In this way, Apple’s is the most open smartphone OS
You can complain all you want about how Apple won’t let you remove pre-installed apps, but in the EU, at least, you can remove 98% of them. This contrasts really well with standard Google devices, which only let you remove 38% of those preinstalled apps. Samsung and Xiaomi let you remove 57% of those apps.
What the data says
While it’s important to note that outside EU, customers can remove only 88% of pre-installed apps, the data still means Apple’s iPhone is the least locked-in smartphoe money can buy. That’s the findings of a recent Surfshark study which looks at bloatware on mobile devices.
It’s also interesting to consider how many preinstalled apps there are on each device”
- Samsung, 88 pre-installed apps.
- Google, 71 such apps.
- Xiaomi, 61 apps are pre-installed.
- Apple, 50 pre-installed apps.
You need to consider each of these apps as potential data collectors, meaning each app on your device is a potential leak. It is also interesting that these apps each gather personal data,
What Surfshark said
“Data collection practices by popular applications, particularly social media platforms and chatbots, raise privacy concerns. While certain data points are necessary for basic operational functionality, entities may harvest information for targeted advertising or may even share it with undisclosed third parties. As a result, users are highly recommended to audit installed applications, review permissions, and remove or disable unused apps. Even never-used applications can gather personal data and link to your device,” said Tomas Stamulis, Chief Security Officer at Surfshark.
But ultimately, but putting customers in more control, closed Apple is ironically the most open OS around, in that you can delete installed apps you do not want to use.
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