- Nothing has announced that it will allow users to completely uninstall meta apps in Nothing OS 4.0
- The move follows a backlash after the Nothing Phone 3a Lite shipped with Meta Services features immovable.
- The fix will be implemented at the end of November.
Nothing, the UK-based phone maker led by OnePlus founder Carl Pei, faced controversy this week after users spoke out against bloatware pre-installed on the brand’s Phone 3a series of mid-range and budget smartphones.
As Android Authority reports, Nothing recently released the Android 16-based Nothing OS 4.0 update for its current lineup of smartphones, and while the entire lineup got new features and fixes with the update, Nothing also made it impossible to remove pre-installed apps on the new Phone 3a Lite, including apps like Meta Services and the Meta Facebook app.
Naturally, this caused a stir among Nothing’s passionate fans. As a smaller phone brand, Nothing emphasizes privacy and simplicity, and whatever you think of Meta, there’s no denying that the tech giant doesn’t exactly share this reputation.
Worse yet, there’s no way to completely remove Meta Services, Meta App Installer, and Meta App Manager from a phone running Nothing OS 4.0; although, as 9to5Google explains, users can completely uninstall Facebook and Instagram.
Fortunately, Nothing turned this problem around 180 degrees and released a solution. In an update to a previous statement on the Nothing Community forum, Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis announced that users will be able to completely uninstall Meta Apps, the Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Services with an upcoming update.
Nothing points to the end of November as a deadline to start implementing the solution.
In the updated post, Evangelidis wrote: “Previously, these [apps] It could only be disabled. “While we recommend keeping them active for better stability of pre-installed apps like Instagram or Facebook, we understand that some users prefer full control over what remains on their device.”
Solving an avoidable problem
To be honest, it’s disappointing that Nothing is pushing pre-installed apps after having such a good year when it comes to hardware.
We were impressed by the Nothing Phone 3, Phone 3a, and Phone 3a Pro (which are among the best cheap phones), so this issue has flattened the launch of the Phone 3a Lite in comparison.
That’s why I hesitate to give Nothing much credit for this latest solution: it’s a solution to a problem that should never have existed.
I understand that economic pressures may lead phone makers to accept payments from major tech companies to pre-install apps, but not allowing users to completely uninstall said software is the real mistake here. That takes bloatware from a day-one annoyance to a real problem you might want to consider before buying a phone.
Anyway, I’m glad Nothing corrected course in this regard; If you have been affected by this Nothing issue, please let us know in the comments below.
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