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A Magisk module to remove bloatware in systemless way / 一个无需修改 system 分区即可移除预装软件的 Magisk 模块
Magisk (Recommended!) 丨 KernelSU (Recommended!) 丨 APatch (Not test yet)
Bloatware Slayer removes bloatwares in systemless way, using specific mount methods from Magisk, KernelSU and APatch. Below are the steps:
- Install Magisk / KernelSU / APatch
- Download and install Bloatware Slayer
- To obtain the directories of bloatwares, you need to do some research beforehand: For example, use App Manager, Root Explorer, or MiXplorer to manually locate and copy the folder names of pre-installed apps under
/system. - Open the file
/data/adb/bloatwareslayer/target.confand add the directories of the bloatwares obtained in step 3, one per line. - Save the changes to
target.confand reboot your device to observe the results. You can see the information of blocked APPs (slain), APPs not found (missing) and APPs in total (targeted in total) in the module description. For example, I need to uninstall XiaoAi Voice Assistant, so I will get the folder XiaoAi Voice Assistant located in by AppManager and soon get its nameVoiceAssistAndroidT, then copyVoiceAssistAndroidTand add it intotarget.conf, save the changes and reboot my device.
target.confsupports commenting out entire lines with the "#" symbol. Bloatware Slayer will ignore commented lines and empty lines.- Bloatware Slayer supports custom paths, for example:
/system/app/MiVideo. In this case, Bloatware Slayer will directly process the custom path without scanning other system folders. - Since most modern devices use SAR (System-as-root), the resource directory names you see in AppManager may not start with
/system(for example,/product/app/Scanner). To ensure the mount works, you need to add/systemmanually to the beginning of paths. Otherwise, Bloatware Slayer will ignore them. - To save the time and reduce the cost of resources, now Bloatware Slayer will update the items of
target.confinto the system path bloatwares located in automatically in each time booting. You can read the chapterConfig Fileto know. - If the resource directory starts with
/data, it means the app was installed as first booting after the initial of ROM setup. You can uninstall it manually and should NOT add it totarget.conf, as Bloatware Slayer's processing will not affect such apps.
Q: Why do I need to manually copy the folder names instead of letting the module detect the system directories based on the app names or package names?
- Firstly, the APP name and package name are not reliable, and relying on these two factors to locate the APP folder is extremely inefficient.
For most standardized ROMs, the probability of using languages other than English to name system directories/folders is extremely low.
Moreover, there are quite a few APPs whose APP names have no relation to their system directory/folder names (whether due to the ROM provider's carelessness and lack of proficiency leading to non-standard naming details, or the sinister intentions of some apps that deliberately use non-standard naming to hide their user data collection activities). If one insists on matching them in this way, not only would a large amount of data analysis be required, but the error rate would still be quite high.
For example, there is an app named "System Service," but its directory/folder name is "AdPushService," and its package name is "com.android.adpromote." - Regarding package names, please refer to "Confirmed feature that will not be added: Detecting package names is permanently off the table".
- Besides, although this module operates in a Systemless (non-system-modifying) manner, you must always know and be certain of what you are doing. You need to know which system apps you should disable, instead of blindly copying someone else's list and then shifting all the blame to this Magisk module when problems arise.
Starting from version v1.2.1, Bloatware Slayer supports manually enabling or disabling the following features. Please open the configuration file /data/adb/bloatwareslayer/settings.conf to view and modify the settings if needed. If not specified in the settings.conf file, the default value is 300 seconds (5 minutes). However, the default value within the settings.conf file is 180 seconds (3 minutes).
slay_mode: the method of Bloatware Slayer blocking bloatwares.
MB(Mount Bind), a method that is generally applicable to various Root solutions in most ROMs.MR(Magisk Replace), a method specific to Magisk.MN(Make Node), a method available for Magisk 28102+、KernelSU, and APatch. Insettings.conf, the default value of Bloatware Slayer isMB(Mount Bind), since the method has the highest compatibility——even though it is not so good in Root hiding. You may switch into MR mode or MN mode manually if needed, which is more friendly for Root hiding.
brick_timeout: Sets the timeout for determining if the device has bricked. It requires a positive integer, measured in seconds. The default value is300seconds (5 minutes). If it is not set insettings.conf, the default value is300 seconds (5 minutes), the default value insettings.confis180 seconds (3 minutes).disable_module_as_brick: Determines whether the module should automatically disable itself when the device is detected as bricked. By default, it is set totrue(enabled), but you can set it tofalseto disable this feature.
When enabled, the module will disable itself to prevent further issues. If you set it tofalse, the module will only skip mounting without disabling itself. This allows you to troubleshoot and reboot the system after removing unstable items fromtarget.conf, without needing to re-enable the module via Root manager manually.auto_update_target_list: Control the behavior whether to update the items intarget.confto the paths of bloatwares apps during each startup. By default, it is set totrue(enabled) to speed up system startup. If you prefer to keep your custom comments or retain items intarget.confthat were not found by the module, you can set this tofalse.update_desc_on_action: Updates the module status description when the module is disabled or uninstalled. This is a mostly useless feature that increases resource consumption and is disabled(false) by default. If you want to see a prompt when you click the disable or uninstall button, you can set this totrueto enable the feature. NOTICE: This feature has been removed since 1.2.8, and back since 1.3.3system_app_paths: Support customizing the scan of system directories the bloatware located in. Paths starts with/and separated by spaces, for example:system_app_paths=/system/app /system/priv-app.
Logs are saved in /data/adb/bloatwareslayer/logs, you can review them and submit them when reporting issues.
bs_log_core_(timestamp).logis the logs about core features of Bloatware Slayer. Since the system is not fully initialized at this stage, the date you see might appear very strange. Please do not be concerned.bs_log_addon_(timestamp).logis the logs about unbrick detection feature and module description update feature of Bloatware Slayer.bs_log_action_(timestamp).logis the logs about action button of Bloatware Slayer. When reporting issues, please simply zip the entire logs folder and upload it.
Bloatware Slayer has a built-in brick recovery method. If the device takes too long to boot, it will automatically disable the module's mounting functionality and reboot.
After rebooting, you will see a message in the module status.
Please adjust target.conf by removing entries that should not be disabled and reboot again.
The default wait time is 300 seconds (5 minutes), meaning Bloatware Slayer will disable itself and reboot after waiting for 5 minutes.If your system is updating, temporarily disable or uninstall this module and reinstall it later is recommended.
Primarily, Bloatware Slayer only uses the built-in methods of Magisk and KernelSU/APatch to make the folders of pre-installed apps empty or invisible, preventing the system from installing and loading these apps. The module itself does not directly modify the system. Once you disable or uninstall this module, all changes will be reverted, and your system will not be damaged. This is the essence of being "systemless (no system modification)".
However, some apps should not be uninstalled or blocked casually. In the first place, considering system stability, Some apps are essential for maintaining normal system operations, such as Settings and System UI.
Fortunately, only a small number of system apps fall into this category. Perhaps only 20~30 out of 100 system apps.
Secondly, some manufacturers (e.g.MIUI, Huawei, Google) include a large number of apps that appear "reasonable" but are essentially adware and data collection tools.
These apps are placed on a system whitelist, and most restrictions do not apply to them. The critical issue is that the system may refuse to boot if these apps are uninstalled or missing.It may get stuck on the boot animation or refuse providing certain services.
If you add certain apps to target.conf and the device gets stuck on the boot animation or the first boot screen, it means either these apps are essential for maintaining normal system operations or they are the "uninstall-and-break" type of apps.In such cases, you need to use the brick recovery method. Here are some suggestions:
- For Magisk Alpha, if the device fails to boot normally twice, it will enter safe mode and disable all modules on the third boot. You can then modify
target.conf. - For KernelSU/APatch, during the boot process from the first screen to the boot animation, you can press the volume-down button about ten times consecutively (not long-press). If your device's KernelSU kernel includes the brick recovery code, it will likely enter safe mode and disable all modules.
- For devices that support third-party Recovery, you can use the Recovery's module management interface to easily disable Bloatware Slayer when using Magisk.
- Xiaomi HyperOS 2.0.105.0, Android 15, Device: Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G 8+256GB (gauguin, ported ROM)
- Root: Magisk Alpha 28102,28103
- Xiaomi MIUI 12.5.4, Android 10, Device: Redmi Note 7 Pro 6+128GB (violet, stock ROM)
- Root: Magisk Alpha 28102,28103
- DroidUI-X，Android 14，Device：Redmi Note 7 Pro 6+128GB (violet，AOSP based ROM)
- Root: KernelSU with Magic Mount 1.0.3
- Root: KernelSU with OverlayFS 0.9.5
- Flyme 8.0.5.0A, Android 7.1.2, Device: Meizu M6 Note 4+64GB (m1721, stock ROM)
- Root: Magisk Lite 25205
- Derpfest 15.1 Stable, Android 15, Device: Redmi Note 7 Pro 6+128GB (violet, AOSP based ROM)
- Root: Magisk Alpha 28103
- If you encounter any problems, please click here to submit feedback.
- Pull Request is always welcome to improve this module.