Removing SIM Toolkit App 😡

de0u

AnonUser932 I don't want it, I don't need it. It's just useless bloatware. I want it gone.

There are a fair number of threads on this forum involving somebody disabling or deleting some GrapheneOS system app and then finding out (sometimes months later) that it was needed for something. So it's arguably best not to delete or disable a system app without at least having skimmed its source code.

I wonder what the SIM Toolkit app does?

AnonUser932

de0u

[deleted]

It's a menu filled with worthless junk options. An option to download songs, an option to download games, waiting ring, one of the option is named "Facebook", SIM Backup, etc.

It's bloatware and i don't want it. The option to unistall this app on GOS shouldn't be greyed out!

AnonUser932

de0u There are a fair number of threads on this forum involving somebody disabling or deleting some GrapheneOS system app

Can you link? I tried to search but fount nothing.

de0u

de0u There are a fair number of threads on this forum involving somebody disabling or deleting some GrapheneOS system app and then finding out (sometimes months later) that it was needed for something.

AnonUser932 Can you link? I tried to search but fount nothing.

https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/3367-lost-ability-to-deactivate-apps/3
https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/5752-remove-system-files
https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/8070-how-to-solve-a-no-keyboard-issue
https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/8317-can-i-disable-the-default-aosp-apps/7
https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/8986-unable-to-usb-file-transfer
https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/9144-failed-to-check-for-updates-trusted-credentials

I believe there are others.

[deleted]

Please do read https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_Application_Toolkit

AnonUser932 It's just useless bloatware.

How do you know?

itsjpb

what about this app in particular makes you so desperate to delete it?

AnonUser932 It's a menu filled with worthless junk option

how did you access this? my sim toolkit has no user interface. my understanding is that its a carrier app that comes on and is installed by your sim card so there may be variance, but i'd love to see if i can see what you're referring to.

AnonUser932 It's bloatware

source, other than you looking through your phone? just because you never interact with it directly doesn't mean it's not doing important tasks. i believe it does system level communication with/for your sim card. and at 73 kb (at least on my device) its hard to call bloatware.

[deleted]

AnonUser932 I think its because your Carrier configured the SIM Toolkit app like this, as maybe It allows configuration by Carriers? So you should calm down and not be so desperate.

AnonUser932

de0u

None of those links have anything to do with removing SIM Toolkit.

secure_adict

[deleted]
My carrier offers even more crap and when I start up my phone with a sim card it constantly shows their ringtone offerings, their social media page or offers. I don't want to see this, so I uninstalled this app via ADB.

Similarly Emergency because it was running in the background and therefore supported the modem. Airplane mode + this app = still a working modem.

AnonUser932

[deleted] So you should calm down and not be so desperate.

This is my device, and I should have control over what is installed on it. I did not give permission for this bloatware to be installed on my phone, and it is not acceptable for the options to uninstall and manage permissions to be grayed out. I do not trust this app, I do not want it, and it is my device after all.

AnonUser932

secure_adict so I uninstalled this app via ADB.

Can you explain?

blackbrook

secure_adict What carrier is that? (Just to know what carrier to avoid... FWIW Tmobile doesn't seem to subject me to any such junk with this app...)

other8026

AnonUser932 None of those links have anything to do with removing SIM Toolkit.

de0u said right in the quoted text above the links that they're threads where people messed with system apps.

AnonUser932 This is my device, and I should have control over what is installed on it. I did not give permission for this bloatware to be installed on my phone, and it is not acceptable for the options to uninstall and manage permissions to be grayed out. I do not trust this app, I do not want it, and it is my device after all.

A few people here have already tried to advise against you messing with system apps, but you choose to do so anyway. Of course you have that right. But keep in mind that if you break something by messing with system apps, then nobody here can help you when things break.

AnonUser932 Confusing. If i run that code it will only remove SIM Toolkit? I'm confused.

If you're confused, then it's better not to use ADB.

de0u

AnonUser932 None of those links have anything to do with removing SIM Toolkit.

Indeed. My claim was "disabling or deleting some GrapheneOS system app", not "deleting SIM Toolkit". There are a lot of system apps, and so far there isn't a giant list of whether it's ok or not-ok to delete each individual one. Maybe it's ok to delete the SIM Toolkit for all users, maybe it's ok for users of some carriers, and maybe for some users it would be fine for a month and then not.

If you do go ahead and delete it, there may well be people interested in hearing about your experience. If you are comfortable indicating which carrier that experience relates to, that may well be of interest as well.

secure_adict

AnonUser932
In Security settings allow USB when unlocked
In Developer settings allow ADB Debugging

After install ADB Tools on your PC and do:
adb shell pm uninstall -k –user 0 unwanted-package

For remove and unwanted app. But be careful with other apps. You can see package name in bottom of app info (long press on app -> info -> scroll to bottom) like com.android.stk

[deleted]

AnonUser932 No application was "installed" on your device to begin with.

AnonUser932

secure_adict

Confusing. If i run that code it will only remove SIM Toolkit? I'm confused.

[deleted]

secure_adict After install ADB Tools on your PC and do:
adb shell pm uninstall -k –user 0 unwanted-package

That literally only uninstalls it for the Owner user. What about the other users?

secure_adict

AnonUser932
replace unwanted-package with package name what you want. In your case SIM Toolkit. And yes it will remove only selected app.

[deleted]

Back up your data before uninstalling system apps with ADB, you never know. I once uninstalled the home screen app on my previous samsung phone and my phone would not turn on. I had to factory reset it from the bootloader.
If you decide to uninstall the sim toolkit, keep in mind that if some bug happen later and you share it here you should report that you dont have this app.

bookreader

@AnonUser932 ;

The Simcard that your operator provides to you has certain operator-specific configuration options available within it. The "Sim Toolkit" application is there to query those configuration options and provide you with an interface for controlling them. The fact that you do not have a need for those particular configuration options is a function of your needs and what your service provider is offering. This doesn't mean that the application itself is useless or irrelevant to everybody else.

To get rid of it; sorry, that is not a supported function. Its built into the system image, so if you deleted it, it would cause your phone not to be able to boot.

secure_adict

blackbrook It's not US/EU operator