OnePlus seems to be preparing more bloatware apps to push on its devices

Bloatware has been a long-time problem for Android devices, but some brands have stood against it for a while. OnePlus, though, seems to be sneaking more bloatware onto its devices as of late.

OnePlus smartphones are typically pretty light on pre-installed apps. There’s the usual Google suite, a handful of OnePlus’ own apps, and that’s about it. Some others have made their way with time, such as a bunch of Meta/Facebook services that first launched a few years ago, were removed due to backlash, and then returned on last year’s OnePlus Open.

More recently, OnePlus 12 owners were greeted with a Google Play screen upon installing a software update that tried to install a handful of random apps including LinkedIn, Candy Crush, and more.

This is was spotted by users on Twitter/X, but OnePlus has since said to Android Authority that it was in error. The company said in a statement:

The soft-preloads on OnePlus 12 was an error made during testing and has been rectified as of 6 May. The OnePlus 12 does not come pre-loaded with any of these apps and will continue to remain light, fast and smooth.

However, Android Authority notes that the behavior remains unchanged during the initial setup process as of the latest updates.

Notably, though, there’s evidence behind the scenes that OnePlus may be planning on making similar moves. @1NormalUsername, who often finds secrets in OnePlus’ code, spotted references to other bloatware apps including a “Must Play” folder that would push games on users. Since this isn’t live yet, there’s no way to know exactly what OnePlus’ plans on, but the code shown suggests that the apps will either be pre-installed or showing via APK stubs (smaller apps that show an icon before you download the full app) in the launcher. Again, it’s not live in current updates, but the framework is being built out behind the scenes.

The potentially upcoming bloatware apps include:

• Fitbit
• Folder titled “Must Play” including apps like:
  • Bubble Pop!
  • Word Connect Wonders of View
  • Tile Match
• Folder titled “More Apps” including apps like:
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Amazon India Shop
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • Amazon Music
• Zomato
• Agoda
• Swiggy

Fitbit is a strange addition in this list, but we’d guess that maybe it’s included as Google Fit is starting to fade away. But, without more context, it’s really hard to know.

There’s no official word from OnePlus on these potential bloatware apps, but it’s clear there’s work going on in the background.

More on OnePlus:

• OnePlus Watch 2 launches in gorgeous ‘Nordic Blue’ color, but not everywhere [Gallery]
• OnePlus Pad 2 is reportedly launching later this year
• OnePlus and Oppo to add Gemini to devices later this year

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