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Mobile Installer is a pre-installed application in Samsung devices, more specifically, the Sprint carriers of Samsung Galaxy devices. If we go by the non-scrutinizing phrasing of words, Mobile Installer is an application manager that installs applications on the user’s device.

However, if we look at it (actually look at it), Mobile Installer is nothing but a bloatware application on certain Samsung Galaxy devices that installs applications without the prior permission of the user. These applications may or may not be useful to the user of the device.

The applications downloaded by Mobile Installer are usually installed owing to the collaboration between the developer of the certain application and the manufacturer of the device, i.e., Samsung. This is often done for monetary gain on both ends – the manufacturer and the developer.

As mentioned before, Mobile Installer does not ask for permissions prior to downloading an application, so if you find an unknown application in your app tray that you do not remember downloading, it was probably the Mobile Installer. 

Although it itself does not take up much space, it does install bloatware applications (mostly) that eat up the device’s storage space.

This means that it indirectly acts as bloatware, installing applications that eat up more space than they really should and hogging on the device’s resources (like any other bloatware).

Since Mobile Installer runs in the background almost all the time, you may find a notification in your notifications list that says ‘Processing Request’ coming from the Mobile Installer. 

Let us look at what the ‘Processing request’ notification means… 

What is the ‘Processing request’ notification from Mobile Installer?

‘Processing request’ is a notification generated by the Mobile Installer on Sprint models of Samsung Galaxy phones. It implies that an application is being downloaded in the background via Mobile Installer; the process of downloading does not require the user’s permission or request. 

Although the notification may sound cryptic, it is harmless and, in conclusion, means that Mobile Installer is installing an application on your device. 

Is Mobile Installer safe?

Yes, Mobile Installer is absolutely safe. Although Mobile Installer is bloatware, it is worth noting that it is a pre-installed bloatware. With the reputation that Samsung holds, it is sure that it would not bundle the device with something that can be potentially harmful to the device.

Besides, all that the Mobile Installer does is install bloatware applications on the device without the prior request of permission from the user. Apart from this, it does not interfere with the operability of the device in any aspect. 

Thus, all in all, Mobile Installer is safe to keep on your device.

Can you uninstall Mobile Installer? Is It safe to do so?

Unfortunately, you can not uninstall Mobile Installer from your device. When you go to Settings and then navigate to Applications > All Apps  > Mobile Installer, you will see that the ‘Uninstall’ button is greyed out.

This directly translates to the inability of the user to uninstall Mobile Installer from the Sprint carrier of the Samsung device, owing to the fact that it is a pre-installed application. As long as you are running on Stock ROM, which is unrooted devices, you will be unable to get rid of Mobile Installer from your device.

There are, of course, certain solutions which you can ‘force’ onto your device to delete the Mobile Installer from your device. We shall discuss them in detail further in the article.

Moving on to the latter part of the question, yes, it is safe to remove Mobile Installer from your device. Although you won’t be able to uninstall it, you can still remove it using certain workarounds, and these workarounds are safe and legitimate.

When you do remove Mobile Installer from your device, it should be absolutely safe. Although it is a pre-installed application, the deletion of the same would not cause any negative impact on the functionality of your Samsung device. 

All that will happen is that you will stop receiving the ‘Processing Request’ notification from Mobile Installer, and Mobile Installer will no longer be able to run in the background or install bloatware applications on your device.

When it comes to the applications that have been downloaded by Mobile Installer, they shall not be affected once Mobile Installer is removed from the device.

Can you disable Mobile Installer?

Since Mobile Installer is a pre-installed application on your Samsung’s Sprint carrier, you can not really disable it. The only option you have, without using a workaround, is to force stop Mobile Installer from the Settings.

Even when you force stop Mobile Installer, it may come back up in the notifications list again since it runs in the background almost all the time, installing applications from time to time.

Besides, as we all know, force-stopping an application can cause issues in the system and some other applications that are somehow linked to the application you are force-stopping. 

This means that force-stopping Mobile Installer on your Samsung device may affect the functioning of the device’s system (the chances of which are slim).

It is also possible that the applications installed via Mobile Installer may start misbehaving if you force stop it. Now, this should not be a problem as long as you do not use one of these applications downloaded by Mobile Installer.

Note: It is highly likely that Mobile Installer will be activated after a while again, even after force stopping, since it is a pre-installed application that keeps running in the background. This is why uninstalling and getting rid of it completely is the most viable option for you. 

 

How to get rid of Mobile Installer?

Below we have enlisted step-by-step guides to both disabling and removing Mobile Installer from the device.

Here we go…  

Method 1: Disabling Mobile Installer using Debloater Tool

We shall discuss getting rid of Mobile Installer from the device using root on your device or alternatively using ADB commands. However, before all that, if you do not wish to go through the tedious process of removing Mobile Installer from your device, you can simply disable it using a third-party app. When disabling Mobile Installer, it won’t run in the background and will stop eating up your phone’s resources.

If the process of disabling unwanted apps on your phone is hard for you, then there is a tool that will make the process easier – the Debloater tool.

It allows blocking or removing apps on your device, as well as allowing unlocking and import of blocked listings, among other things. It is simple to use: once your device is connected, you can see a list of apps that are installed on your phone.

The catch is that root access on your phone is required in order to remove the apps. The tool won’t uninstall system apps from your phone if you don’t have root access. Thus, we shall only elucidate on how you can disable an app on your device using the tool (this does not require rooting your device). 

• Keep the Debloater Tool installed on your PC.
• Make sure that the USB Debugging option is enabled on your phone before moving further.
• Connect your phone via USB cable to your PC.
• Launch the Debloater Tool on your PC, and wait for it to detect your mobile device.
• Once your device is detected, the “Device Connected” and “Sync” notification will turn green. 
• Now go to the Activity Status, and click on Read Phone Packages.
• Scroll down through the list of apps, select the mobile installer and click on the Apply option on the top.

Method 2: Removing Mobile Installer using root on your device

This is a two-step process wherein you will first have to root your device and then install a third-party application manager to remove the Mobile Installer from your device. 

When it comes to Samsung, you will have plenty of options to choose from in terms of rooting your device. In this method, we will discuss rooting your Samsung device using Odin3.

Step 1: Rooting your device

Before you start rooting your device, you will have to prepare it. Start with enabling Developer Options on your device. To do this, go to Settings and then tap on About Phone. Next, find the Build Number and tap on it seven times; this will enable Developer Options on your Samsung Galaxy Sprint device. 

Next, you will be required to enable USB Debugging and OEM unlock. To do this, tap on the Back key to see Developer Options, then tap on Developer Options. From Developer Options, enable USB Debugging and OEM unlock.

Alongside, download the Odin3 and Root file according to your Device model, Build ID, and Android version your Samsung Galaxy Sprint device is running on. Once the root file is downloaded, extract it in a folder.

Now that your phone is ready to be rooted follow the steps below to root your device using Odin3.

Using Odin3 to root your Samsung device

• Boot your device into Download mode. To do this, you will be required to power off your Samsung phone, press and hold the POWER + HOME + VOLUME DOWN button for a few seconds. Once there is an interface on the screen below, release the finger from the VOLUME DOWN button and press the VOLUME UP button. 
• Once you are in the Download mode, run the downloaded Odin3 utility software on the computer. Next, you will need to connect your mobile with the computer using a USB Cable.
• Upon successful connection, you will see a note in the log.
• Now, click on the AP button and browse CF-Auto-Root-ospreycdma-ospreyusc-samsung3.zip. 
• To start rooting, you will have to tap on the ‘Start’ button.
• In a few moments, rooting will be completed on your device. When you see a note that says ‘PASS,’ you will know that rooting is finished. Upon successful rooting of the device, the device will reboot itself.

Step 2: Using NoBloat Free to remove Mobile Installer

Once you have rooted your phone, follow the steps below to install and use NoBloat Free to get rid of Mobile Installer:

Once installed, be sure to review all the permissions granted. If you agree with these permissions, you can Accept and finish the installation. The app should appear on your home screen or app drawer for easy access.

To use NoBloat Free, follow these steps:

• Install NoBloat Free on your rooted device from Play Store. 
• Once installed, review the permissions it asks for and grant the permissions accordingly.
• Tap on ‘Accept’ and finish the application.
• Once downloaded, open NoBloat Free on your rooted Samsung device.
• Once you open the rooting tool, you will be prompted to grant a ‘Super User request.’ To grant the permission, click on ‘Grant.’
• Once you tap on ‘Grant,’ you will be taken to the home screen of NoBloat Free. Herein you will have four options, amongst which the last two, i.e., Backup and Delete, Delete without Backup, are the only ones we shall be working with.
• Tap on ‘System Apps’ in the NoBloat Free app and then choose Mobile Installer from the list provided to you. 
• Tap on it and then choose from either of the two options mentioned above. The former will allow you to recover Mobile Installer at some point later if you wish to, while the latter deletes the app completely without creating any sort of backup, which means you will never be able to retrieve the app again.
• Once you choose from the options, confirm your choice, and Mobile Installer will be deleted from your device.

Method 3: Removing Mobile Installer using ADB

Using ADB and a few command lines (more in detail below) is an alternative way to get rid of Mobile Installer from your device without rooting your device.

A lot of users do not wish to root their device, especially if the phone is still under warranty. Running on stock ROM is recommended by most companies, and rooting your device can seem overwhelming if you haven’t done it before. 

Although rooting provides immense customization and flexibility in terms of what you can do on your device, it also makes it vulnerable.

Thus, if you know the basics of using ADB on your PC, using ADB to remove Mobile Installer can provide an effective solution:

• Keep the ADB tool file downloaded on your PC.
• Enable the “USB Debugging” option on your mobile; you can get this option in Settings > Additional Settings > Developer Option.
• Connect your mobile device to your PC via USB cable, and in the USB preferences on your mobile, choose “File transfer (MTP).”
• Navigate to the folder where you have Extracted the ADB tool. Click and hold the Shift key, then right-click on the directory name, then choose “Open command/PowerShell window here.”
• Now enter the ADB devices command, this will open the ADB daemon, and you get to see your device name on the screen. It may ask you to grant permission on your mobile device for authorization, grant it. 
• Type in adb shell and press Enter, then again type in pm list packages | grep ‘<OEM/Carrier/App Name>’ command to get the list of OEM and Carrier apps. Copy the package name of the mobile installer, and paste it into the word pad.
• Type in pm uninstall –k —user 0 <name of package> command, and press Enter. Replace <name of package> with the package name in the wordpad.

 

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