Disable apps via adb (without root)

Here we learn to disable apps on aftermarket or stock ROMs without rooting

On your Android phone, most apps can be disabled by going to Settings > Apps. However, there are a few pesky apps that can’t be disabled via this method, and they need something a bit more sophisticated.

Often times, this is just bloatware that you want to get rid of.

To disabled the apps, you’ll have to connect the phone to your PC using the adb mode.

Once connected, issue the following command

pm disable <package.name.here>

This might not work on some OEM ROMs. If this is the case, try

pm disable-user <package.name.here>

IF this doesn’t work, try this

pm disable-user --user 0 <package.name.here>

This should do the trick, and the package should now be disabled.

Addendum

You migh also want to clear the user data for the app. This is especially true if you’re disabling bloatware.

While still connected over ADB, and preferably after disabling the app, issue the following command

pm clear <package.name.here>

Unless the vendor has specifically disabled clearing the app data via ADB (Oppo, for example), the command above should have cleared the data

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