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Apps installed by Samsung can be removed
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IN a big victory for mobile phone users, South Korean electronics giant Samsung has agreed to allow users to uninstall pre-installed apps from their smartphones.
The mobile phone giant was forced to act after the Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission filed a public interest lawsuit against Samsung and Guangdong OPPO.
The commission yesterday withdrew its lawsuit against Samsung after its announcement but not against OPPO.
The Shanghai No.1 Intermediate People’s Court heard the two cases separately yesterday, which is China’s first public interest lawsuit involving consumer protection.
The court however has yet to approve the withdrawal of the case against Samsung.
Among the 44 apps pre-installed on Samsung’s N9008S that could not be removed previously, 24 can be uninstalled now. Those that cannot be removed have basic functions such as camera, clock, and calendar.
The South Korean smartphone manufacturer also pledged to provide detailed information on all pre-installed apps and instructions on its websites and product packaging on how to remove the apps from its smartphones.
Tianjin Samsung Telecommunications Technology Co Ltd demonstrated in the court how these apps can be uninstalled.
The commission said Samsung had acted on the infringement of consumers’ right of knowing and selection and rectified its practice, and therefore withdrew its case against them. The court said it will decide whether the commission’s withdrawal was legal and in public interest.
In a study of 20 smartphones, the commission found several of them had pre-installed apps that could not be removed.
It also claimed that some apps “stole” data. It listed Samsung N9008S and OPPO X9007 as the worst offenders.
The commission filed the lawsuits in early July.
The pre-installed apps in the Samsung model cover online shopping site, electronic dictionary, and video. All of them could not be removed.
The OPPO X9007 smartphone had games, online shopping sites, video, music and bank apps. Among them, 24 could not be deleted.
The commission said it will not withdraw the lawsuit against Oppo until it meets certain requirements including making it clear in the packaging what apps have been installed and instructions on how they can be removed.
On Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company was weighing a way for users to remove pre-installed iPhone apps, USA Today reported.
But Cook also said that some apps were linked to other processes on the iPhone. Deleting these app could affect the phones’ performance.
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