How to stop your Samsung phone from automatically downloading apps

If you own a Samsung device, you've probably noticed how it automatically downloads bloated apps without your permission.The problem is more common on the company's budget and mid-range devices than its flagships.

Unfortunately, there isn't a single button that lets you stop the Galaxy Store from downloading these apps on your phone.However, there are a few things you can do to deal with this.Here are five ways to stop your Samsung phone from automatically installing apps.

1. Remove app permission from Galaxy Store

To stop the Galaxy Store from automatically downloading apps, the first thing you should do is remove its app permissions.To do this, go to Settings > Apps > Galaxy Store > Permissions.

Here, select Permissions under "Allow," and select "Don't allow."After this, you'll get a warning; just click "Don't Allow" and continue.Do the same for all other permissions under "Allow".

Doing so will make it harder for the Galaxy Store app to use resources and download files on your phone.After you remove the permission and open the app, it will ask you to grant it permission again.Make sure to tap "Don't Allow" on the pop-ups to deny them.

The latest version of the Galaxy Store limits notifications for closing apps.All other permissions like Contacts, Phone and Location can still be disabled.

2. Turn off all Galaxy Store app settings

In addition to removing permissions, you can also turn off all Galaxy Store app settings.To do this, first go back to the app info page (Settings > Apps > Galaxy Store).Here, turn off the following settings:

1. Click Set as default and switch to Off to open supported links.

2. Tap Mobile data and switch to Off to allow background data usage.

3. Click to change system settings, and switch to off to allow permission.

4. Tap Install unknown apps, and switch to Off Allow from this source.

5. Tap the app details in the store, tap the three dots menu button at the top of the app page that opens, and deselect Automatic Updates.

3. Deselect Recommended apps when setting up the Galaxy Store

If you're opening the Galaxy Store app for the first time, you'll likely see an app recommendation page marketed as "Popular Apps to Get Started."Be careful here; if you rush through the setup process, you could end up downloading a bunch of bloatware on your phone.

Here's what to do:

1. Under your startup applications, you will see a list of application groups.Each application group will have one or more automatically selected applications.Click "Edit" next to an app group to manually deselect all selected apps.Do the same for all application groups.Once done, click Continue.

2. On the next "Custom Profile" page, click Skip.

3. When launching, you may see a pop-up window asking you to select your regional language.At the bottom, deselect "Receive notifications of new and exclusive content from the Galaxy app," then tap "Done."

4. You may also receive a pop-up called "Marketing Choices".If so, click Cancel.

Judging by the latest update, the app recommendation page no longer appears when you first open the Galaxy Store app, and you're not automatically signed up to receive news and special offers.However, you may still see an ad for a random app or game.

4. Turn off Settings in the Galaxy Store app

Next, disable the settings from inside the Galaxy Store app.Open the app, tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines), then tap the settings menu (gear icon) to access the Galaxy Store settings.

Now, follow the directions below:

1. Tap Automatically update apps and select Never.

2. Cut off access to news and special offers.

3. Tap About Galaxy Store > Automatically update Galaxy Store, and select Use Wi-Fi only.

4. If you are already logged in, click Customize Services; this will take you to the Customize Applications page.Here, deselect all selected applications.You may receive warnings from some apps; just tap STOP to continue.

5. Next, click the back icon on the screen to enter the customized service page.Be careful here; if you go back using the navigation buttons or swipe gesture on your device, it will take you back to the main settings page.You have to click on the back arrow icon at the top.Once on the "Customize Services" page, click to turn off "Customize this phone", "Use mobile data" and "Customize advertising and direct marketing".

6. On the same page, tap Clear your data, tap Clear again, enter your Samsung account password, and tap OK.

7. Click Stop Customizing All Devices, click Stop All Customization again, and click Close to confirm.

5. Stop using the Galaxy Store completely

If you still have auto-downloaded apps on your device, your last resort is to simply ditch the Galaxy Store altogether.But before you do, keep in mind that many Samsung apps aren't available in the Google Play Store.

So if you want to keep your Samsung apps updated, you need the Galaxy Store up and running.And, if you're using Edge panels on a Samsung phone, you won't be able to download third-party edge panels without it either.But if you don't care about all that, get rid of the store.

The catch is that you can neither uninstall nor disable the Galaxy Store app, unlike some other pre-installed Samsung apps, because it's an integral part of One UI.However, you still have other ways to stop it from running in the background.To do this, go to the Galaxy Store app info page and follow these tips:

1. Click Force Stop > OK.

2. Go to Storage > Clear Data > OK.

3. You can also select the three-dot menu at the top of the page, click Uninstall Updates > OK.This will downgrade the app to its factory version, the version installed on your device before receiving any updates.Doing so is a bit risky, as the app may interrupt the use of some Samsung services that require regular updates.

Stop installing bloatware on your Galaxy phone

No one likes to see unwanted bloatware popping up on their screen, especially on a phone from a well-known company like Samsung.It wastes storage space, hogs processing power, and reduces battery life.

Frankly, it's disappointing to see Samsung take this approach just to earn some commission from third-party developers.

Just recently, Samsung started removing ads from One UI, so it stands to reason that the company will stop this practice of automatically downloading bloatware on users' devices in the future as well.But for now, your best chance of getting rid of them is to follow the tips above.