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OnePlus 8 Phones Have Facebook Bloatware You Can’t Remove

By Laura Tucker
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One aspect that made OnePlus smartphones stand out above other Android models is that the company was one of the few that didn’t fill phones up with bloatware. It was a nearly clean Android OS without pre-installed skins, app packages, and other apps you may not want. However, new OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro phones ship with Facebook bloatware, and some of it you may not be able to remove.

OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro

There are a couple of significant reasons to buy a OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro phone. For one, the company claims it is the first smartphone company to successfully connect to T-Mobile’s standalone network with a commercial device. OnePlus, T-Mobile, and Qualcomm Technologies Inc. held the first successful low-band SA 5G data session on a OnePlus 8.

Secondly, 5G phones can be pricey, upwards of $1000. But both newer models of the OnePlus are below $1000. Amazon shows an unlocked OnePlus 8 Plus at $999, barely coming in below that line, and the OnePus 8 at $849.

These are two great reasons to choose OnePlus.

Facebook Bloatware

However, to get 5G capability and a lower price, you’ll have to put up with Facebook bloatware when you buy the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Plus. Some of the Facebook-owned apps and accompanying backgrounds can’t be uninstalled.

While OnePlus announced all the great features of the phones, they of course did not mention that. Users began noticing that Facebook-owned apps updated through the Facebook App Manager service instead of through the Play Store.

News Oneplus Bloatware 8

OnePlus told AndroidPolice that by installing the Facebook services, the Facebook-owned apps, such as Facebook itself and Messenger, which are both pre-installed, will use up less battery life. It will also enhance the HDR playback on Netflix.

Also noted is that the system services are using small amounts of data in the background as well. Anyone paying attention to the news lately knows that’s particularly troubling, as the social network’s business model is questionable of late, especially where user data is concerned.

You can uninstall the Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram apps, but not the background services, though it is possible to disable them, and it won’t break anything. There are indications that OnePlus will continue to do this on eventual releases after OnePlus and OnePlus Pro as well.

If you’re shopping for a new Android, you’ll need to take all this into consideration and decide whether 5G at a cheaper price on OnePlus is worth putting up with Facebook bloatware or whether you’d rather just avoid the social media apps altogether.

If you decide this is worth it to you, read on to learn how to uninstall bloatware and system apps without rooting in Android.

Image Credit: OnePlus Press Photos and public domain

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Laura Tucker Avatar
Laura Tucker
Laura has spent more than 20 years writing news, reviews, and op-eds, with the majority of those years as an editor as well. She has exclusively used Apple products for the past 35 years. In addition to writing and editing at MTE, she also runs the site’s sponsored review program.

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