The first packages you can safely remove
· 3 min read
If your model is not in the directory yet, this is the closest we can get you to a useful answer: general categories, with the warning that your model may differ and that the only way to be sure is one at a time.
Almost always safe
Preinstalled streaming apps you do not use. Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Rakuten, Pluto. They are ordinary applications, factory-fitted or not. Removing them affects nothing else. If you want one back, it installs from the store.
adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.netflix.ninja
Demos and promotional content. Packages with demo, retail, store,
promo or shop in the name. These are shop-display modes. In a house they do
absolutely nothing.
Preinstalled games. Never a dependency of anything.
Setup wizards already used. The manufacturer's setupwizard has done its
job. With a caveat: if you ever plan to factory reset, leave them.
Careful, but usually fine
Telemetry and "product improvement". Packages with analytics, metrics,
tracking, acr or dataservice. They are why most people come here. They
usually come off without consequence, but some manufacturers tangle them into
the update system, and there you can end up without patches. Worth knowing
first.
Advertising launchers. The ones injecting sponsored rows into the home screen. Removing them usually works, but if the package turns out to be the main launcher and you have no other installed, you lose your home screen. Install an alternative launcher first.
Do not touch
| Pattern | Why |
|---|---|
com.android.systemui |
It is the interface. Without it there is nothing |
com.android.settings |
You lose the settings menu |
com.google.android.gms |
Google services. Breaks half the television |
com.google.android.tvrecommendations |
On some models it takes the launcher down |
Anything with inputmethod |
It is the keyboard |
Anything with remote, ir, bluetooth |
It is the remote |
That last deserves emphasis: losing the remote on a television is especially annoying because the way to fix it is usually... the remote.
The method that works
- Save the original list:
adb shell pm list packages > before.txt - Remove one package.
- Test: remote, volume, HDMI source switching, open an app.
- If something fails, restore that package and note it down.
- Repeat.
It is slow and it is boring. It is also why the directory exists: so one person does this once and everyone after them does not have to.