TL;DR OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open now have as many as four third-party apps pre-selected for installation during device setup.
OnePlus has released some great Android smartphones recently, including premium flagships like the OnePlus 12 and the OnePlus Open.
I like what OnePlus has done on these devices, with standout features like Open Canvas on the OnePlus Open and the amazing battery life on the OnePlus 12.
But lately, these devices have received updates that have added third-party apps (aka bloatware), and we’ve found evidence of more bloatware possibly coming soon to these premium flagships.
The bloatware problem on the OnePlus 12 Content creator Gauraang Arora spotted that the “Review additional apps” screen presented during the setup process on the OnePlus 12 now includes some new apps.
Bloatware on the OnePlus Open gets even worse The OnePlus Open costs even more than the OnePlus 12, and for that extra money, you get some more bloatware.
For instance, both the OnePlus Open and OnePlus 12 include apps like Ubiquitous Manager Service as a system app that cannot be easily uninstalled.
OnePlus’ statement on the bloatware situation on the OnePlus 12 and the OnePlus Open We contacted OnePlus for a statement on the issue, and a OnePlus spokesperson responded with the following: The soft-preloads on OnePlus 12 was an error made during testing and has been rectified as of 6 May.
TL;DR.
During device setup, up to four third-party apps are pre-selected for installation on the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open.
Three Meta applications that are difficult to remove are still included with the OnePlus Open.
We also discovered evidence of numerous additional third-party apps that were originally intended to come preloaded on OnePlus devices in the most recent firmware for the OnePlus 12. It’s possible, though, that OnePlus decides against moving forward with this plan.
The OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open are two of the company’s high-end flagship Android smartphones that it recently released. The OnePlus Open’s Open Canvas and the OnePlus 12’s incredible battery life are two unique features that I think OnePlus did well with these phones. Yet, these flagship smartphones have recently been updated with third-party apps (also known as bloatware), and we have discovered indications that more bloatware may be on the way for these expensive devices.
The issue with OnePlus 12 bloatware.
Content creator Gauraang Arora noticed that the OnePlus 12’s “Review additional apps” screen, which appears during setup, now has a few new apps. The “From OnePlus” header on this screen indicates that OnePlus decided to promote these third-party apps through the Google Play Store. Users can deselect these four pre-selected apps. Candy Crush Saga, Policybazaar, Block Blast!, and LinkedIn are the third-party apps.
I noticed a screen offering me more apps to install while configuring the OnePlus 12. These are apps that I have never seen recommended on a OnePlus Flagship. This OnePlus 12 was previously updated and used; it has since been reset.
It appears that OnePlus is on a downward trajectory.
On May 1, 2024, Gauraang Arora (@Gauraang_) wrote.
I can attest that on the OnePlus 12 running the most recent version of Oxygen OS 14.0, the aforementioned apps are displayed during the setup procedure. produced in India by 0.610. It’s interesting to note that users in the EU are not presented with any third-party apps during the setup process, while only LinkedIn is displayed in the US.
This choice screen is particularly annoying because it pre-selects every app and hides under the “Review additional apps” menu in a shadowy manner. Although these third-party apps are simple to deselect, most users won’t be aware that non-Google apps are pre-selected in the first place.
Despite looking for the screen during my initial wipe-setup of the device, I failed to see it. The majority of users, I imagine, will miss this screen and wind up with four bloatware apps that auto-consented on their phones.
The one bright spot in this situation is that all four apps are simple to remove, just like any other third-party app.
The OnePlus Open has even more bloatware.
In comparison to the OnePlus 12, the OnePlus Open is even more expensive, but in exchange, you get more bloatware.
My OnePlus Open comes pre-installed with three additional Meta apps: Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Services, in addition to the four apps listed above that I can verify are there.
Pre-installed on previous OnePlus flagships, such as the OnePlus 8 series, are the same three apps. For this inclusion at the time, OnePlus had drawn a lot of criticism, and when the Open launched, it continued to receive it.
As with previous versions, it is difficult to uninstall these three Meta apps. The advantages that these three apps offer are still debatable, just as they were a few years ago.
Do these apps qualify as bloatware as well?
A few more apps that might be regarded as bloatware for a high-end device were also discovered by me during my investigation.
Some pre-installed apps, such as Link to Windows, may be deemed bloatware by users who do not use a Windows computer.
Some apps have names that are so ambiguous or nondescriptive that they immediately give off a bad impression. Apps like Ubiquitous Manager Service, for example, are installed as system apps on the OnePlus Open and OnePlus 12, and they are difficult to remove. What Oxygen OS’s Ubiquitous Manager Service does is anybody’s guess.
Ubiquitous Manager Service is a “system level platform that supports some shared ColorOS and OxygenOS functions,” according to a statement provided by OnePlus in response to inquiries regarding this app. “.
Subsequently, there are applications such as XRCB and XRVD that experience the same issue with names that are not descriptive. According to OnePlus, these are both “Qualcomm system apps that are included with the chipset.”. There’s probably a good reason why you wouldn’t want to disable them, as they seem to come with the chip and cannot even be turned off. Similar to how OnePlus/OPPO renamed “Ubiquitous Manager Service” to something more accurate in describing its real functionality, I believe Qualcomm could do a better job with this app name. End users may become less trusting of names that seem random.
Evidence that the OnePlus 12 may get additional bloatware.
We’ve uncovered evidence suggesting that things may get worse for high-end OnePlus flagships, in case you thought the situation was hopeless.
1NormalUsername, a OnePlus enthusiast and reliable tinkerer, looked into the most recent OnePlus 12 Oxygen OS 14.0. detected indications that additional third-party apps were being added to the pre-installed app list in the 0.610 firmware. Future device preloads of these apps may include APK stubs or shortcuts in addition to full apps.
The third-party apps that were mentioned are:.
Wearable.
A “Must Play” folder containing the following apps.
Pop the bubble!
Word Link Wonders of Perception.
Fit the Tiles.
“More Apps” folder with the following apps:.
Facebook.
LinkedIn.
Amazon India Store.
Prime Video on Amazon.
Soundcloud.
Zomato.
Goda.
Swiggy.
To be clear, the most recent Oxygen OS 14.0 does not yet come with these apps pre-installed. OnePlus 12 with firmware version 0.610.
OnePlus has indicated that it intends to preload these apps in the future, based on the existence of this code in the firmware. Since we’re speculating about future plans and OnePlus has been under fire from consumers for the four third-party apps that come pre-installed, the company may decide against moving forward with them.
The OnePlus statement regarding the bloatware issue with the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open.
When we asked OnePlus for a statement regarding the matter, one of their representatives gave us the following response:.
As of May 6, the OnePlus 12 soft-preloads have been fixed, as it was a testing mistake. No pre-installed apps are included with the OnePlus 12, which keeps its lightweight, quick, and seamless design.
The list of upcoming bloatware apps that we present is probably what the term “soft-preloads” refers to. On the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open, the four bloatware apps—LinkedIn, Policybazaar, Block Blast!, and Candy Crush Saga—remain pre-selected when the device is first set up. I retested both devices after receiving the statement, and the setup behavior did not change.
OnePlus also brought up the following points:.
Our goal has always been to keep OxygenOS free of bloatware. We have carefully chosen Instagram and Agoda to be the two pre-installed apps on the OnePlus Nord CE4. We are collaborating closely with app developers to guarantee improved performance on OnePlus devices, as the user experience of applications is a crucial component of the overall user experience. We completely respect the decisions made by users, and uninstalling these pre-installed apps is simple if they decide they no longer require them. The Play Store makes it simple for them to download them again if they need them.
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 is a cost-effective gadget, even though the circumstances are not ideal. The brand’s flagship offerings, such as the $1,400 OnePlus Open and the $700 OnePlus 12, are the pinnacle of luxury, and the discovery of third-party bloatware sneaking in during setup detracts from this experience.
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