Samsung might be forced to allow European users to uninstall bloatware

Most smartphones these days come with bloatware in some form or the other, and users can’t uninstall those apps and services. Such apps not only take up additional storage space, but they are also used for marketing activities and push unnecessary notifications. However, smartphone OEMs might have to offer users an option to uninstall bloatware.

According to a report from the Financial Times, the European Union is planning to pass an act that forces smartphone OEMs to allow users to uninstall the bloatware that comes pre-loaded on the devices. The Digital Services Act, which aims to tackle big technology companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google, is expected to be passed by the end of this year. Some measures prescribed in the draft version of the act include stopping brands from using data collected on their platforms for their own commercial activities unless they make it “accessible to business users active in the same commercial activities.”

The act also talks about prohibiting gatekeeper platforms (Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store) from using advertising data they collect from other businesses on the platform for any purpose other than advertising services. Moreover, the act also stops big tech companies from giving preferential treatment to their own services. If this act is passed, it could affect brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, and others who pre-load their own app stores and alternative apps. For example, apart from Google’s and its own apps, Samsung also pre-loads apps from Microsoft and Facebook.