Android system apps, explained

Know what's running on your phone.

Every preinstalled package: what it is, what it does, and whether you can turn it off.

Sourced, dated, and written for people, not for root shells.

Try com.samsung.android.app.spage Android System Intelligence Carrier Services

Sourced and dated. Every page links its sources and shows when it was checked.
Verdicts with confidence. Keep, safe, advanced or do not remove, and how sure we are.
Tools run on this page. Your package list is checked here, not uploaded; our host still sees ordinary request logs.

packages documented with a sourced verdict: 494
brand and carrier hubs: 8
pages checked against their sources this quarter: 562
system apps explained by name: 25

The ones everyone asks about

All named apps

Android System WebView

Keep

Updated 25 October 2026

The shared web engine that apps use to show web pages inside themselves; keep it on and up to date.

com.google.android.webview

Android System Intelligence

Advanced

Updated 25 October 2026

Google's on-device engine for Live Caption, Smart Text Selection, app suggestions and other smart features.

com.google.android.as

System UI

Do not remove

Updated 25 October 2026

The part of Android that draws the status bar, notification shade, quick settings, lock screen and volume panel.

com.android.systemui

Carrier Services

Advanced

Updated 25 October 2026

Google's background app that supports RCS chat features in Google Messages; disable it only if you never use RCS.

com.google.android.ims

How we decide a verdict

Four verdicts, each with a confidence level: the maker's own documentation, community evidence, or unverified. A "do not remove" never rests on a forum thread alone.

Read the method

Where the data comes from

The Android source code, Google and phone-maker support pages, Google Play listings, and community debloat lists cited as evidence, never copied.

See the source types

What changed this month

Android Accessibility Suite checked 25 October 2026
Android Auto checked 25 October 2026
Android Setup checked 25 October 2026

The changelog

Brands and carriers

Every hub

01 Samsung 02 Google Pixel 03 Xiaomi 04 OnePlus and OPPO 05 Motorola 06 Carriers

Samsung

Galaxy phones ship with two layers of preinstalled apps: Google's set, which every Play-certified phone carries, and Samsung's own One UI apps and services, from Bixby and Samsung News to Device care, Samsung Members and the Galaxy Store.

Open the checklist

Google Pixel

Pixel phones run the Android build closest to the open-source base, plus Google's apps and services: Play services, the Play Store, Android System Intelligence, Carrier Services and the rest.

Open the checklist

Xiaomi

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones run HyperOS (MIUI on older models), which adds Xiaomi's own apps for security scanning, cloud backup, themes and system services on top of Google's set.

Open the checklist

OnePlus and OPPO

OnePlus phones run OxygenOS and OPPO phones run ColorOS, and since 2021 the two have shared most of their system code.

Open the checklist

Motorola

Motorola phones run software close to stock Android with a layer of Moto features on top: gestures, Peek display, the Moto app and Motorola's own update and support tools.

Open the checklist

Carriers

Apps that Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile install on the phones they sell, alongside whatever the phone's maker adds.

Open the checklist

Tools

All tools

#TOOL

Package lookup

Type a package name or the name Settings shows, and get what it is and its verdict as you type.

Runs on this page
Package or app name

#TOOL

Package-list audit

Paste the output of adb shell pm list packages. Every line gets its verdict; tick the ones to turn off and download the script.

Runs on this page
ADB script export

#TOOL

Debloat checklist builder

Pick a brand and a profile, review what it would turn off and why, then export the script and a printable checklist.

Brand and carrier lists
ADB script export
Printable

For app developers

A privacy policy before you can publish

Google Play and the App Store both ask for a privacy policy link. Answer what your app does and the free generator writes one in plain English.

Guides

All guides

Troubleshooting

"System UI has stopped": what it means and how to fix it

Why Android's System UI crashes after updates, themes, icon packs or low storage, and the fixes to try in order, from a restart to a reset.

5 min read

Explainer

Android package names explained: how to read and look one up

What a name like com.samsung.android.app.spage means, how to read the vendor prefix and the endings, how to find any app's package name, and how to look it up.

4 min read

Explainer

Android system apps list: every kind of preinstalled app, explained

A map of Android system apps by category, from core services and telephony to feeds and carrier tools, with what each group does and where to find each one.

3 min read

Brand guide

Carrier bloatware: Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile apps you can remove

What Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile add to Android phones, which carrier apps are safe to remove, and which ones calls, Wi-Fi calling and unlocking depend on.

4 min read

Explainer

Disable vs Uninstall vs Force stop on Android: what each button does

What Force stop, Disable, Uninstall, Uninstall updates, Clear cache and Clear storage each do to an Android app, which one to use, and what can go wrong.

4 min read

How-to

Hidden apps on Android: how to find every app on your phone

Where Android keeps apps out of sight, how to show them on Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and Motorola, and how to spot an app that hides on purpose.

5 min read

MySystemApp documents the apps that come with a phone. It is not affiliated with any phone maker or carrier.