If you happen to be sick and tired of looking at those icons that are only sitting idly on your Android screen, then it’s better to get rid of them once and for all. Of course, it’s an easy thing to do if you’re only dealing with third-party apps but what if you want to disable your unwanted system apps? Well, there’s really no need for you to fret especially if your device is running on Android 4.0 and up.

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Speaking of which, devices that are running on Android 4.0 and up are equipped with the ability to disable unwanted system apps and bloatware. These apps are usually pre-installed on your device just like Google Play Magazines, Google Play Books and Google Plus. The problem with these apps is that you cannot uninstall them unless, of course, you decide to root your device. Apparently, rooting your device can be quite risky so if you want to stay in the safe route, you can always opt to permanently disable your unwanted system and bloatware apps. To do so, simply refer to the steps below.

Open your smartphone or tablet’s main settings (just click the “Settings” icon on your app drawer)

Go to Apps > Manage Apps

You will see a list of your downloaded apps. Once you see this, swipe to the “All” tab.

Scroll the list and tap the app that you want to disable. You will then see some options like Force Stop, Uninstall Updates, Clear Cache and Clear Data. If you don’t see the “Disable” button, press “Clear Cache” first then tap “Clear Data”. Once you’re done, tap “Uninstall Updates” then confirm your action by pressing “OK”.

After you uninstall all of the updates and changes made to your app, you will be taken back to the main apps list in “All” tab. Just select the app again and by now, you will be able to see the “Disable” button. Click on it and that’s it. You have successfully disabled the app from your system.

By doing so, you can permanently remove the app’s icon from your app drawer. It will also stop using your device memory so you can allot your free memory to other apps. Just keep in mind that there are certain system apps that you cannot disable. However, these apps are usually needed to make your device run properly so there’s really no reason for you to remove them at all.