How to get rid of default apps on your Google Pixel

In a digital world driven by app-based experiences, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to be confronted with an endless list of software program icons on your smartphone.

Out of the box, some handset manufacturers do a better job of reining in their built-in suite of applications than others. Some companies — including Samsung — are notorious for bundling in questionable amounts of software and services by default.

Google takes a more iPhone-like approach with its Pixel range of smartphones, opting for a hands-off and lightweight approach to the default apps situation. You won’t find any cellular carrier bloatware or social media applications preinstalled on your new Pixel when you boot it up for the first time.

Even still, and much like with the iPhone, there’s been a steady increase in the number of built-in Pixel apps over the years. These included apps range in usefulness, but there’s a good chance that at least some of them are taking up space on your phone for no good reason.

Here’s how to uninstall superfluous default apps you aren’t using on your Pixel phone, as well as how to disable the apps that are currently uninstallable.

How to uninstall default apps on your Pixel phone

Not all default Pixel apps can be deleted in their entirety. For the ones that can be, such as Google Docs or Google Wallet, here’s how to do so:

1. Swipe up on your home screen to invoke the phone’s app drawer.
2. Long press on the icon of the app you are looking to uninstall.
3. Tap on App info when the context menu pops up.
4. Tap on Uninstall, which is the large centered button on the App info screen you’re redirected to.
5. Tap on OK to confirm your choice.

If you ever find yourself wanting to restore one of the apps you’ve deleted, you can simply navigate to the Google Play Store and re-download the software in question.

How to disable default apps on your Pixel phone

For those peskier apps that Google won’t let you delete outright, you can opt to disable them so they don’t clutter up your Pixel’s interface. Certain system apps like Settings and the phone dialer can’t be disabled, as they’re considered critical components of the operating system. For apps that aren’t considered part of the core interface, such as Calculator or Clock, here’s how to disable them:

1. Swipe up on your home screen to invoke the phone’s app drawer.
2. Long press on the icon of the app you are looking to uninstall.
3. Tap on App info when the context menu pops up.
4. Tap on Disable, which is the large centered button on the App info screen you’re redirected to.
5. Tap on Disable app to confirm your choice.

If you ever decide it’s time to re-enable one of the apps you’ve taken out of action, you can navigate to Settings > Apps > See all apps and find the app in question by scrolling through the alphabetized list. From here, simply tap on Enable and the app will spring back to life.

Marching towards a more modular future

As big tech companies continue to grow in size and influence, there’s been mounting pressure from governmental bodies to break down entrenched software ecosystems across the industry.

One consequence of the ongoing scrutiny and antitrust cases being levied against platform holders, is the trend towards granting users more control over preinstalled apps and services. Microsoft, for example, now allows users in the European Economic Area (EEA) to uninstall practically any system app, including even the default Edge web browser that the company is keen to have users switch to.

There’s a good chance that this overarching trend towards modular control of in-built software will amplify over time. It’s not difficult to envision a future in which we’re able to, for example, uninstall more default Pixel apps in the perhaps not-too-distant future.

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