How to Disable Pre-Installed Apps on Galaxy Note 9

This quick guide will show you how to get rid of pre-installed apps on your Galaxy Note 9. There are a bunch of apps you’ll never use the day you take it out of the box. Carriers add these “bloatware” apps, and they waste valuable space on our phones.

Samsung devices always have a ton of bloatware, especially if you get one from AT&T or Sprint. These apps include Sprint’s NASCAR apps, AT&T WiFi, AT&T App Select, Verizon Navigator, T-Mobile TV, Amazon, Lookout, Hancom Office, and other random apps.

Read: How to Use Secure Folder on Galaxy Note 9

We have some bad news too. You can’t uninstall these apps, and they’ll always be on your phone wasting space. However, you can disable and hide them from the application tray. Out of sight, out of mind. With that said, here’s how to remove bloatware on your Note 9.

How to Disable Bloatware on the Galaxy Note 9

When you get your Note 9 you’ll notice at least 10 or 15 apps that you never installed. Some of these, like AT&T App Select, even add new apps to your phone every month. It’s a frustrating practice in the smartphone world we just have to deal with. Plus, these apps are in addition to Samsung’s own apps plastered throughout the phone too.

Instructions

Our video above explains how to do this, or follow our step-by-step instructions. In settings, you’ll find a list of every app on the Galaxy Note 9. You can go to Settings > Apps and disable anything you don’t want to see. It’s a slow process, but one you’ll only have to do once.

1. Pull down the notification bar and hit the gear-shaped Settings button (or open the Settings app)
2. Navigate to and select Apps
3. Make sure the tab on the top left says All Apps
4. Now, scroll through the list and tap to Select any app you want to disable
5. Hit Disable, then Confirm to get rid of it (some will uninstall updates first, then get disabled)
6. Repeat steps 4-5 for any app you’d like to get rid of

One at a time I slowly disabled 11 apps on my Samsung Galaxy Note 9 from AT&T. Apps I’ll never use, and don’t want to see in my app tray. Keep in mind that you should only uninstall stuff that you understand, otherwise you could cause your Galaxy Note 9 to have problems or misbehave. Basically, just use caution, take it slow, and don’t go overboard. 

If you have AT&T we have another important tip. Tap the three dots in the top corner and select “show system apps” from the pop-up menu. Then, find and disable AT&T App Select right away. Otherwise, this app will add like 8 games and apps to your Note 9 overnight. Each month, this will download more apps to your phone. Disable the app so it can’t download random apps and games on your phone.

Other Details

It’s that simple. That’s how you remove or disable pre-installed bloatware from your Galaxy Note 9. These apps still take up space, but they won’t get updates, and you won’t see them in the app tray. If you ever need any of these apps back, just reverse the steps below and tap Enable to get it back. 

Read: Best MicroSD Cards for Galaxy Note 9

Remember, we’re disabling apps, not uninstalling them. And again, be careful when you do this process because you can disable apps that the phone needs to function properly. That’s why I only do carrier apps and other bloatware I’ve seen before. Look for things similar to our screenshot above, just to be safe.

There are instances where future updates will add more bloatware to your phone. If so, follow these steps again to get rid of anything new. Otherwise, you’ll never have to mess with this stuff again. While you’re here, we recommend changing these 10 settings first on your Note 9 and getting a case to keep it safe.