Modern smartphones come packed with apps and not all of them are useful. As a Samsung Galaxy user, I need to uninstall or disable bloatware apps, then replace them with better alternatives.
The process is tedious, but is worth it because I have less clutter on my Android phone. Honestly, disabling a few apps doesn’t make a difference to my smartphone’s speed and performance and is more of a personal preference to streamline its functionality. I immediately disable these apps on my Android phone because better alternatives are available.
YouTube Music
A clunky streaming app
I prefer streaming from a single music platform and choose Spotify over YouTube music. YouTube music has its benefits, like being linked to my main account, but I still prefer Spotify because I find the menu more intuitive and think it has better search options.
Spotify, on the other hand, displays all the available genres and makes it easy for me to try things I wouldn’t normally search for.
When searching on YouTube Music, it brings up my past inputs with no option to browse genres, etc. Spotify, on the other hand, displays all the available genres and makes it easy for me to try things I wouldn’t normally search for, like natural sounds and calming music. On paper, Spotify also has better sound quality than YouTube music, although I can’t tell the difference with my audio equipment.
Keep Notes
Other options are better
Keep Notes isn’t a bad note-taking app and is fine for basic reminders and sticky notes. I still prefer OneNote for its versatility and cross-platform integration with my Microsoft 365 Windows laptop. There’s no doubt that OneNote has a steeper learning curve, but the effort pays off once you know how to use it.
For example, I can easily add Excel spreadsheets or images into my notebooks on my laptop, and they instantly sync with my phone app. I also use the OneNote Web Clipper Browser extension to copy webpages to my Notebooks. The extension lets me capture the full page, bookmark it, or highlight a region, then add notes and save it with my other notes. I can also import calendar events and other information from Outlook or copy text to Word documents.
Google TV
An unnecessary app
I find the Google TV app useful when I’m testing TVs or projectors running the same OS. My phone turns into a remote control for basic features, and that’s about it.
Google TV is supposed to be useful for finding movies and shows from different streaming services in a single location. I appreciate that it adds the Rotten Tomato scores to help me choose what to watch, but I dislike the cluttered menu, which feels bloated and overwhelming. For me, it offers questionable benefits and I prefer searching for movies on the platforms I subscribe to, like Netflix, or Disney+.
Gboard
Not private enough
Gboard is a minimalist keyboard app that gets the job done. However, it needs some customization out of the box and is known as a privacy risk as it logs all your keystrokes, searches and other information to train Google’s algorithms. I prefer other options, like Samsung Keyboard or Futo Keyboard, which offer better customization and privacy options.
Samsung Keyboard is worth trying if you’re a Galaxy user, and you can disable cloud syncing to keep all your typing on your local device. The app also has fantastic customization options when you pair it with the Keys Café Good Lock module. Futo is a better option if you prefer a free and open-source keyboard app which offers decent functionality and doesn’t harvest your data.
Chrome
Too many ads
Chrome is another Google app I remove from any Android phone I’m using. It’s a decent browser, but I don’t like that it’s a critical part of Google’s relentless ad machine. It’s probably the most invasive browser that collects as much data as it can, including my searches and other unique identifiers. Chrome has also officially ended support for ad-blocker extensions under the guise of improving performance and security, when it’s really about protecting ad revenue profits.
Chrome has also officially ended support for ad-blocker extensions under the guise of improving performance and security.
For me, alternatives like Brave are a better option because they’re more privacy focused and actively block ads and trackers. Since Brave is built on the Chromium engine, it still has all the advantages of Chrome, like fast performance and access to the same extensions. It also has other excellent features, like being able to play YouTube videos in the background while using other apps or when my screen is locked. I feel Brave offers a better overall browsing experience because there are fewer ads. I also prefer having the search bar at the bottom of the phone where it’s easier to reach.
