OnePlus 12, OnePlus Open seen offering bloatware, company responds

The OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open are the top handsets from the Chinese smartphone maker. Now, users of these smartphones have claimed that they have been offered to install ‘bloatware’ apps on their smartphones. A user claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that OnePlus is installing four additional third-party apps on the OnePlus 12 in India during the device setup process. These unwanted apps appear under the “From OnePlus” heading in the “Review additional apps” screen during setup. The issue has since been resolved by the company.

X User Gaurang Arora spotted A new “Review additional apps” screen presented during the setup process on their OnePlus 12. This screen shows four Google Play apps pre-selected by default – LinkedIn, PolicyBazaar, Block Blast, and Candy Crush Saga. These apps were located under a header that read “From OnePlus”.

recent android authority tests The setup process in three areas and found that four apps are pre-selected during setup on the Indian variant of the OnePlus 12 running the latest Oxygen OS 14.0.0.610 build. The US reportedly offers a third-party app, while in the EU there is no pre-selected app offered. Users can opt out of installing the listed apps, which are selected by default. However, there is a possibility that they may skip the setup process, pushing bloatware onto their handset.

Additionally, the publication found three more pre-installed Meta apps on OnePlus Open – Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Services. All these Meta apps were reportedly previously seen on the OnePlus 8 series and the brand was criticized for this inclusion as they cannot be easily uninstalled from the handset.

OnePlus has reportedly addressed the issue, saying that it happened by mistake. OnePlus reported, “There was an error that occurred during soft-preload testing on the OnePlus 12 and has been fixed as of May 6. The OnePlus 12 does not come pre-loaded with any of these apps and is lighter, faster, and Will remain smooth.” Android Authority.

The company said it keeps OxygenOS free of bloatware, but the company admitted that there were two pre-installed apps (Instagram and agoda) on the OnePlus Nord CE 4. It also said that apps are easy to delete or uninstall and the company is working closely with app developers to ensure better performance on OnePlus devices.

Prominent Tipster on X 1NormalUsername suggestion of More bloatware will come to the OnePlus 12 in the latest OxygenOS version. Third-party apps like Fitbit, Bubble Pop, Facebook, Amazon, Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video, Zomato, agoda and Swiggy can either be pre-installed or will be shown as APK shortcuts.