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How can I stop TMobile from installing crapware?

  • 15 March 2023
  • 9 replies
  • 4839 views

I just got my OnePlus 10Pro finally updated to Android 13 this week, and found a few extra T-Mobile bloatware apps on my phone, like AppSelector, Device Manager, Global Search, Kid Space, T-Mobile Diagnostics, T-Mobile Play, and (worst of all) MCM Client.

These are all things I don’t need, and am not able to uninstall them.  I can’t even disable most of them.  I can force stop them, but many of them come back.

Today, I got a notification from MCM Client that it had installed TikTok on my phone.  I guess it’s good that I was told that T-Mobile installed a major security risk on my phone, and I need this to stop.

How can I get this crap off of my phone and be the only person who has control over my phone?  T-Mobile is going to have to pay me an enormous amount of money for me to go along with this.  Unfortunately, I got this phone on a payment plan, and I will never, ever do that again.  It’s not worth the sacrifice of security and privacy.

So, how do we get this stopped?

9 replies

gramps28
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This is a Oneplus not a Tmobile update so most of those apps were added by Oneplus who's owned by Oppo a Chinese company.

Maybe @syaoran has more inside into how to delete/disable those apps.

syaoran
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Userlevel 7
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ADB is about the best way.  You can find just about everything you need on how to use ADB, drivers, and files over on the XDA forum for your device.  You will also want an app from the Play Store called, Package Name Viewer 2.0.  This app will show you the full package nam e of each app, which you need to uninstall  through ADB.

Personally, I hate the bloat ware T-Mobile installs as well.  They put these self-installing apps on all newer devices.  I had to make sure that junk was removed off of mine because my girlfriend is a government employee and there is a list of apps we are not allowed to have on our devices.  

Syaoran - I am not a T-Mobile Employee but I could use a new job!
S
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Thanks syaoran. I'll dig into that today. I just got the same crap installed again this morning, and need to make it all stop. Now I have a project for today. 

 

I'm also using private DNS through a Pihole, and need to go through the logs to blacklist some stuff. I think that might help too. 

 

syaoran
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Userlevel 7
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Manufacturers don't seem to be any better.  With the March update for the S23 Ultra's installing this morning.  There was a new app that uses your location from Samsung to push you coupons through notifications. 

com.samsung.android.ipsgeofence is what you will want to remove after the update.  

Edit:  This is the app link for the Galaxy Store in case you want to read more on the newest crapware Samsung has pushed upon us..  

https://galaxystore.samsung.com/prepost/000004701101?appId=com.samsung.android.ipsgeofence

Syaoran - I am not a T-Mobile Employee but I could use a new job!
T

Contact customer service. Ask them to put a block on changing the permissions and installing new software on your phone. They will say it takes 12 hours. It doesn't completely stop them, but it slows them down a bunch.

Then go to settings and in to right the three dots. Find everything with a T-Mobile logo and remove all the permissions you can. Hit force stop. Go to advanced and disable everything there. Then go to the Internet usage section and tell it no background data, no Wi-Fi, no mobile data. Do that for each one of their apps.

Then call T-Mobile and ask them to remove your apps. Tell them they crash all the time and cause your phone to act slow and restart. They will try to replace it with a free phone, but they will bill you for it, so do NOT accept the free phone replacement. Insist that you want their software removed. You don't want it. It doesn't work.

But whatever you do, do not look at the all permissions section!!! (settings-apps-any T Mobile app-permissions-three dots-all permissions)

You will realize they have your fingerprints, your browser history and cookies, all your files, are making videos of you with your camera, are listening to your phone calls, recording you with the microphone, all your networks, and are tracking what you do in other apps and what you click.

Lastly, do NOT read their Absolutely No Privacy Policy!!! It's completely Orwellian!!!

T

After you do everything in my other post, do these (Android) steps.

Go to settings-apps-T Mobile Diagnostics. Click the three dots in the top right and select uninstall updates. Then clear storage.

Go to settings-apps-T Mobile app. Expand the Advanced tab (bottom right) and click the link to the play store. I'm the play store, click Uninstall.

This completely removed their Device Manager app, and makes the file sizes of their T-Mobile Diagnostics, T-Mobile Play, and T-Mobile apps 0 bytes. Clear storage and cache on all three.

Make sure you force stop them, remove all permissions, and drop down the advanced tab in the permissions section and disable all the permissions there.

They will still remotely re-enable them, despite the block you did in my other post, but they will be taking up less storage on your device.

Call their customer service one a week or so and ask them if you can remove their SPYWARE. If enough of us do this, they will realize they are losing money and change their policy if "You absolutely can not remove our apps, ever."

T

Bonus Step - in the play store, for their apps, give them a 1 star rating and warn others that they can be uninstalled and to never never add them. Then, in the top right of the store page, hit Flag App and tell Google it's spying on you and causing problems and it can't be uninstalled.

F
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Userlevel 7
Badge +16

buy a non carrier variant?

***I like many others come onto this site for assistance and to help others. Marking a reply as helpful or correct helps others with like issues when they try to search the site for assistance. I do not work for Tmobile and my suggestions and or opinions are my own**.~~~~ The site here is primarily peer to peer with some TMO moderation to keep the site in order..They do not have account access..The prefered method would be to contact TMO through either calling in (tier 1 support) or by contacting them through either Facebook/Twitter (tier 2 support)**~~~~
syaoran
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Userlevel 7
Badge +15

Bonus Step - in the play store, for their apps, give them a 1 star rating and warn others that they can be uninstalled and to never never add them. Then, in the top right of the store page, hit Flag App and tell Google it's spying on you and causing problems and it can't be uninstalled.

In most cases, you can use ADB to remove apps that don't normally allow you to just tap on them to uninstall.  Some apps are so deeply rooted though, that the only way to remove them is by changing the firmware or rooting the device.  

Syaoran - I am not a T-Mobile Employee but I could use a new job!

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