Apps that can't be deleted

[steve92211]

I have been with Verizon wireless since I purchased my first cell phone.  But my recent purchase of the Droid X will be my last.  The phone itself is great (with the exception of a short battery charge life).  The factor that will cause me to change services is the fact that Verizon has created a locked down software that doesn't permit me to delete certain apps, such as Blockbuster.  I purchased the phone, and pay for the monthly service.  Why don't I get to decide what apps are on the phone?  You can put money on the fact that no one in the Verizon Wireless store told me about this little problem when they were trying to sell me the phone

[Wildman]

This is not a new practice and Verizon did not create this, all manufacturers these days install applications that can not be uninstalled.  There isn't one phone that you can buy that you wont run into this situation.

[steve92211]

And that makes this practice right?  No wonder people turn to rooting their phones.

[gerio]

Dude, please...

Everything Wildman said, plus...

Do you get to choose your cable channels?

They didn't tell you about that problem because, here it comes, IT AIN'T A PROBLEM.

Now go get that iPhone.

Oh, wait...

Geri O

[gerio]

That's what *bleep* is for.

It doesn't make it right or wrong. It makes it a choice.

I made mine and I'm quite happy with it. I'm just grateful that my sensibilities aren't raked over the coals because I can't delete the Blockbuster app on my phone, leading me to waste someone else's bandwidth about it.

I'm just sayin'...

Geri O

[gerio]

And since we are speaking about choices this wonderful morning, (well, I am, anyway), I guess you can choose a carrier that allows you to dictate what that carrier provides on the phone as an un-installable app...or a carrier whose signal provides the best service for my mobile voice and data service needs. Oh, yeah, and really cool phones with an unwanted app or two that I can sidestep with the greatest of ease

Guess what I chose.....

Geri O

[x0m6ie]

I don't mind that the apps are installed, i do mind that once you stop them they restart automatically!  and you cannot remove them!  i have been in the computer industry for years, you buy a prebuilt machine, dell, hp, compac...ect...ect...ect...you expect to get a lot of software you don't want.  you just uninstall it as soon as you get it and don't worry about it anymore.  that is the only option i wish we had with the droid x...uninstalling some pre installed software that you don't need.  i do not use skype, block buster is useless to me, and so is city id and vz navigation.  why should the service start at boot because they hope you will click on it to make it run faster.

Verizon if you read this please release a update that will allow us to uninstall preinstalled apps.  If you don't give us the option to uninstall it at least give us a setting to allow us to prevent the service from restarting after we stop the service.

[crb79]

Here is what I don't understand,  it has been widely known that this phone has apps that cannot be deleted.  I read articles about it 3 or 4 weeks before the phone was available for purchase.  

So here's the kicker, you bought a phone that you either did not research, or you bought it knowing this was going to be an issue.  Either way it's a case of: BUYER BEWARE.  

People like you are the reason that Coffee has a giant warning label stating: CONTENTS VERY HOT, and plastic bags have a warning that states: DO NOT PLACE OVER HEAD.

 It may be seen as mean to say but I think these warnings should be removed and let these people weed themselves from the gene pool.  Now with that said, go ahead and report this comment because we can't have the inept getting their feelings hurt or facing the truth.

[crimedoggies]

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crb79 wrote:

Here is what I don't understand,  it has been widely known that this phone has apps that cannot be deleted.  I read articles about it 3 or 4 weeks before the phone was available for purchase.  

So here's the kicker, you bought a phone that you either did not research, or you bought it knowing this was going to be an issue.  Either way it's a case of: BUYER BEWARE.  

People like you are the reason that Coffee has a giant warning label stating: CONTENTS VERY HOT, and plastic bags have a warning that states: DO NOT PLACE OVER HEAD.

 It may be seen as mean to say but I think these warnings should be removed and let these people weed themselves from the gene pool.  Now with that said, go ahead and report this comment because we can't have the inept getting their feelings hurt or facing the truth.

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Or sue for a couple of million.   Gotta love that suit againist McDonalds.  Ironically, I'm sure the lady that won the suit would have been one of the first customers to complain if her coffee was cold!!

[x0m6ie]

To CRB79:

Now here is what i don't understand...i researched my phone, i knew it had some apps that couldn't be uninstalled and nothing was disclaimed that those apps kept starting even after you force stop them.  i can live with the app being there, i cannot live with the service i am not going to use running just  in case "i want to use it" to make its performance better.

Hot coffee and trash bag disclamers are nothing to what i am talking about.  i know coffee is hot, trash bags could cause death if placed over head.  its common sense, its also common, at least to a technical guy like me who has been in the computer industry for over 10 years to know that if a service isn't required to stop it and keep it from running. if it continues to run it needs to be disclosed that this program will continue to run, you need to accept it on the first start of the program.  you do this with windows, you dont accept windows user agreement, you don't run windows on a personal computer, it's like this because people have complained.  some people don't like windows, so they don't run it!  I don't like Skype, VZ Navigator, or CityID so why should i be running them? why should their processes still be running when i didn't even start the program? why should the process restart when i FORCED STOPPED the process?

I also do not understand your logic, this phone has a BUYER BEWARE!!!  like you mentioned if coffee is hot in todays times has to be disclosed shouldnt applications that cannot be uninstalled and continue to load a service slowing down your processor and killing battery time also be disclosed?  isn't it easier to just allow the end user to close the program and leave it closed?  id accept the fact it cannot be uninstalled, deals with big industries get made and little things like "you cannot allow my application to be uninstalled" makes it into contracts...no brainers i understand that i do not understand your stupidity though.  you say its a BUYER BEWARE and you hate people who require DISCLAIMERS but you researched your phone before hand... You are a person who requires a disclaimer thus why you researched your phone. you are the person if every one of your friends pointed a gun to their head and pulled the trigger because it was cool, you would research what gun they used, buy it and do the same thing.

It's a Double edged sword man, {please keep your posts courteous}  but my decision to buy a DX was made purely on the fact i needed a smart phone that operates quickly, allows me to get updates via txt message and email, large screen (I have sausage fingers) has a high mega pixel camera and runs android os.  so i researched and chose the DX...my solution to the apps that can be uninstalled is like you, live with it until a fix is made...by the sounds of it there will probably be one al ot...i mean A LOT...of people do not like the fact you cannot simply kill the process and keep it stopped. The fix is just to make the program not load, just load when you want it too. its a small fix that wont hurt your small world of the 10 percent of the population in the world who is smarter that everybody else because you say so.  {please keep your posts courteous}

[crb79]

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x0m6ie wrote:

To CRB79:

I also do not understand your logic, this phone has a BUYER BEWARE!!!  

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{please keep your posts courteous} EVERYTHING you buy is indeed BUYER BEWARE. 

It is the responsibility of the Buyer to know if what they are purchasing will meet their needs.  Otherwise you just wind up with whatever someone was trying to sell.  

[TechTortured]

I'm with you.  I got the DroidX two weeks ago and I'm still learning.  Just today, I had the conversation with the Verizon rep at the store about my inability to delete/stop City ID, Blockbuster, Skype, and a few others.  Users SHOULD have the ability to choose what is on their phone.  I don't want @%&*#  that I don't WANT, constantly thrown at me.  I BOUGHT the phone and I'm PAYING for a service from Verizon and I shouldn't be innundated with advertising/apps that I have absolutely no use for and no desire to use.  Apparently customer satisfaction takes a back seat to corporate sponsorship?  It's all about the bottom line.

[dirkbonn]

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TechTortured wrote:

I'm with you.  I got the DroidX two weeks ago and I'm still learning.  Just today, I had the conversation with the Verizon rep at the store about my inability to delete/stop City ID, Blockbuster, Skype, and a few others.  Users SHOULD have the ability to choose what is on their phone.  I don't want @%&*#  that I don't WANT, constantly thrown at me.  I BOUGHT the phone and I'm PAYING for a service from Verizon and I shouldn't be innundated with advertising/apps that I have absolutely no use for and no desire to use.  Apparently customer satisfaction takes a back seat to corporate sponsorship?  It's all about the bottom line.

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Just a quick question Tech....

I bet you own a TV, right?  You bought it, paid for it.... you own it!

I also bet you subscribe to a cable service.... you pay monthly for it, right?

Now the channels come in packages or "bundles" of channels.  Are there any channels that you pay for you don't ever watch? (These are the ones that you have absolutely no use for and no desire to use)  Why should you have to pay for those channels?   Have you called Time Warner, or Comcast, or whatever cable service you have and complained?  Just a guess but I bet not. Why is that?

"Isn't fun the best thing to have?"   Arthur, from the movie by the same name.

[Isadora · Accepted solution]

Hi everyone,

Please keep the discussion on topic and steer clear of any kind of personal comments or attacks.

Also, this is a peer-to-peer forum, meant mostly for the exchange of ideas and tips between members. While there are a couple of tech support people who occasionally post here, this issue may not be within their realm of expertise. 

Let's get back to the topic at hand, which is the question of removing applications that came installed on the Droid X. Which of these apps do you use? Any you like?

[TechTortured]

You are right.  However, my cable company at least has the decency to allow me to set "custom channels" so I don't have to look at the channels that I am not interested in.  FYI, I think cable/satellite TV is also the same as far as "double-dipping".  We're paying for a service, yet we have to watch commercials.  Does that seem fair?  That's what the "mute' button is for (at least I don't have to listen).

[x0m6ie]

quote TechTortured

You are right.  However, my cable company at least has the decency to allow me to set "custom channels" so I don't have to look at the channels that I am not interested in.  FYI, I think cable/satellite TV is also the same as far as "double-dipping".  We're paying for a service, yet we have to watch commercials.  Does that seem fair?  That's what the "mute' button is for (at least I don't have to listen).

you are right, but on a side note, Dirkbonn you cannot compare what we are talking about to cable tv.  its like saying a orange tastes like a apple.  the closes you can come to comparing what we are talking about is the EULA (end user licensing agreement for the everyday folks) of windows.  when you buy a new computer you have a choice to install the operation system of your choosing.  windows, linux,  unix, ect. ect. ect.  included in the price your computer manufacture installed windows for you, if you want to use windows you have to accept the EULA before you can use it.  for your convenience your computer manufacture also installed some software they felt you may want to use.  the also made it so you can uninstall said software via the windows uninstaller.  verison sells the phone, Motorola makes the phone, Verizon installed their applications and made them so they cannot be uninstalled, they also didn't put a EULA on them saying that you had to accept it before they would start, their applications backbone runs in the background as a system process.

read this ( http://www.pcworld.com/article/9826/users_sue_microsoft_for_anticompetitive_practices.html ) it explains everything.

this is why you have to accept a EULA to run many different programs.  the same thing applies to these programs that are installed and cannot be uninstalled.  its a Anticompetitive Practice, Verizon is making us use their app instead so they can charge for video chatting and such.  the non Verizon app doesn't charge you for doing video calls. CityID is a pay app,  as is VZ Navagation but google navigation is free to use and does the same job,  why should we be forced to have these programs system processes loading slowing down your phone and killing battery life if we do not use them?  

you say live with it, i say why should i have to?  i didn't want the program so why should i live with it and have it killing battery and slowing down my phone.  if you were buying a car, and you told me you wanted a Chevy and i said heres a Ford live with it would you? or would you goto another dealer and buy a Chevy?  well what happens if you buy the Chevy and find out that they are going to install a computer that will limit how fast you can go and its set at 55 mph and you get 5 mpg.  would you find that fair and live with it? or would you want to know why when if you didn't have that computer limiting you you could go 75 and get 30 mpg.

[crb79]

You accuse someone of comparing apples to oranges, then you go on to compare phones to cars.   Now if that ain't the kettle calling the pot black.

[Wildman]

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TechTortured wrote:

You are right.  However, my cable company at least has the decency to allow me to set "custom channels" so I don't have to look at the channels that I am not interested in.  FYI, I think cable/satellite TV is also the same as far as "double-dipping".  We're paying for a service, yet we have to watch commercials.  Does that seem fair?  That's what the "mute' button is for (at least I don't have to listen).

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Sounds like you should give Launcher Pro a look from the market, it allows you to hide the apps that you do not use are want from the launcher and besides it runs smoother than the stock Blur interface.

[demmo86rt]

Oh man, I hate it when I show up late for the party. For all you who are so worried about these apps running in the background, stop it, they are not running, just waiting. This is the biggest misconception about android from people with a windows background, myself included until I did some research. Just because you downloaded a task killer and it shows an app loaded into memory does not mean it's active. Android likes to keep as many things as possible loaded into memory up to it's low memory limit. The first things to load will always be system apps (anything that comes preloaded on the phone) and apps that are commonly used and, if the system is below that low memory limit, it will fill it. The commonly used apps will eventually take precedence over system apps that don't get used, but it takes time. This is also why apps continue to "restart" after being killed. You kill it, the phone drops below the low memory limit and it looks for something to fill that extra space with. Oh, and, nobody is forcing you to use them, if you don't want to, don't. As someone here stated, there are alternatives, the market is a wonderful place. The only reason those apps are preloaded is because Verizon thought they would be a good selling point, so they contracted out to subsidize the cost of the phone. They are a business, they made a business decision, God bless capitalism.

[Memphis]

Well, in response to anything bad about anything related to Verizon Wireless you are always on the Scene crb79, I've taken a look at some of your other posts and it seems you really are a die hard fanboy of anything related to Verizon. Now I'm cool with that man, I like the service myself! Believe me if I hadn't liked their service, I woulda gone to sprint and just dealt with the Evo 4G But I wanted a Droid X and i thought Versions service was a lot better than Sprint, so I went with them instead. Now I'm with the original poster as well as x0m6ie on this, why do we have to put up with processes running in the background when they arent being used? That to me just seems like a waste of batterylife when it could easily be taken care of by simply giving us the option to force stop them for good? No? Like myself, I use skype, but the skype provided by Verizon is well.. Lets just say it's lacking.

Now I understand they're providing this because they've got a contract with Skype and such, I'm cool with that, I'd just like to be able to force stop the first instance of Skype Verizon Mobile, and be able to use just plain old "Skype" Same goes for blockbuster and the other apps that have been mentioned above, i don't use blockbuster at all, and yet I'm forced to continue to let it take up valuble process time, drain my battery and make it stressful on me because I'm having to plug the **bleep** phone in every Five hours because there's to many things going on in the background that I don't know about.

I'm just making this statement because as I said before, I've gone over your posts to check you out my friend, and you seem to be in bed with Verizon so to speak xD Are you on a pay roll? Cause if so, then I can understand it, otherwise you're just a die hard fanboy and i can understand that as well. But don't go around forums and flame people with legit reasons to be upset with he service, just because "you" are happy with the services that have been provided.

Hell for all I know, you probably use skype from Verizon and the blockbuster app and such, that's great! Awesome! Use them, that's what they're there for, but for us that don't use them. I would agree with the others on this forum that Verizon needs to give us the option to force stop these programs for good.

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crb79 wrote:

Here is what I don't understand,  it has been widely known that this phone has apps that cannot be deleted.  I read articles about it 3 or 4 weeks before the phone was available for purchase.  

So here's the kicker, you bought a phone that you either did not research, or you bought it knowing this was going to be an issue.  Either way it's a case of: BUYER BEWARE.  

People like you are the reason that Coffee has a giant warning label stating: CONTENTS VERY HOT, and plastic bags have a warning that states: DO NOT PLACE OVER HEAD.

 It may be seen as mean to say but I think these warnings should be removed and let these people weed themselves from the gene pool.  Now with that said, go ahead and report this comment because we can't have the inept getting their feelings hurt or facing the truth.

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[crb79]

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Memphis wrote:

Well, in response to anything bad about anything related to Verizon Wireless you are always on the Scene crb79, I've taken a look at some of your other posts and it seems you really are a die hard fanboy of anything related to Verizon. Now I'm cool with that man, I like the service myself! Believe me if I hadn't liked their service, I woulda gone to sprint and just dealt with the Evo 4G But I wanted a Droid X and i thought Versions service was a lot better than Sprint, so I went with them instead. Now I'm with the original poster as well as x0m6ie on this, why do we have to put up with processes running in the background when they arent being used? That to me just seems like a waste of batterylife when it could easily be taken care of by simply giving us the option to force stop them for good? No? Like myself, I use skype, but the skype provided by Verizon is well.. Lets just say it's lacking.

Now I understand they're providing this because they've got a contract with Skype and such, I'm cool with that, I'd just like to be able to force stop the first instance of Skype Verizon Mobile, and be able to use just plain old "Skype" Same goes for blockbuster and the other apps that have been mentioned above, i don't use blockbuster at all, and yet I'm forced to continue to let it take up valuble process time, drain my battery and make it stressful on me because I'm having to plug the **bleep** phone in every Five hours because there's to many things going on in the background that I don't know about.

I'm just making this statement because as I said before, I've gone over your posts to check you out my friend, and you seem to be in bed with Verizon so to speak xD Are you on a pay roll? Cause if so, then I can understand it, otherwise you're just a die hard fanboy and i can understand that as well. But don't go around forums and flame people with legit reasons to be upset with he service, just because "you" are happy with the services that have been provided.

Hell for all I know, you probably use skype from Verizon and the blockbuster app and such, that's great! Awesome! Use them, that's what they're there for, but for us that don't use them. I would agree with the others on this forum that Verizon needs to give us the option to force stop these programs for good.

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crb79 wrote:

Here is what I don't understand,  it has been widely known that this phone has apps that cannot be deleted.  I read articles about it 3 or 4 weeks before the phone was available for purchase.  

So here's the kicker, you bought a phone that you either did not research, or you bought it knowing this was going to be an issue.  Either way it's a case of: BUYER BEWARE.  

People like you are the reason that Coffee has a giant warning label stating: CONTENTS VERY HOT, and plastic bags have a warning that states: DO NOT PLACE OVER HEAD.

 It may be seen as mean to say but I think these warnings should be removed and let these people weed themselves from the gene pool.  Now with that said, go ahead and report this comment because we can't have the inept getting their feelings hurt or facing the truth.

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I'm no die-hard fan of VZW, just a Die-Hard Fan of Common Sense!  Sure there are things on my phone that I don't like.  Do I pop onto some forums and whine about being VZW or Motorola pulling a fast one on me?  Not a chance.

Do I search through people's post history to form some conspiracy theory?  Again no.

Here's a list of apps that I don't use on my phone:  Skype, Blockbuster, City ID, and Amazon MP3.  But I deal with it, sure it sucks that I can't remove them but whining on a VZW peer to peer forum isn't going to help at all.

Now since we are detectives here, I've gone over your post count of 1 and your account creation date of TODAY and have thus surmised that you sir or miss have created an account here solely for the purpose of whining that another whine was not taken seriously.

 Now have I gotten all that correct? Or is this simply a Second account created by zombe fella in an effort to prove some sort of basis?  Kinda funny how both accounts were created today and both in Utah....  Just my take on things.