My Pixel runs faster after I remove these preinstalled Google apps

I've been using Google Pixel phones since the Pixel 2, and I've come to love the relatively bloatware-free experience.

However, the Pixel experience has soured somewhat in recent years as Google loads up new Pixels with more and more unnecessary apps.

Now, when I boot up a Pixel phone for the first time, I uninstall these apps before I even touch the Play Store.

Your experience may vary, but I find my Pixel phone runs faster after I uninstall or disable them. At the very least, I always save storage space.

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I replace these preinstalled apps on every new phone

No matter the phone, these apps have to go

Posts 5
By  Jon Gilbert

My Pixel becomes redundant within minutes

Helpful for newcomers, irrelevant for veterans

If I were picking up a Pixel phone for the first time, I would find the My Pixel app useful for approximately an hour. It's a useful repository of information on how to use the phone's features, but it's unhelpful for long-term use.

The problem is that it's overdesigned. Each segment is essentially a page from Google's online support portal, but presented as an overlong slideshow. If I want to know how a Pixel feature works, searching the support website is faster.

My Pixel replaced the old Pixel Tips app, which was folded into a separate tab containing the information described above.

The rest of the app is almost useless. It could be helpful if one was constantly buying and reading about new Pixel devices, but that's what the website is for.

Overall, it's not worth the storage space, so I always uninstall it.

AI Core and supported apps

Disabling this app also saves the most space

Since the Pixel 8 Pro, Google has shipped its flagship Pixel smartphones with the Gemini Nano model preinstalled. This model powers features like Magic Cue as well as AI-powered apps like Pixel Journal.

However, it takes up a lot of storage space and reserves up to 3.5GB of RAM. I don't find the on-device AI features particularly useful, so I disable it.

As AI Core is required for other apps, I also uninstall or disable them to save more space:

• Pixel Screenshots
• Pixel Journal
• Device Intelligence

I still use Gemini to answer important questions, but these queries are powered by Gemini's cloud models; disabling AI Core doesn't affect Gemini's performance.

Google TV is irrelevant on my phone

It does what other streaming apps do, but worse

Google TV provides a single portal to access all my streaming purchases and the Google TV store. But I don't need it.

I use Google TV, but on my TV, not my smartphone. I buy and rent films through Google, but on my TV, not my smartphone. If I'm away from home, I open the YouTube app.

I can also buy, rent, and watch the same content through the YouTube app. While it's nice to explore other streaming apps, I prefer to open them directly or access them through Google Search.

The rest of the app is an unhelpful mix of highlights and recommendations. A quick scroll through the For you page shows a variety of films and TV shows, none of which I'm interested in.

Dedicated streaming apps do Google TV's job better. Uninstalling it saves me space, and I miss out on nothing.

Google Password Manager makes my passwords confusing fast

Alternative apps have more features and are more secure

Google Password Manager is a convenient way to store my passwords, but I prefer a third-party password manager app over relying on my Google account to store everything.

I prefer Proton Pass to store my passwords, but other apps like Bitwarden are viable options.

I uninstall Google Password Manager before anything else; otherwise, passwords get confusing fast. With multiple password managers installed, it's easy to accidentally save passwords in the wrong one, which can be confusing.

I don't use Google Password Manager for a variety of reasons. It's locked to the Google ecosystem; it offers no two-factor authentication support, no support for storing secure documents, no master password, and no on-device encryption by default.

Google Authenticator is inferior

I make this app disappear instantly on new devices

For my two-factor authentication needs, I would rather use nearly any other app than Google Authenticator. It's one of the most confusing and least secure authentication apps.

I use 2FAS, but most alternatives will work. Like Google Password Manager, I always uninstall it first to avoid confusion later.

I uninstall more, but these are the essentials

I uninstall many more apps, including Google Keep, YouTube Music, Google Keep, and Google Health. However, this is because of personal preference, not because I think they waste space.

Google phones are much less bloated than Samsung's, but the push to get us to adopt AI tools has added an increasing number of irrelevant apps.

Fortunately for us, Google constantly removes and replaces its own apps. Pixel Studio would have been on this list, but Google folded it into the Gemini app, where it's even easier to ignore.