# Uninstalling preinstalled programs



## Prior22 (Dec 30, 2014)

I have a Nvidia Shield and am looking to uninstall two of the pre-installed games (to clear up additional space).  There isn't an uninstall option for these games though.  How would I go about uninstalling these games?  Thanks.


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## the_randomizer (Dec 30, 2014)

You would probably need to root and unlock the device, which tends to void the warranty.


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## RevPokemon (Dec 30, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> You would probably need to root and unlock the device, which tends to void the warranty.


Yes you would have to root and that will void your warranty. Another option you may could try would be to move the apps to an sd card via the native application manager.


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## the_randomizer (Dec 30, 2014)

RevPokemon said:


> Yes you would have to root and that will void your warranty. Another option you may could try would be to move the apps to an sd card via the native application manager.


 

Sometimes you can "un-root" a device removing all traces of it ever being rooted. Moving to SD card would be the next best bet.


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## RevPokemon (Dec 30, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> Sometimes you can "un-root" a device removing all traces of it ever being rooted. Moving to SD card would be the next best bet.


You can unroot via apps (towel root or what not) or by flashing a ROM(which is harder) but moving to a mirco sd card would be the best option if you don't want to root


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## the_randomizer (Dec 30, 2014)

RevPokemon said:


> You can unroot via apps (towel root or what not) or by flashing a ROM(which is harder) but moving to a mirco sd card would be the best option if you don't want to root


 

Yeah, it would be the best option for sure.


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## RevPokemon (Dec 30, 2014)

the_randomizer said:


> Yeah, it would be the best option for sure.


Although the only issue he MAY have would be the amount of data it moves to to the micro SD as rarely it moves 100%


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## DarkFlare69 (Jan 1, 2015)

Root it; or just disable them, it won't free up storage but it'll free up RAM.


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## RevPokemon (Jan 1, 2015)

DarkFlare69 said:


> Root it; or just disable them, it won't free up storage but it'll free up RAM.


Yeah but I highly doubt the games take up much ram as I really don't think they work in the background.


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## DarkFlare69 (Jan 1, 2015)

RevPokemon said:


> Yeah but I highly doubt the games take up much ram as I really don't think they work in the background.


You'll be surprised how much crap runs in the background. I have an app called Clean Master. Whenever i THINK there's nothing running, I open it and it frees 400 - 600 MBs of ram.


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## eriol33 (Jan 1, 2015)

root it, and install a program like titanium backup, and then un-root it


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## RevPokemon (Jan 1, 2015)

DarkFlare69 said:


> You'll be surprised how much crap runs in the background. I have an app called Clean Master. Whenever i THINK there's nothing running, I open it and it frees 400 - 600 MBs of ram.


Yeah I know as I use that app and generally my games don't use much ram while most of it is the is the os,chrome, play services and Qualcomm


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## Yepi69 (Jan 1, 2015)

Root or GTFO


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## yusuo (Jan 1, 2015)

DarkFlare69 said:


> Root it; or just disable them, it won't free up storage but it'll free up RAM.


 
of course it'll free up storage, deleting files = more free space


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## yusuo (Jan 1, 2015)

sorry, i just realised what you were saying and now i feel like a knob


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## RevPokemon (Jan 2, 2015)

yusuo said:


> sorry, i just realised what you were saying and now i feel like a knob


 
It ok every one makes mistakes, except you speĺed knob not noob and thats unforgivable


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## Yepi69 (Jan 2, 2015)

RevPokemon said:


> It ok every one makes mistakes, except you speĺed knob not noob and thats unforgivable


 
What if you're wrong and he DOES feel like a knob?


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## RevPokemon (Jan 2, 2015)

Yepi69 said:


> What if you're wrong and he DOES feel like a knob?


 
Then im a door if he is a knob.


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## yusuo (Jan 2, 2015)

im a knobly noob, happy


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## bobmcjr (Jan 2, 2015)

Root. Nvidia has been known to still honor their warranty on rooted devices so long as it is obvious that rooting or physical damage is not what broke your device. (e.g. if the speaker fails or something they will fix it, but if your processor melts from too much overclocking, they won't).


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## the_randomizer (Jan 2, 2015)

eriol33 said:


> root it, and install a program like titanium backup, and then un-root it


 

You have to pay for the "donor version" in order to truly kill apps (or freeze them), the free version doesn't allow app freezing. Greenify doesn't do much either unless you pay for the donor version as well.


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## bobmcjr (Jan 2, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> You have to pay for the "donor version" in order to truly kill apps (or freeze them), the free version doesn't allow app freezing. Greenify doesn't do much either unless you pay for the donor version as well.


Link2SD does what you want for free.


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## RevPokemon (Jan 2, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> You have to pay for the "donor version" in order to truly kill apps (or freeze them), the free version doesn't allow app freezing. Greenify doesn't do much either unless you pay for the donor version as well.


 
True but stilk before you buy just make sure its compatible (probably will be after the root)


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## the_randomizer (Jan 2, 2015)

bobmcjr said:


> Link2SD does what you want for free.


 
What does that app even do? Never heard of that one.

Edit: Well, my device doesn't have an SD card, unfortunately. Just 32 GB of internal storage and a micro USB port. 



RevPokemon said:


> True but stilk before you buy just make sure its compatible (probably will be after the root)


Right, Titanium Backup only works on a rooted device, trouble is the free version doesn't do much besides take up space. Free version of Greenify only takes up space as well. It's a shame too.


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## Joe88 (Jan 2, 2015)

Its extremly easy to find pro versions of those apps already cracked


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## the_randomizer (Jan 2, 2015)

Joe88 said:


> Its extremly easy to find pro versions of those apps already cracked


 
I don't doubt that, but who knows if said apps have malware on them or not. I'd rather not the OP or myself infect their device lol.


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## RevPokemon (Jan 2, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> What does that app even do? Never heard of that one.
> 
> 
> Right, Titanium Backup only works on a rooted device, trouble is the free version doesn't do much besides take up space. Free version of Greenify only takes up space as well. It's a shame too.


 
Yeah but thats how they make money, atleast it jsnt freenium


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## RevPokemon (Jan 2, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> I don't doubt that, but who knows if said apps have malware on them or not. I'd rather not the OP or myself infect their device lol.


 
Not advocating anything here but there are apps and apks that check safety and check for malware on android. Plus android is much safer then windows


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## the_randomizer (Jan 2, 2015)

RevPokemon said:


> Yeah but thats how they make money, atleast it jsnt freenium


 

I'm sorry, but they shouldn't even have free versions of those apps if they don't do jack shit. The free versions are bloatware and useless lol.





RevPokemon said:


> Not advocating anything here but there are apps and apks that check safety and check for malware on android. Plus android is much safer then windows


 
Of course, but if you download an APK, you have to enable the option to install apps from unknown sources. I don't know any of what those apps are called though.


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## bobmcjr (Jan 2, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> What does that app even do? Never heard of that one.


Link2SD originally just linked apps to a partition on the external sdcard, but now it has many of titanium backup's non-backup related features. It can freeze, unfreeze,  uninstall, reinstall, convert system apps to user apps or vice versa, and link or move an app to the sdcard.

It has ads, but they are fairly non-intrusive (a banner at the bottom and a fullscreen one when you exit with the back button).


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## Joe88 (Jan 2, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> I don't doubt that, but who knows if said apps have malware on them or not. I'd rather not the OP or myself infect their device lol.


 
I only get them from trusted sources and I have been doing it for 3 years now and never had a problem


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## the_randomizer (Jan 2, 2015)

bobmcjr said:


> Link2SD originally just linked apps to a partition on the external sdcard, but now it has many of titanium backup's non-backup related features. It can freeze, unfreeze, uninstall, reinstall, convert system apps to user apps or vice versa, and link or move an app to the sdcard.
> It has ads, but they are fairly non-intrusive (a banner at the bottom and a fullscreen one when you exit with the back button).


 
Good to know that there's a free app that can actually freeze those stupid apps like Google Current, Google Wallet, Google Drive and so on. so much bloatware. Too bad I can't safely delete those apps. 



Joe88 said:


> I only get them from trusted sources and I have been doing it for 3 years now and never had a problem


 
Still, not entirely comfortable installing apps from off the internet that isn't from the Play Store.


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## RevPokemon (Jan 2, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> I'm sorry, but they shouldn't even have free versions of those apps if they don't do jack shit. The free versions are bloatware and useless lol.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

Malwarebytes has a free protection for android also allowing unkown apks to be downloaded is easy


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## RevPokemon (Jan 2, 2015)

Joe88 said:


> I only get them from trusted sources and I have been doing it for 3 years now and never had a problem


 
Same here ive done it and have had no trouble yet as i use the same site or straight from the devs website (for adblock plus and what not)


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## the_randomizer (Jan 2, 2015)

RevPokemon said:


> Malwarebytes has a free protection for android also allowing unkown apks to be downloaded is easy


 

It seems to be incompatible with my Nexus 7 for some reason...damn...


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## RevPokemon (Jan 2, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> It seems to be incompatible with my Nexus 7 for some reason...damn...


 
Bitdefender Free  is pretty good


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## the_randomizer (Jan 2, 2015)

RevPokemon said:


> Bitdefender Free is pretty good


 

Does it work on Nexus tablets?


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## RevPokemon (Jan 2, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> Does it work on Nexus tablets?


 
Should work fine. I use it and it works great


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## DarkFlare69 (Jan 2, 2015)

yusuo said:


> sorry, i just realised what you were saying and now i feel like a knob


you are not a knob your a hobnocker


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## Mario92 (Jan 3, 2015)

Joe88 said:


> Its extremly easy to find pro versions of those apps already cracked


 
It's not that expensive and it's actually useful so I don't see problem dropping few euros in that general direction for easier and legit access to program. It's not like we are talking about hundreds of euros programs here. 

This is also why I bought Nexus, for good - vanilla android experience, I really don't like some Yahoo stocks running in background with absolutely no reason.


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## the_randomizer (Jan 3, 2015)

Mario92 said:


> It's not that expensive and it's actually useful so I don't see problem dropping few euros in that general direction for easier and legit access to program. It's not like we are talking about hundreds of euros programs here.
> 
> This is also why I bought Nexus, for good - vanilla android experience, I really don't like some Yahoo stocks running in background with absolutely no reason.


 

Because I'm clearly made of money that I can throw around


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## RevPokemon (Jan 3, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> Because I'm clearly made of money that I can throw around


 
If you could then id like 1k please


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## Pleng (Jan 3, 2015)

Joe88 said:


> Its extremly easy to find pro versions of those apps already cracked


 
I know, right. Because they are insanely expensive to begin with...


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## Joe88 (Jan 3, 2015)

Loving the hypocrisy here
Its perfectly to fine to pirate 3ds, wii, xbox, pc, ect... games and pc apps
But god forbid you mention pirating ios and android apps and you are treated like scum


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## the_randomizer (Jan 3, 2015)

Pleng said:


> I know, right. Because they are insanely expensive to begin with...


 

Pleng Try reading my posts next time, before assuming jobless people like me has all the money to freely spend. Maybe you can find out why I can't get the pro versions right now on post 41 . Besides, the free versions of the aforementioned apps suck because they don't do anything unless you pay, in their free forms, they don't do anything useful. Don't call people out on that, that's not your job. 



Joe88 said:


> Loving the hypocrisy here
> Its perfectly to fine to pirate 3ds, wii, xbox, pc, ect... games and pc apps
> But god forbid you mention pirating ios and android apps and you are treated like scum


Joe88 Just ignore him, he just loves calling people out because, reasons. White knights always act like that. Download ROMs and no one bats an eye, download pirated apps and everyone loses their minds. Oh no, not Android and IOS apps!!


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## RevPokemon (Jan 3, 2015)

Joe88 said:


> Loving the hypocrisy here
> Its perfectly to fine to pirate 3ds, wii, xbox, pc, ect... games and pc apps
> But god forbid you mention pirating ios and android apps and you are treated like scum


Honestly I agree 100% about that, plus if you really were a antipiracy supporter then why are you part of gbatemp?


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## the_randomizer (Jan 3, 2015)

RevPokemon said:


> Honestly I agree 100% about that, plus if you really were a antipiracy supporter then why are you part of gbatemp?


 

White knights always stick together in hoards, those that are, let themselves be known. What people download, is their own damn business and not sycophants' job to interrogate, and not Pleng's or anyone's. Android is very open and one can do whatever they want with it.


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## RevPokemon (Jan 3, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> White knights always stick together in hoards, those that are, let themselves be known. What people download, is their own damn business and not sycophants' job to interrogate, and not Pleng's or anyone's. Android is very open and one can do whatever they want with it.


That's why I love android os as it is very opened up ended and are much more relaxed in their rules (compare app store to play store and see what I mean)


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## the_randomizer (Jan 3, 2015)

RevPokemon said:


> That's why I love android os as it is very opened up ended and are much more relaxed in their rules (compare app store to play store and see what I mean)


 

Haters gonna hate I suppose. Not my problem what others like him think lol. All I can ask our fellow members above is, who the hell cares?


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## RevPokemon (Jan 3, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> Haters gonna hate I suppose. Not my problem what others like him think lol.


To be honest most people who are against the right for file sharing and what not work for the companies and groups like MPAA or Riaa. Most of the general public either doesn't care or is supportive of sharing.


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## the_randomizer (Jan 3, 2015)

RevPokemon said:


> To be honest most people who are against the right for file sharing and what not work for the companies and groups like MPAA or Riaa. Most of the general public either doesn't care or is supportive of sharing.


 

As long as no links are posted, who the hell cares what these people think? Android programmers don't seem to care much lol, a much better OS than IOS in my opinion, easier to use and install apps on.


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## RevPokemon (Jan 3, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> As long as no links are posted, who the hell cares what these people think? Android programmers don't seem to care much lol, a much better OS than IOS in my opinion, easier to use and install apps on.



Plus many good reputable devs release their apps via direct apk download due to reasons such as their content (towelroot or tubemate).


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## Pleng (Jan 3, 2015)

I don't have any particular position on piracy, but I figure going out of your way to pirate an app that only costs a couple of quid seems like more hassle than it's worth. If you're happy with doing it then fine. But I don't buy the argument "I can't afford it"... if you've got money to spend on phones and video game consoles then I find it hard to believe that you can't spend a few quid on a pro version of an app. To me it just seems like more hassle than it's worth.


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## PityOnU (Jan 3, 2015)

My God, this thread has devolved to such a point that reading it gave me cancer...

Preinstalled apps you can't remove are "system" apps. Instead of being installed in the usual place, they have .apk (and potentially .odex) files stored in the "/system/app" or "/system/priv-app" directories.

To actually remove the apps to try and gain back some space, you need to delete the .apk files from those directories. Potential issues you will come across are that your system partition is generally mounted as read-only, so you have to do a remount of the partition before you can do anything. By default, I don't think you have the permissions to modify the .apk files as the local user. In either case, you need to root the device to overcome that.

Kicker is, though, is that system apps are stored on your SYSTEM partition (the part that holds the OS), and not your DATA partition (the part that holds all of your personal files, settings, customizations, and apps). So really, deleting the system apps won't actually free up any usable space for you. Unless, of course, you make a habit of saving your files to the system partition.

Further, I believe the free version of Titanium Backup does allow you to backup and uninstall system apps. I used it for a long time before I decided to get the "pro" version. All it does is speed up the operations and allow for "freezing," which as far as I can tell just disables the app (maybe it can do it to ones you wouldn't get the option to normally? IDK).

Finally, those RAM cleaning apps are always going to be able to free a ton of RAM in Android because of how memory allocation and the app lifecycle works. Killing apps in this manner is absolutely the worst thing you could ever do, and will likely just make your device run slower at the end of the day.


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## the_randomizer (Jan 3, 2015)

Pleng said:


> I don't have any particular position on piracy, but I figure going out of your way to pirate an app that only costs a couple of quid seems like more hassle than it's worth. If you're happy with doing it then fine. But I don't buy the argument "I can't afford it"... if you've got money to spend on phones and video game consoles then I find it hard to believe that you can't spend a few quid on a pro version of an app. To me it just seems like more hassle than it's worth.


 

Oh don't give me that. With all due respect, I didn't actually buy the tablet, it was a Christmas gift that I hinted around to having my brother get me, so, that too is an invalid argument. If I don't have the money for a tablet, I don't have money for apps. Well, seeing as I a very small amount in my bank account from being jobless, there is no way in hell I could get a Nexus 7 on my own, so naturally it was a gift, and as such, apps are something I cannot afford. Why is that so hard to understand. Only those who have experienced unemployment would ever truly be able to understand that situation.

And finding the apps isn't really all that hard to find and install.


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## Mario92 (Jan 3, 2015)

Joe88 said:


> Loving the hypocrisy here
> Its perfectly to fine to pirate 3ds, wii, xbox, pc, ect... games and pc apps
> But god forbid you mention pirating ios and android apps and you are treated like scum


 
I didn't mean to judge anybody, but again difference is over 40€ game vs 5€ super useful application. Then situation becomes like Pleng also said, pretty much more of an hasshle and there's less excuses to pirating. Also I haven't pirated one single game since I got steady job so I don't know would you call it hypocrisy, but I know that some are in situation they simply can't afford stuff so even that 5€ becomes investment instead of pocket money as that 5€ could be couple days money for food. 



PityOnU said:


> My God, this thread has devolved to such a point that reading it gave me cancer...
> 
> Preinstalled apps you can't remove are "system" apps. Instead of being installed in the usual place, they have .apk (and potentially .odex) files stored in the "/system/app" or "/system/priv-app" directories.
> 
> ...


 
Most of those bloatware apps could easily be installed as regular apps. I hate how they force them on people by putting them as system apps. 

I remember RAM cleaners being thing in 90's as well. They did indeed free up RAM, but overall performance of machine got way down when it had to put stuff back there and I remember losing one empty CD because that application emtied RAM while burning software was using it. Funny how they have come back when everybody knew that they were trash back then. 
Cleaners and antivirus software seem to be mostly placebo bloatware on android. I accidently said I have rooted phone when my carrier called me to make sure I have best contract with them and he wouldn't shut up that I needed that F-secure on my phone to slow it down.


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## easycrashing (Mar 25, 2015)

remove them with titanium backup


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## the_randomizer (Mar 25, 2015)

easycrashing said:


> remove them with titanium backup


 

Your device has to be rooted in order to properly use Titanium Backup, just sayin lol.


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## easycrashing (Mar 25, 2015)

the_randomizer said:


> Your device has to be rooted in order to properly use Titanium Backup, just sayin lol.



cant you unroot it when you need warranty? i did with my note 3, i guess if it wouldnt boot up that would be a problem though.


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## RevPokemon (Mar 25, 2015)

easycrashing said:


> cant you unroot it when you need warranty? i did with my note 3, i guess if it wouldnt boot up that would be a problem though.


Warranty would depend on your company of service and maker but it depends on what they want. But you are theoretically correct however as long as you don't f it


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## Joe88 (Mar 25, 2015)

on some devices when you root or modify the core system it will trip a digital flag, more or less voiding the warranty and it cannot be removed, samsung in particular added a nasty system
http://androidforums.com/threads/guide-q-a-myths-and-truths-about-knox.807185/


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## the_randomizer (Mar 25, 2015)

easycrashing said:


> cant you unroot it when you need warranty? i did with my note 3, i guess if it wouldnt boot up that would be a problem though.


 

Yes, most of the time rooting is reversible, but if you want to remove bloatware, rooting is almost always the only way to do it.


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