Most of the android phones I’ve had came preinstalled with something called “Mobile Services”. I normally remove it because it just keeps randomly installing apps and games that don’t want but I’ve never had an active phone plan on those phones. If I disabled it from my phone, would I still be able to send and receive calls and texts?

So far the only thing I have found out is that “Mobile Services” is an app that is only preinstalled on android phones who’s carrier is Tracfone.

Edit: Even though I wasn’t able to get an answer, I’ve decided to just disable it. I wont be manually testing it and I wont be updating this post with results. I no longer care at this point and I wont be responding to anymore comments about this.

  • JackGreenEarth@lemm.eeEnglish
    2·
    3 days ago

    What are you using to uninstall it? I use Canta from F-Droid and it usually provides a short description of most apps and why you should or shouldn’t uninstall them.

    • vortexal@sopuli.xyzOPEnglish
      3·
      3 days ago

      I actually can’t uninstall it but I just using my phone’s settings app and either remove or disable it depending on what that phone allows me to do. Canta seems pretty complicated to use but I’ll try it and see what it tells me.

    • vortexal@sopuli.xyzOPEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      Ok I figured out that you don’t actually have to setup Shizuku to use Canta. The only problem is that Canta doesn’t provide a description for Mobile Services. It just provides the package name, which I searched for online, but the only thing I can find is that it’s specific to Tracfone devices.

  • Skull giver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nlEnglish
    29·
    3 days ago

    Sounds like malware. Could be carrier-installed malware if you bought your phone directly from a carrier (which is why I’ll always go SIM only, fuck carrier firmware), could also be a virus. Either way, it’s nestled its way into your system partition, otherwise it wouldn’t have background install permissions, and that’s generally Not Good.

    I doubt an app that installs trash will be required for your phone to work right. Malware often picks names like these to hide their illicit intent. However, if it’s part of your system ROM, you may not be able to disable it; the system may re-enable it against your will.