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4.3 Update how do I remove Knox

So my Galaxy S4 just got the 4.3 update, it brought NFL mobile back enabled in which I was able to turn it off. However I got Knox on my cell phone and I dont need it. At least I dont think I need it.

So how do I go about turning this off? Under Application Manager and All there are 3 apps hosting Knox and each of them doesnt have an option to turn it off.

On the 4.2.2 Patch upgrade they gave me Optical Reader and now in the 4.3 they gave me Knox

I really really dont want them on my cell phone. So I'd love to find an easy way to get rid of them in my app tray. Please Thank you

Comments

LadyRelm2

I am also in the middle of a Knox nightmare.

Like you, I received it with the update except that I *thought* it might be useful. I tried to move my corporate email and calendar into knox. We use Google Business Apps so my account is Gmail-based. I also have a personal Gmail account. Needless to say, I managed to get my business email into Knox, but the Knox calendar will only take Microsoft Exchange. It won't allow me to add my business calendar (via Gmail) into Knox. Frustrating as I wasted two+ hours trying to make this happen.

But the most annoying problem...and the reason why I'm trying to DELETE Knox from my phone....is what happens when I switch back to my Personal space. Instead of taking me back to my familiar and useable personal desktop, it takes me to a "Knox copy" that has different icons/screens. Everything is really jacked up. In my regular desktop, I use a variety of themes and widgets. ALL GONE under the "Knox copy" of my personal desktop. However, if I go into my app list and click on my EX launcher, it takes me back to my regular, normal desktop where everything is where it should be. So...this seems to indicate that my phone is holding a pointer for "three" separate desktops - Knox, my regular personal desktop, and a "Knox copy" of a personal desktop. Confusing, frustrating, and a big box of "Nope!"

So I have tried REMOVING Knox from my phone in hopes that everything would go back to normal. Nope.... Now I am stuck in "Knox copy" personal desktop hell. It removed the Knox private area, but not the "knox copy" of my personal desktop. It didn't restore everything back to normal. I still have two completely different "personal desktops"

HOW DO I FIX THIS?

Dave-in-Decatur

There's a thread on Android Central that includes some discussion of Knox (ob-knox-ious?) issues: http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/327715-samsung-galaxy-s4-android-4-3-update-issues.html. Folks there confirm that once you've used Knox, you can't exit it to your preferred launcher, and can only go to TouchWiz (or apparently, as you've discovered, LadyRelm, Knox's copy of TouchWiz).

When I went to my app tray and tapped the Knox icon (with some hesitation!) just to see, I got a screen that seems to indicate that inside the "Samsung KNOX container" you're in "another private mobile." It sounds like the Android equivalent of a Windows virtual machine. And in that alternative universe, "there may be restrictions on moving data into and out of [the] container and some applications may have their features restricted."

Hell it does indeed sound like. However, from what I can tell you actually have to download and install Knox to activate these features; they aren't actually pushed to the phone with the 4.3 update. In that Android Central thread people talk about uninstalling it too. So, if you're actually using the thing, you really are stuck with these stupid limitations. But unless business security considerations demand that you keep using it, you may be able to look through all the Knox-related entries in Application manager and find the one that was manually downloaded and therefore can be uninstalled.

WRT ltolman's original question, there's no way. I too once again disabled/turned off NFL $#@& Mobile, but Samsung really, really wants us to have all this great Knox stuff, and the rudimentary bits of it that came with the upgrade can't be removed or disabled. Learn to pretend they're not there, is all I can say. They don't take up that much room, and I don't think they actually run unless you ask them to.

LadyRelm2

Dave,

Thanks for the reply. I went directly to Samsung and downloaded the manual here -

https://www.samsungknox.com/system/files/admin-doc/Samsung_KNOX_User_Guide_%28Personal%29_0.pdf

Of course, this didn't help much except walk me through how to uninstall which only 'disables' Knox. Doesn't remove it completely. I work with programming and system integration every day so I like to consider myself at least a knowledge level above the average user. Despite that, this program is completely counter intuitive and useless. Bad engineering. I know that Knox has restrictions on moving or accessing data (again, thanks to the manual), but it doesn't seem to have any feature that will allow you to move existing data/apps or information into the container. Again, bad engineering and something that should have been thought out better.

I have figured out how to set my launcher back to 'Always' so I am hoping that solves the dual desktop issue, but I haven't rebooted my phone to see where it goes.

I think I agree with you...."Ob-knox-ious"

Dave-in-Decatur

Glad you were able to find something that at least may clarify the problem, even if it doesn't solve it. I'm sure Samsung and Verizon sell a lot of these phones to intelligent and knowledgeable folks like you, and they really deserve to hear about this kind of screw-up. There's nothing more embarrassing than blowing it in front of your peers.

The half-(ahem) nature of these updates continues to amaze me, even though I've been lucky enough to dodge most of the bullets. Sometimes I think that Google, VZW, Samsung, etc., assume that because these phones are pretty, people will use them as toys and not as tools for actual work. (Hence the "Play Store.")

Someone on that Android Central thread did mention that they fixed the desktop problem by setting APEX as the default launcher in the APEX settings, and it sounds like you were able to do likewise with your launcher.

spereau

I am not sure if this helps, or would help resolve Knox-related issues (I was lucky enough to not encounter any issues after the 4.3 update) .. but if you go to the Applications Manager in Settings, you can "Force Stop" the Knox app.

After doing the update, I received a security notification from it? I clicked on the app where it brings up the brief description of it first, and didn't like what I saw. At that point, I force-stopped it through settings. I use my phone for work, and have been using it all day now without any issues or notifications from this Knox nonsense. Maybe try that? Unfortunately it seems there is really no other way to remove it from the device at this point.

RTP2

I found how to delete Knox. Open Knox, hit your settings button, and choose "About Knox". There is an Uninstall option there. That got rid of mine! I am running a Samsung Galaxy S4 with Android version 4.3.

Hope that helps!!

indiAMYst

Bless you and thank-you. I've only had it on my phone for 8 hours but they were 8 hours of hell!

Back to my Buzz Launcher. Thanks again!

lauriej823

i see it on my phone but when i click on it it says install. how do i delete it off my phone?

Dave-in-Decatur

It can't be deleted; it can't even be turned off. Samsung just wants you to have it that much. All you can do is just never install it; or if you do install it, follow RTP2's instructions above to uninstall (which, BTW, I referenced in an Android Central discussion, where it helped someone else get rid of the thing too).

stargazer72460

ljersey, you can hide the application. This will prevent you or someone else from "accidentally" installing the app. To hide the app follow these instructions:

Go to the Apps drawer

Press the Menu key

Select Hide applications

Each app will now have a checkbox in the upper right hand corner

Swipe to the page that has the Knox app (or any other app that you want to hide)

Select the apps that you want to hide by placing a checkmark in the box

When finished selecting press Done at the top of you phone

RTC

Great suggestion that worked for me.

You must sign in to the account then go to settings and then "About Knox" and at the bottom there is a button to uninstall. Thanks

KCinPortland

In a somewhat similar situation, I installed Knox to learn what it was, wasn't interested, exited. Later I went to log in so I could uninstall it and couldn't recall either the Password or the PIN. I finally got it to uninstall itself (whoopee!) because

if you use the wrong password 15 times and then the wrong PIN and password more 5 times it will uninstall itself to prevent unauthorized access. Check out www.samsungknox.com and look in the "install Knox" section, pg. 16 for uninstall instructions if you do know how to log in, and under "Use Knox", pg 21, for how to cause the automatic uninstall if you can't get logged in.

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