Sprint Pushes FPS NOVA With Firmware — and Users Can't Remove It

theodp writes "If you could change the way wireless companies did things, what would you do?' asked Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. How about stopping the use of Sprint's firmware updates to download apps that aren't wanted and can't be removed, Dan? Sprint confirmed to CNET's Elinor Mills that those strange apps she was shocked to find on her Android phone — sci-fi shooter N.O.V.A. and Blockbuster — with a long list of permissions that couldn't be uninstalled had been sneakily downloaded onto her phone during a firmware update. 'Sprint does offer a variety of partner applications that are optimized for use on our wireless phones,' a Sprint representative explained in an e-mail. 'From time to time, we will provide new apps to our customers in conjunction with a software maintenance release. Also, Sprint, in conjunction with Google, is taking steps to develop a technical solution that would allow customers to remove any unwanted applications that have been preloaded or pushed in an over-the-air software update.'" Asking first would be a nice non-technical solution.

Asking first is not a non-technical solution

[Surt]

You have to build the technology to ask during installation of a patch, which is generally supposed to be an invisible process. That's the opposite of a non-technical solution.

This is a problem.

[itchythebear]

I am a sprint customer, N.O.V.A. is hardly the biggest problem. My main complaint was the stupid sprint sports apps that like to run in the background. I don't like NASCAR, football, or any other of the sports they included apps for that are uninstallable and automatically run in the background. Funny enough, it seemed like the only sport they didn't have an app for was the NHL (something i would have used). The only reason I rooted my phone was do delete all of those apps, and wouldn't you know... I get twice the battery life.

Sony Ericsson does the same thing

[KreAture]

On my X10-mini I continously get "Roller Rev 99" and "Edge" two games I neither don't want or like.
They can be removed from apps menu but every refresh or minor update reinstalls them.
They are ofcource both trial versions and if you clean out their datastore to get rid of em, your trial licence is gone too, so all you can do is watch the horrible dialogs telling you to purchase fullversion and lock up before allowing you to exit again. The word crapware comes to mind...

You have to be pretty corrupt and greedy as a manufacturer/vendor to bundle this crap.

who's phone is it?

[guygo]

This kind of junk will continue until the carriers realize the phone belongs to the customer, not them.

Re:This is a problem.

[Anonymous Coward]

The reason you can'y uninstall them is sprint gets paid for each install ... pretty obvious id say.