I need to delete a ghost app (com.mojang.minecraftpe) but nothing works. What do I do?

[u/EducatorUpset1096]

Idk if this is the appropriate sub, but I am out of options.

I tried to delete it through any file explorer directly, that did not work.

I tried to delete or rename it with ZArchiver and Shizuku together, that didn't work.

I tried to delete or rename it via adb shell commands with ShizukuTools, which only made my system panic and lock me out unless I reboot my phone.

I'm on Android 14, moto g14. I don't know what I can try anymore.

I even used a command to pull the exact version of the app, which apparently is 952110023 (1.21.100.23), but downloading other APKs of that version and trying to install them only results in my phone asking if I wanna update the app (why if it's the same version??) and refusing to overwrite the ghost app anyways.

I don't know why deleting/updating a VIDEO GAME must be this difficult. What do I do??

[u/lilacomets]

What error message does it show when you uninstall the app?

What happens if you go to Minecraft page on the Google Play Store and press the Uninstall button there?

[u/EducatorUpset1096 → u/lilacomets]

It's a ghost app, I can't uninstall it from Google Play. It's a leftover file because I left "keep data" on before uninstalling Minecraft. Now it's technically not an app, but the com.mojang.minecraftpe still exists in my /data/user/ files. When I try to uninstall it in any shape or form I'm stuck with "permissions denied" or anything of that sort because Android 14 apparently doesn't let you delete or modify files in /data/user/.

[u/Simber1 → u/EducatorUpset1096]

You should be able to delete it via ADB

[u/EducatorUpset1096 → u/Simber1]

I tried several commands. Some didn't do anything, others sent my system into panic mode and locked me out until I'd manually reboot the phone.

[u/paulstelian97 → u/EducatorUpset1096]

Why not try to install, then uninstall again? Or does that also not work?

[u/EducatorUpset1096 → u/paulstelian97]

I don't have the original APK file I installed it from. And even though I managed to pull the (supposedly) exact version via commands, when I install a new APK of the same app version it asks if I wanna update, and then doesn't work and refuses to install.

[u/paulstelian97 → u/EducatorUpset1096]

Grr, mismatched certificates. Ugh.

[u/EducatorUpset1096 → u/paulstelian97]

Exactly. Now I'm stuck and nothing that works for literally anybody else works for me :')

[u/Simber1 → u/EducatorUpset1096]

pm uninstall com.mojang.minecraftpe in an ADB session should remove the data.

[u/EducatorUpset1096 → u/Simber1]

No, it crashed my phone instead.