How to disable bloatware apps without root

You don't need to fully delete bloatware apps to get some peace of mind -- you can disable them and  even stop them from popping notifications. This won't delete the actual application, but it'll be removed from your homescreen/app drawer, and we'll even show you how to free up some space in the process. Simply follow the simple steps outlined in the gallery below, and you're set.

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How to disable bloatware apps without root

1. Step #1

Navigate to Settings > Apps > slide to All. Hunt down the offending app that you want put to rest and press the Disable button.

image: http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/107841-image/Step-1.jpg

2. Step #2

You'll get prompted whether you're sure that you want to disable the given app. This can't hurt your phone permanently, as you can always revert the change, not to mention that essential processes are protected against this. Just go ahead and click 'OK'. You may be prompted to uninstall any updates made to the app, just okay that too -- should you wish to enable the app again, it'll automatically find its update off the Play Store after a while. Lastly, you need to click 'Force Stop' to actually kill the app's background process. Alternatively, you can simply reboot your phone.

image: http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/107842-image/Step-2.jpg

3. Step #3

Now that you've successfully disabled an offending app, you should probably bar it from using your notification bar as a toy by removing the check from the 'Show notifications' box. Furthermore, if you're not planning on using the app any time soon, you can go ahead and delete app data, which will free up some space by deleting the sometimes obscene amounts of data they keep handy.

image: http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/107845-image/Step-3.jpg

4. Step #4

Once you've disabled your first app, another column will be created in the Settings > Apps menu, which will show you all the disabled apps in one centralized place. This arrangement will not necessarily look this exact same way on your device -- some versions of Android list disabled apps at the very bottom of the 'All' column. As you can see, Google+, when disabled, no longer shows up on your homescreen/app drawer. Voila!