A $1,400 Galaxy S26 Ultra still ships with apps its owner never wanted. Many can be uninstalled or disabled in a few taps to free space and cut notifications.
A $1,400 Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra still arrives with apps its owner never asked for. An Engadget writer who switched from a Google Pixel noticed a longer list of unwanted extras on the Galaxy. The good news is that many of them can be removed in a few taps.
These extras are called bloatware: preinstalled software you don't really want. They clutter the phone, use up storage and sometimes send notifications. Which apps show up depends on the model, region and carrier, so two Galaxy phones can look quite different out of the box.
This is not a new complaint. The Galaxy S4 was criticized in 2013 for its small amount of usable storage. The 16GB version reportedly left buyers with about 9.5GB, mostly because of Android, Samsung's system software and bundled apps. Samsung has since let users remove or disable many preinstalled apps.
Samsung's own optional apps include Samsung Shop, Samsung TV Plus and Samsung Global Goals. Depending on where you buy the phone, third-party additions can include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, OneDrive and Spotify. Some may be worth keeping. OneDrive makes sense if you already use Microsoft's cloud storage. If you keep everything in Google Drive, another cloud app adds little.
Uninstalling removes the app and frees the storage it used. Disabling stops the app from running and hides its icon, but its files stay on the phone.
You can also touch and hold an empty spot on the Home screen, tap Settings and choose Hide apps. Pick the apps and hit Done. The icons disappear, but the apps stay installed and can still send notifications. To stop those, go to Settings > Notifications > App notifications, choose the app and turn off Allow notifications.
Hiding an app and silencing it will not free up storage or revoke its permissions. Only uninstalling does that.
Avoid disabling system services you do not recognize. Core apps such as Phone, Messages, Contacts, Gallery and My Files cannot be deleted. Samsung notes that menu options may vary by device and software version, so your screens may look a little different.
Uninstall the Galaxy apps you never use to free storage, and remember that hiding an app does not remove it or stop its notifications.
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