Samsung will allow users to remove unnecessary pre-installed apps from smartphones next month, after the Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission filed a public interest lawsuit against the South Korean electronics giant earlier this month.
To do this, cellphone owners must visit Samsung's after-sales service centers to download software that allows the apps to be uninstalled.
Among the 44 apps installed on Samsung's N9008S, 24 can be uninstalled, the smartphone manufacturer said yesterday.
Those that can be uninstalled include a dictionary, a microblogging platform and an online shopping platform.
Apps that cannot be removed have basic functions such as the camera, clock, and calendar.
This only targets the N9008S at present, and Samsung said it will work out solutions for other models, said Chen Liren, vice president of Media Solution Center of Samsung Electronics China.
Samsung also pledged yesterday to provide detailed information on all pre-installed apps and instructions on its websites and product packaging on how to remove some from its new smartphone models.
Tao Ailian, secretary-general of the commission, said it will not withdraw the lawsuit until Samsung fully fulfills its commitment.
"We will wait and see how Samsung fulfills its promises," Tao said.
In a study of 20 smartphones, the commission found several where pre-installed apps could not be removed. It also claimed that some apps "stole" data.
Worst offenders were the Samsung N9008S and the Oppo X9007, which received lawsuits.
Guangdong-based Oppo has not yet given a pledge to tackle this, the commission said.
