pre-installed software
{{Short description|Software already installed and licensed on a computer by OEM}}
Pre-installed software (also known as bundled software) is software already installed and licensed on a computer or smartphone bought from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM).[http://www.microsoft.com/uk/business/howtobuy/preinstalled.mspx "Pre-installed on a new computer"], a Microsoft article The operating system is usually factory-installed, but because it is a general requirement, this term is used for additional software apart from the bare necessary amount, usually from other sources (or the operating system vendor).
Unwanted factory-installed software (also known as crapware{{cite web|url=http://www.itworld.com/consumerization-it/319281/heres-all-crapware-comes-new-windows-8-pcs|title=Here's all the crapware that comes with new Windows 8 PCs|author=Melanie Pinola|publisher=IT World|date=November 21, 2012|access-date=2013-01-24}}{{cite web|url=http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/five-apps/five-apps-for-crapware-cleanup/1256|title=Five apps for crapware cleanup|author=Justin James|date=December 5, 2012|publisher=TechRepublic|access-date=2013-01-24}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/2025362/lucrative-windows-crapware-market-is-exactly-why-we-need-app-stores.html|title=Lucrative Windows crapware market is exactly why we need app stores|author=Jared Newman|publisher=PCWorld|date=Jan 15, 2013|access-date=2013-01-24}} or bloatware) can include major security vulnerabilities, like Superfish, which installs a root certificate to inject advertising into encrypted Google search pages, but leaves computers vulnerable to serious cyberattacks that breach the security used in banking and finance websites.{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lenovo-cybersecurity-dhs-idUSKBN0LO21U20150220 | title=U.S. government urges Lenovo customers to remove Superfish software | publisher=Reuters | date=February 20, 2015 | access-date=February 20, 2015}}{{cite web | url=https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA15-051A | title=Alert: Lenovo "Superfish" Adware Vulnerable to HTTPS Spoofing | publisher=United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team | date=February 20, 2015 | access-date=February 20, 2015}}
Some mirror sites for freeware use unwanted software bundling that similarly installs unwanted software.
Unwanted software
Often new PCs come with factory-installed software which the manufacturer was paid to include, but is of dubious value to the purchaser. Most of these programs are included without the user's knowledge, and have no instructions on how to opt-out or remove them.{{cite web|title=PUP Criteria|url=https://www.malwarebytes.org/pup/|publisher=Malwarebytes|access-date=13 February 2015}}
A Microsoft executive mentioned that within the company these applications were dubbed craplets (a portmanteau of crap and applet).{{cite news
| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/craplets-could-damage-vista-launch-microsoft-exec-1.692434
| title = 'Craplets' could damage Vista launch: Microsoft exec
| access-date = 2008-01-06
| last = Khan
| first = Saleem
| date = 2007-01-10
| publisher = CBC News
| url = http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20070405/pcs-mired-in-chores/
| title = Using Even New PCs Is Ruined by a Tangle of Trial Programs, Ads
| access-date = 2008-01-06
| last = Mossberg
| first = Walter S.
| date = 2007-04-05
| publisher = The Wall Street Journal
}} He suggested that the experience of people buying a new Windows computer can be damaged by poorly designed, uncertified third-party applications installed by vendors. He stated that the antitrust case against Microsoft prevented the company from stopping the pre-installation of these programs by OEMs. Walt Mossberg, technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, condemned "craplets" in two columns published in April 2007, and suggested several possible strategies for removing them.{{cite web
| url = http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20070412/new-pc-junk-programs/
| title = Ways You Can Avoid Getting Junk Programs on Your New Computer
| access-date = 2008-01-06
| last = Mossberg
| first = Walter S.
| date = 2007-04-12
| publisher = The Wall Street Journal
}}
The bundling of these unwanted applications is often performed in exchange for financial compensation, paid to the OEM by the application's publisher. At the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, Dell defended this practice, stating that it keeps costs down, and implying that systems might cost significantly more to the end user if these programs were not factory-installed.{{cite web
| url = https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070111-8598.html
| title = $60 to keep crapware off of a Windows PC?
| access-date = 2008-01-06
| last = Fisher
| first = Ken
| date = 2007-01-11
| publisher = Ars Technica
}} Some system vendors and retailers will offer, for an additional charge, to remove unwanted factory-installed software from a newly purchased computer; retailers, in particular, will tout this service as a "performance improvement." In 2008, Sony Corporation announced a plan to charge end users US$50 for the service; Sony subsequently decided to drop the charge for this service and offer it for free after many users expressed outrage.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/03/sony-pay-an-ext/
|title=Breaking: Sony won't charge $50 to remove bloatware
|author=Rob Beschizza|magazine=Wired|date=2008-03-21|access-date=2009-10-29}} Microsoft Store similarly offers a range of "Signature Edition" computers sold in a similar state, as well as extended warranty and support packages through Microsoft.{{cite web|title=Microsoft's Signature Edition laptops deliver the 'clean PC' experience you really want|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/2887213/microsofts-signature-edition-laptops-deliver-the-clean-pc-experience-you-really-want.html|website=PC World|access-date=16 January 2016}}
= On smartphones =
Mobile phones typically come with factory-installed software provided by its manufacturer or mobile network operator; similarly to their PC equivalents, they are sometimes tied to account management or other premium services offered by the provider. The practice was extended to smartphones via Android, as carriers often bundle apps provided by themselves and third-party developers with the device and, furthermore, install them into the System partition, making it so that they cannot be completely removed from the device without performing unsupported modifications to its firmware (such as rooting) first.{{cite web|title=LG G Vista (Verizon Wireless)|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2465558,00.asp|website=PC Magazine|access-date=22 October 2014}}{{cite magazine|title=Bloatware Creeps Into Android Phones|url=https://www.wired.com/2010/07/bloatware-android-phones/|magazine=Wired|access-date=22 October 2014|last1=Ganapati |first1=Priya }}{{cite web|title=Want to protect your Android phone? Here's how to kill its crapware.|url=http://www.itworld.com/article/2833289/security/want-to-protect-your-android-phone--here-s-how-to-kill-its-crapware-.html|website=IT World|date=6 November 2013 |access-date=22 October 2014}}{{cite magazine|title=Friday Rant: The Ever-Sorrier State of Android Bloatware|url=https://time.com/94646/android-bloatware/|magazine=Time|date=9 May 2014 |access-date=22 October 2014}}
Some of these apps may run in the background, consuming battery life, and may also duplicate functionality already provided by the phone itself; for example, Verizon Wireless has bundled phones with a redundant text messaging app known as "Messages+" (which is set as the default text messaging program in lieu of the stock messaging app included within the OS), and VZ Navigator (a subscription service redundant to the free Google Maps service).{{cite web|title=Samsung Galaxy S5 Bloatware Removal Guide|url=http://blog.laptopmag.com/galaxy-s5-bloatware-list|website=Laptop Magazine|access-date=22 October 2014}} In addition, apps bundled by OEMs may also include special system-level permissions that bypass those normally enforced by the operating system.{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/50-orgs-ask-google-to-take-a-stance-against-android-bloatware/|title=50+ orgs ask Google to take a stance against Android bloatware|last=Cimpanu|first=Catalin|website=ZDNet|language=en|access-date=2020-01-10}}
Android 4.0 attempted to address these issues by allowing users to "disable" apps—which hides them from application menus and prevents them from running. However, this does not remove the software from the device entirely, and they still consume storage unless they are removed via unsupported modifications.{{cite web|title=Here's how Verizon's Android bloatware might become the best ever|url=http://bgr.com/2014/07/25/verizon-lg-g3-bloatware-uninstall/|website=BGR|date=25 July 2014 |access-date=22 October 2014}} Android 5.0 began to allow carrier apps to be automatically downloaded from Google Play Store during initial device setup instead; they are installed the same way as user-downloaded apps, and can be uninstalled normally.{{cite web|title=Transcript: Ars talks to Android execs about Lollipop and the Nexuses|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/10/transcript-ars-talks-to-android-execs-about-lollipop-and-the-nexuses/|website=Ars Technica|date=28 October 2014 |access-date=20 May 2016}}
Although Apple does not allow operators to customize the iPhone in this manner, the company has faced criticism for including an increasing number of factory-installed apps in iOS that cannot be removed.{{cite magazine|title=Apple Music's Worst Feature? You Can't Delete It|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/07/apple-apps-delete/|magazine=Wired|access-date=27 July 2015|last1=Barrett |first1=Brian }}
Legal considerations
- In April 2014, South Korea implemented new regulatory guidelines for the mobile phone industry, requiring non-essential apps bundled on a smartphone to be user-removable.{{cite web|title=South Korea rules pre-installed phone bloatware must be deletable|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/south-korea-rules-pre-installed-phone-bloatware-must-be-deletable/|website=ZDNet|access-date=22 October 2014}}
- In December 2019, Russia passed a law effective 1 July 2020, which requires that specific types of consumer electronics devices be factory-installed with applications developed by Russian vendors. The goal of this law is to discourage the use of foreign competitors.{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/phones-and-pcs-sold-in-russia-will-have-to-come-pre-installed-with-russian-apps/|title=Phones and PCs sold in Russia will have to come pre-installed with Russian apps|last=Cimpanu|first=Catalin|website=ZDNet|language=en|access-date=2019-12-04}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/3/20977459/russian-law-pre-installed-domestic-software-tvs-smartphones-laptops|title=Russia passes law forcing manufacturers to install Russian-made software|last=Porter|first=Jon|date=2019-12-03|website=The Verge|language=en|access-date=2019-12-04}}
See also
- {{annotated link|Tying (commerce)}}
- {{annotated link|Product bundling}}
- {{annotated link|Bundled software}}
- wikt:bundleware
- {{annotated link|Shovelware}}
- {{annotated link|Application software}}