When the company came to know about this problem in OnePlus phones, the company also took action in this matter. On the social media platform X, user Gaurang Arora noticed a screen during the device setup that read “Review additional apps”, this screen appeared to the user during the setup process of OnePlus 12. Four apps were being shown on the screen which were from Google Play Store. These included LinkedIn, Policybazaar, Block Blast and Candy Crush Saga. All four apps were already selected by the device. These four apps were being shown under the “From OnePlus” header.
I was setting up the OnePlus 12 and I came across a screen suggesting additional apps that I could install. I’ve never seen these apps suggested before on any OnePlus Flagship. This OnePlus 12 was being used and updated before, now reset.
OnePlus might be headed down a dark lane… pic.twitter.com/xwStxN8gSy
— Gaurav Arora (@Gauraang_) May 1, 2024
Android Authority tested the phone’s setup process in three regions. For the Indian variant, the platform found that the OnePlus 12 is pre-selecting these four apps during setup in India. The phone was running on Oxygen OS 14.0.0.610. In the US, a third-party app was pre-selected during setup, while in Europe, no pre-selected apps were seen on the phone. However, users also have the option to remove these apps and if they want, they can refuse to install them on the phone. But here there is also a possibility that if the apps are skipped during the setup process, then bloatware may come in the phone.
Three apps were also found pre-installed in OnePlus Open, all of which were from Meta. These apps were named Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Services. Earlier, these three apps were also spotted in the OnePlus 8 series. Due to this, OnePlus had to face a lot of criticism because these apps could not be easily removed from the phone.
The company has now reportedly taken action in this matter and said that it was a flaw. This flaw was found during testing in OnePlus 12 and it was fixed on May 6. OnePlus 12 no longer comes pre-loaded with any such app. The company said this in response to Android Authority. The company said that it keeps OxygenOS bloatware free. But the smartphone maker admitted that two pre-installed apps – Instagram and Agoda – were also found in OnePlus Nord CE 4. But it was very easy to uninstall them from the phone.
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