.

 

[Bateluer]

Like shorty said. Root, ROM, enjoy.

To my knowledge, the Droid 3 hasn't been rooted yet. And it still has Moto's encrypted bootloader, with little chance of it being unlocked in the future. Its a nice phone, from what I've read, but I steer away from Moto's phones because of the above. If they're defaulting to the Verizon apps when I set a different default app, I'd be pissed off enough to return the phone to the store for a full refund.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

To my knowledge, the Droid 3 hasn't been rooted yet. And it still has Moto's encrypted bootloader, with little chance of it being unlocked in the future. Its a nice phone, from what I've read, but I steer away from Moto's phones because of the above. If they're defaulting to the Verizon apps when I set a different default app, I'd be pissed off enough to return the phone to the store for a full refund.

Why does the locked bootloader matter at all?

Rom's still will be made for it.

 

[Bateluer]

Why does the locked bootloader matter at all?

Rom's still will be made for it.

You can't change the kernel. You can debloat it, etc, but the locked bootloader will forever prevent full custom roms.

I know Moto has said they plan to offer Xoom-style unlockable bootloaders on 3Q/4Q phones, but no word on whether the Bionic will have such a bootloader. We probably won't find out until a few day before it launches, if not after.

 

[hans007]

My tbolt had tons of vzw crap on it. Luckily cyanogenmod came out for it. Hell the less bloat is giving me like 50 % more battery life

 

[ew915]

To my knowledge, the Droid 3 hasn't been rooted yet. And it still has Moto's encrypted bootloader, with little chance of it being unlocked in the future. Its a nice phone, from what I've read, but I steer away from Moto's phones because of the above. If they're defaulting to the Verizon apps when I set a different default app, I'd be pissed off enough to return the phone to the store for a full refund.

Yeah i got back to my Charge, F*** the Droid and the bloatware although it was a nice phone i do miss root too much.

 

[Bateluer]

My tbolt had tons of vzw crap on it. Luckily cyanogenmod came out for it. Hell the less bloat is giving me like 50 % more battery life

Definitely. OMFGB does the same, and has more frequent updates than CM.

Still, even with light use, I can barely make 24hrs on the Tbolt. On my old Droid 1, 22-24 hours were typical with moderate use.

Call me jaded, but there's a very good chance I may sell the Tbolt for a second gen LTE device in September or October. Depends on whats out. I would definitely like to see the Bionic with an unlockable bootloader.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Step 1: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682
Step 2: http://www.cyanogenmod.com/devices
Step 3: ??? Profit?


Any device I buy from now on, whether service phone or standalone gadget, will be rooted and custom fitted with something awesome. The hassle of a DRM loaded bloatware infested commercial product isnt worth it anymore, especially when you can do better for free.
And my Droid didnt even have any Moto or VZW bullshit!

I've become bored with my EVO. Already rooted but need to get around to doing Step 2... and hopefully Step 3.

 

[cheezy321]

Man bloatware is such a huge issue when it comes to android phones. That seriously sucks.

Just think of the vast majority of consumers who never root or mod their android. They all deal with this and then tell their friends how annoyed they are of the bloatware built into their phone. I know the big yellow blockbuster app was the first thing I noticed on my friends thunderbolt. Shitty.

 

[alent1234]

Man bloatware is such a huge issue when it comes to android phones. That seriously sucks.

Just think of the vast majority of consumers who never root or mod their android. They all deal with this and then tell their friends how annoyed they are of the bloatware built into their phone. I know the big yellow blockbuster app was the first thing I noticed on my friends thunderbolt. Shitty.

that's why i tell most non-techie people to just get an iphone. the apps that are in the market that aren't in the app store they won't use anyway.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

You can't change the kernel. You can debloat it, etc, but the locked bootloader will forever prevent full custom roms.

I know Moto has said they plan to offer Xoom-style unlockable bootloaders on 3Q/4Q phones, but no word on whether the Bionic will have such a bootloader. We probably won't find out until a few day before it launches, if not after.

The inability to change the kernel matters very little. You can still get tons of Custom Rom's with speed improvements, tweaks and no bloat. Look at the Droid X, its community is doing great with the Roms

 

[Bateluer]

The inability to change the kernel matters very little. You can still get tons of Custom Rom's with speed improvements, tweaks and no bloat. Look at the Droid X, its community is doing great with the Roms

Thats because the kernel changes between 2.2 and 2.3 were minimal, what happens when there's more extensive kernel changes in future Android versions? Backport what ICS changes/apps you can outside the kernel? Buy a new phone?

The community has done great things to work around Moto's bootloader, but being able to compile custom kernels still allows them to do more. CM7, for example, uses Moto's Froyo kernel, not sure if its changes with the recent GB update for the X. It remains to be seen whether or not developers will flock to a locked down Bionic over an open SGS2 or HTC device.

Why support a company financially that hates you and actively tries to discourage community development? Samsung, for all their faults, has actually been encouraging community development, even giving SGS2s to the CM team to dev on. Good behavior should be supported.

 

[tonygeor]

Samsung has a huge amount of clout, but I think the whole bloatware supports the phone makers as well (they get money)

 

[PowerYoga]

If the apps were any good that wouldn't be a problem. Why do all these bloatware always suck ass?

 

[dguy6789]

Same deal with preinstalled software on Windows PCs. If they made it uninstallable on phones just like it was on PCs I'd be perfectly content.

 

[MotF Bane]

My tbolt had tons of vzw crap on it. Luckily cyanogenmod came out for it. Hell the less bloat is giving me like 50 % more battery life

Yeah, I went with Liquid Thundersense a few days after buying the phone, and the battery life doubled.

 

[Bateluer]

Same deal with preinstalled software on Windows PCs. If they made it uninstallable on phones just like it was on PCs I'd be perfectly content.

This for me too. Easily uninstallable, no problem. A lot of these junk apps aren't even full apps, their trial versions that take you to their website and prompt you to buy the full version. They just happen to run in the background 24/7, taking up RAM.