UPSC Articles
Bloatware Apps
Part of: Prelims and GS-III Science & Technology
Context: Bloatware apps are being criticized for taking up the storage of the device unnecessarily and affecting the system’s battery life and overall performance.
Key takeaways
- Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP), more popularly known as bloatware apps are needless programs that take a toll on your device’s performance.
- Device manufacturers introduced these bloatware apps to provide users with additional programs that they might want to use, while making money on the way.
- Gradually, these apps, rather than being helpful, end up being a headache for users.
- Generally, these apps that run in the background are hidden and locating them becomes a tough job for the users.
- It could be any software on your computer, phone or tablet that consumes a lot of resources like — memory, storage and battery life.
Different types of bloatwares found on devices
- There are three most common types of bloatwares that can be found on any device.
- Utilities: These types of bloatwares come from manufacturers and third-party developers and are usually pre-loaded on your device.
- These offer added functionality to your device.
- Trialware: Users can experience the app as most of them offer free trial modes in new devices.
- However, these programs keep on consuming your device’s resources, even after the trial period is over.
- Adware: These types of bloatware typically gets downloaded while downloading softwares from the internet.
News Source: TOI
