I also agree with the OP. Where users have upgraded to iOS 8 with 16GB devices, available memory space can be an issue. Having bloatware does not help the cause, especially when they can't be removed.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Please Apple let us remove the bloat!
- Thread starter cRuNcHiE
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You can just hide them in a folder, they don't hurt anything.
Actually once Health is up and running (next month?) it'll be useful to everyone - mostly to people with 5S/6/6+ but also to you. You can use an app like Argus to track your steps with the iPhone 5's accelerometer, and other apps to track things like heart rate, calorie intake (MyFitnessPal and the like), etc., and Health will aggregate them all.
Actually once Health is up and running (next month?) it'll be useful to everyone - mostly to people with 5S/6/6+ but also to you. You can use an app like Argus to track your steps with the iPhone 5's accelerometer, and other apps to track things like heart rate, calorie intake (MyFitnessPal and the like), etc., and Health will aggregate them all.
You want freedom to choose. FaceTime, Messages and Mail are just 3 ways to communicate out of many. Skype? Viber? Google+? WeChat? WhatsApp? Gmail? Yahoo? Outlook? Tons of other methods to video chat, send messages and email that I won't list here. Some people I know don't use Mail. They use some other MUA. Others don't even use email. All of these people are using smartphones and are not tech-illiterate.
No, what you're trying to do is state that the apps YOU personally don't want/use/like/whatever should be removed and only those. If Apple were to cater to all the people like you, they'd have to remove pretty much all the apps on the device. Some people use Cydia for apps. Others use the local equivalent (in Asia, it's not Cydia). And this propagates. Some use iMessage, some use BBM, some use whatever. And so forth.
So think about the feasibility of what you're asking and multiply it by millions. Everyone has different needs and wants and preferences. You can cater to all of those and you end up with Android. What a _insert_explicative_here_ mess. It's hell for developers because the overall user experience is just awful. The spectrum of hardware/software combinations is ... staggering. iOS/Android flame war aside, if you want the freedom to choose whatever the heck you want (and even then Google services are deeply integrated into the Android OS), go to Android.
Also, you are wrong. As of iOS 8, which is what this sub-forum is dedicated to, Apple does allow third-party apps to use the Nitro engine, same as the one in Safari. Safari is exclusive to Apple. iTunes is exclusive to Apple. App Store is exclusive to Apple. Need more? Pretty much everything is exclusive to Apple.
Just because I don't agree with you doesn't mean I agree with the other side. Bottom line, if Apple were to cater to EVERYONE (instead of just YOUR preferences), then they would have to remove pretty much every app on the phone. Imagine if they catered to your preference (let's say you don't want Stocks, Compass and Tips), what about the other person who wanted Tips but not Calendar or Voice Memos? Or the other person who wanted Calendar and Stocks but not Voice Memos? It goes on and on.
If you wanted Apple to give you freedom to choose, then you're basically asking Apple to not include anything on the OS. On a macro scale, this is just dumb. On a micro scale, it works wonderfully. But just for you and not the other hundreds of millions of users. I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with anyone in this entire thread, I'm asking you to truly think about how this is to be done so that everyone is happy, not just you. Can you do this?
You like to rant yet fail to see the underlining issue I have raised.
Allow people to remove apps they don't want. simple, problem solved.
IF apple want to install X apps by default, whatever. let people delete them if they don't want them.
The reason i specifically excluded messages etc is because SMS is a core function of phones. As was video calling( which FaceTime replaces). Mail is also also heavily baked into the core of IOS because X app allows you to send link via SMS, email etc (you can't send link via gmail app) .
Podcast, stocks and tips are not crucial to basic functionality of the OS.
Last edited:
I can't understand people who are against this. If your carrier had an app one your phone you couldn't delete, you'd call it bloatware, plain and simple. There would be no "well technically" about it.
I think the less essential apps should be preinstalled, but able to be deleted. Like how it was done with iLife/iWork. I can't see why people would have a problem with that.
I think the less essential apps should be preinstalled, but able to be deleted. Like how it was done with iLife/iWork. I can't see why people would have a problem with that.
So basically, you want a phone with nothing on it. Nothing wrong with that.
Also, feel free to educate yourself on how iOS 8 works. Lots of extensions that allow you to share information using other methods besides the built-in ones.
So the people who use WeChat, KakaoTalk, Line, etc. should not be allowed to delete the Messages app? Video chat can be done through so many other apps.
Of the 3 you mentioned, I'd argue Tips is essential. Lots of stuff on there to educate new users how to do various things. You can't assume all smartphone users are like the people on this forum. My Mom would benefit from that app for example. All I'm asking is for you to think how this would be implemented. Instead of whining about how it is now, how about let's figure out how to make it better? Is there a good solution?
You're being very totalitarian. I haven't said that at all. I'd like to be able to remove apps that do not affect CORE functions of the phone.
WeChat, KakaoTalk,Line are irrelevant.
The Messages app is the only app able to send/receive SMS using the mobile carrier. A CORE function of a phone. without it you won't receive SMS from your carrier.
I'm aware of extensions in iOS8. Load up safari and tap the send/share button. Does it have the option to email the page link using the gmail app? nope
i'm not whining, I'm asking for choice.
As for tips. Why can't it just be a link when you setup the phone? 'Would you like some useful info? Download the Tips app to get you started...'
You say it's not fair to assume all user are like people on this forum, by which i presume you mean the others are 'noobs' effectively. It's not fair to assume everyone is a noob either.
Why are you against choices? I don't care if your mom needs tips all i want is to remove bloatware.
It is bloat ware. You ever get bloated? It's when your stomach is filled with gas. These stock apps take up space that we don't necessarily need. That's bloat ware.
I doubt that this couldnt easily be implemented. As stated from others:
- deleting them
- hide them in the settings
- don't have them on the phone and offer them when setting up the phone (which I'm pretty sure they used to do for some apps)
- ...
Also: Your way of discussing this might be neatly worded, but you come across very up-in-your-face.
I state I'm not for or against either opinion. You read that as I am against you. Sigh.
I like the hiding option. I like how on Apple TV, you can hide channels.
Just because it's presently not there doesn't mean Google can't develop an app extension for it. Wasn't there an Evernote extension demoed during WWDC? Although I do like the link suggestion for the Tips app.
It's safer to assume everyone is a noob than to assume everyone is not. If you assume everyone is a noob, nobody gets left behind for better or worse. The other way around, a subset of people will be left behind.
With iExplorer for Mac you can delete every app directly from the root directory.
No Jailbreak needed, no setup. Just plugin iPhone and open the app.
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/31722/iexplorer
Also does a lot more.
I totally agree with the OP. I wish we could toggle them off and they would uninstall, under Settings or something. Until the unlikely day Apple makes that happen, my solution on my iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 is...
A folder a entitled 'Xtras'. I just like everything all streamlined and alphabetized. OCD central here.
A folder a entitled 'Xtras'. I just like everything all streamlined and alphabetized. OCD central here.
I bet it would free up a couple of hundred megabytes at best. Even on a 16 GB model that's practically nothing to look at really (this is coming from someone that has only been using 16 GB models).
If it makes one feel any better - minus the bloat, iOS 8 core isn't that much larger in size than iOS 7. The 1 GB extra comes from the five or so added stock apps, partially at least.
This, Except.. I have not seen a way to disable the tips..
I got a tips notification i think every day since I installed iOS 8 on my 5, now I get them on my 6.
Don't need them, don't want them.. I have it tossed in a folder, but it won't shut up.
Disable them just like any other app: in the Notifications section of Settings.
Including these bloaty apps is a clear business decision.
Inclusion of apps like health, podcasts, itunes, appstore are clearly for increasing revenue in the hopes of people buying Apple watch, or music or movies or newspapers, etc.
Don't expect them to be optional or able to be installed from app store.
Inclusion of apps like health, podcasts, itunes, appstore are clearly for increasing revenue in the hopes of people buying Apple watch, or music or movies or newspapers, etc.
Don't expect them to be optional or able to be installed from app store.
Not trying to stoke a fire, but Apple follow Google on a lot of things with their phones, so I also reckon that in a year or two Apple will stop the bloatware.
It's kind of sad that Android is bloatless (assuming you go for Nexus or a Moto) but Apple phones are full of stuff you can't get rid of.