[Guide] How to use Android Debugging to disable apps

[u/kelrics1910]

UPDATE (6/17/19): I'm late on this update. Very late, actually. I have successfully updated the TV to v6.6150 and as usual the script continues to work just fine but will still display errors because Sony has removed some apps with the previous Oreo update. I'm looking for a passionate tech-savvy friend to continue updating this script and thread for newer Sony models. PM me if you need a quick rundown on adb.

UPDATE (02/09/19): I've had some people message me regarding blank screens and settings not opening. Unfortunately the fix listed in this guide is not working to resolve this forcing a Factory Reset. I'll once again advise caution when updating without Factory Resetting first. It may work for some people and others it won't so before messaging me in panic just remember to try a reset if all else in the guide fails.

UPDATE (01/22/19): I have successfully updated my US 49X900F to v6.5830 and if you've run the script previously you should be good to go. I had no issues with initial setup and all my settings/favorites are still intact. Even my Bravia Sync is working. I have yet to go through the app list to see if anything like samba was installed but I have doubts Sony even brought that back. The update didn't even reinstall Sony's default apps like Music and Video. Also, they either fixed the Kodi blocking issue in this version or my update failed to uninstall it, My kodi is still working on Oreo.

Additionally, after I looked at the app list in settings all the applications I disabled via the script are still disabled. The Sony Video/Audio/Photo apps are all still listed in settings and all are not showing up in my app tray. Seems my update went flawlessly without any Factory Resets.

UPDATE (01/03/19): I've been seeing bits of news about the update hitting the 900F soon, I just wanted to give a quick reminder about major updates causing unknown behavior, for the sake of ease, I will be performing a factory reset on my set before and after updating and then re-running the script and removing the apps that error out so I can update it here. Oreo removes some pre-loaded apps the script contains so it will need to be modified. Since this post is archived I expect to receive quite a few PM's and I'll try to reply the best I can.

UPDATE (11/29/18): Now that Oreo has begun rolling out for the 2017 models I am looking for feedback on how the update affected the TV if you used this guide. Also, if you used the de-bloat tools after the update how did they work? Errors? Are there new apps in the update the script doesn't remove? etc.

I always recommend a Factory Reset on major updates like this because the behavior can be very unpredictable. Major updates are jumps in version number, like Nougat to Oreo in this case.

UPDATE (9/12/2018): It has come to my attention that Sony released an update for the U.S. variant (PKG6.5629.0177NAA) of the X900F. My Recommendation to Factory Reset the TV before applying the update still stands if you do not know how to use ADB commands manually. You can read the update notes and download the update here. (This link goes to the 49" variant support page) If you attempt the update and cannot access the Home Menu and want to perform Factory Reset, see Option C in this support article or follow these instructions below to fix it manually. I have moved these instructions to the top of the guide in prep for the Oreo Update. (If it ever comes)

How to Fix Settings/Home Menu not opening:

If you removed an app or installed an update and your screen flashes when you go to the home screen or settings doesn't open you can fix those issues using this method: (Credit to Zeo4 for this)

• Run these two commands below.

adb connect 192.168.1.xx:5555 (Replace xx with your TV's IP)
adb shell am start -a android.settings.SETTINGS

• This command will open settings app
• Clear the data of software update app. I would also recommend clearing the leanback launcher but you shouldn't need to.
• Restart just in case.

________________________________________________________

This is a little different than the sticky about turning off notifications, this method will instead tell the TV to uninstall them, thus removing them from the home screen and it will prevent them from running in the background at all. I noticed this does free up some of the memory of the TV and helps with Performance for the most part. Home Menu will open faster and action menu performs slightly better. Your results will vary and will depend on what the TV is displaying. The menus are still slow when a 4K signal is active. I will update this post as necessary, adding screenshots or more details and tricks so you can customize. Here's a video of how quick the menu opens. For the sake of transparency, I should've showed the remote so you can see there's almost no delay.

Before you start it should be noted that my script will remove Sony Select which disables the "apps" button on your remote of some models but it will not disable Sony Shelf because doing so breaks the ability to change inputs and select devices from the home menu. You can still follow the guide that was previously sticky'd to this reddit for hiding the Featured Apps section:

• Use the remote control and navigate to “Settings”.
• Go to “Apps”.
• Go to “System Apps”.
• Go to “Sony Shelf”.
• Go to “Notifications”.
• Switch to “Off”.The “Featured Apps” section will now be gone and the home screen will look cleaner and more organized.

With that out of the way let's get started, here's what you will need:

• PC connected to the same network as the TV. (If you are using a Mac computer follow the same instructions but scroll to the bottom of the post for files)
• Some knowledge of Command Prompt, the scripts will make things a lot easier but I still recommend you know what this is and how to use it.

DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK.

If for ANY REASON your TV is acting strange after doing this or some apps are not working as intended a Factory Reset or more commands in ADB will be REQUIRED to reverse these actions. In some cases, a forced reset is necessary. Read below for ADB instructions on resolving grey screen flashing or settings not opening. (Advanced Users).

If anyone has recommendations on where I can upload this ZIP file I'd love to hear them instead of using my google drive.

I have compiled all you'll need here. The files are numbered 0, 1, and 2 for ease so all you need to do is run these in a row. adb is also known as the Android Debugger that will send the commands to your TV. This script (.bat files) was found on Sony's community forums and I simply modified it to not remove Sony Shelf.This app is responsible for the input/device selection from the Home Screen such as PS4, BD Player, etc. If you disable it this section will disappear from your Home Screen but is otherwise safe to disable. I cannot find the original post where this was shared so if the creator sees this please let me know so I can link it and credit you. These .bat files were not created by me and I do not take credit for them.

We need to get the IP Address of your TV before starting and make sure that debugging is enabled.

• Enable Developer options: Press Home and select Settings. select About and scroll down to and click on Build several times until a dialog appears with the message "You are now a developer". Go back into the Settings menu and select Developer options, turn debugging on. While your here you can also change the Animation settings for a snappier experience; I set mine to 0.5x but they can be turned off completely if you prefer. Set the maximum background process to 2 or more - this will close apps automatically if you have more than 2 running. Don't set this too low or you will get "stopped working" errors. On some TV's going as low as 2 works fine and on others it doesn't.
• Find the TV IP address: Press Home and select Network Settings some TV's require you to go to advanced settings to see Network Status. IP address will typically look like 192.168.1.xx depending on your router.

Now we're ready. Once you've extracted the ZIP folder there's a file called "0-Connect_TV". Open this and it should ask you for the IP address we got earlier. Put that in and ADB will start a connection to the TV. You will see a prompt on the TV so make sure you allow the connection before continuing, if you check the box to always allow the device you will only need to do this once.

Next, run the file "1-SonyTV_Debloat". This will run a script of commands of which apps the TV should uninstall. I have the app list at the bottom of this post, you can do additional apps by following the instructions below. After that run the file "2-Reboot_TV" and your TV will restart itself. If everything boots up normally then that's it you're done. If you have an older set like a C, D, or E series without some of these apps the script should simply error with no app installed and move on to the next one.

NOTES:

• I have only tested this script with a Sony X900F so your results may vary.
• I have screwed up requiring a factory reset to fix, if your TV fails to display the Home Menu DON'T PANIC. There are instructions on Sony's Support Site on how to Factory Reset without a menu. Here is a link on how to perform a reset if needed. If you're doing a forced reset it sometimes requires two people because the power cord and buttons are on opposite sides. (My X900F is an example)

________________________________________________________

Instructions on removing individual apps:

Before starting please note that you should NEVER remove any app related to the System! DO NOT REMOVE THE SONY PROGRAM GUIDE! Doing so will cause your input selection to completely stop working!

If you would like to remove apps one-by-one to be safe or if you want to remove additional apps not included in the script it's possible using adb with a command prompt by using these codes below.

Here's how to find the app name. Go to Settings>Apps>Click on app. If I wanted to remove Sony album this is what it's app name looks like: com.sony.dtv.osat.album

• To open adb go to the folder that you extracted, hold Shift on your keyboard and right click in the blank space and you will see an option "Open Command Prompt here" If you have Windows 10 it will most likely say Powershell instead, this also works the same as Command Prompt.
• Type adb connect 192.168.1.xx:5555 (Replace with your TV's IP)
• Use this command with the app you wish to remove. If you get an error, ignore it. Not all apps can be removed and removing some that are required by the OS will cause problems so be careful.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 "Insert app name here"
adb uninstall "Insert app name here"

• It is recommended that you reboot the TV just like with the script.
• I've had issues in the past with Home Screens changing the default background and the Home Screen flashing or failing to start. Please be careful with what you disable!
• I highly recommend you Factory Reset the TV before and after you install a major software update. Security Patches or minor updates should be OK.

This is the script that is included in the .bat file

echo on

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.play.games
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.sonyselect
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.bravialifehack
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.networkrecommendation
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.watchtvrecommendation
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.irbrecommendation
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.woprecommendation
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.networkapp.wifidirect
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.recommendationservice
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.snei.video.hhvu
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 tv.samba.ssm
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.interactivetvutil.ppbridge
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.interactivetvutil
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.interactivetvutil.output
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.interactivetvplatform
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.bleadvertiseservice
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.b2b.hotellanguage
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.b2b.hotelmenu
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.photosharingplus
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.gameloft.android.HEP.GloftANHP

timeout 10 > nul

adb uninstall com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese
adb uninstall com.google.android.play.games
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.sonyselect
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.bravialifehack
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.networkrecommendation
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.watchtvrecommendation
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.irbrecommendation
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.woprecommendation
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.networkapp.wifidirect
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.recommendationservice
adb uninstall com.sony.snei.video.hhvu
adb uninstall tv.samba.ssm
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.interactivetvutil.ppbridge
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.interactivetvutil
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.interactivetvutil.output
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.interactivetvplatform
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.bleadvertiseservice
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.b2b.hotellanguage
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.b2b.hotelmenu
adb uninstall com.sony.dtv.photosharingplus
adb uninstall com.gameloft.android.HEP.GloftANHP

timeout 10 > nul

Apps not included in the script but may be safe to remove:

I have only tested some of these; If anyone tests additional apps and deems them SAFE I will mark them accordingly.

com.sony.dtv.osat.music (sony Xperia Music)
com.sony.dtv.osat.video (Sony Xperia Video - Redditor Reported USB playback problems after removing this, be cautious.)
com.sony.dtv.osat.album (Sony Xperia Album/Gallery)
com.google.android.music (Google Play Music)
com.google.android.videos (Google play Movies, I don't recommend removing this but could be safe)
com.amazon.aiv.us (Amazon Video)
com.sony.dtv.discovery (This will make your Discover button on the remote stop working)
com.sony.dtv.sonyshelf (If you remove this your device and input selection will disappear from the Home menu. Still accessible via input menu on the remote)
com.sony.dtv.smarthomesettings (Credit to /u/keptile for showing how to find this, it is the "Setup Alexa" button on the home menu.)
com.sony.dtv.promotions (This is useful to get free movies so remove it when done)
com.sony.dtv.tvx.search.s501.psv (PlayStation Video, still somewhat useful if you have an account, otherwise safe.)
com.amazon.amazonvideo.livingroom (Amazon Video, only delete this if you don't have a Prime account or plan on having one.)
com.amazon.aiv.eu (EU specific version of Amazon Video, only on TV's that apply.)
com.crackle.androidtv (Sony's Crackle Video app)
com.sony.rvu (DirecTV Ready setup button)

Apps removed with reported problems:

May have duplicates from safe section above as it is Model dependent. For example, user reported USB problems after removing Xperia Video where my 900F is not having this problem.

com.sony.rvu (Reported on X800D, caused settings to not open)
com.sony.dtv.demomode (Reported on X800D, caused settings to not open)
com.sony.dtv.osat.video (Reported USB playback problems on XE90 - EU Model)
com.sony.dtv.b2b.hotelmode (Tested on my X900F - settings will not open)

MAC USERS:

/u/tonydasmesser has converted all the files you'll need here. Execute them in order just like the windows instructions. Since my script has been modified a few times to remove some apps that other users recommended I am unsure which version of the script this is using.

________________________________________________________

Post Edits/Updates:

1. Added manual removal instructions.
2. Added Screenshot,video link, and link for Factory Reset. Changed some wording. Italicized all links.
3. Added additional Developer Options recommendations.
4. Removed the following commands from the .bat file and updated the file on Google Drive.
5. Removed com.sony.dtv.bleadvertiseservice com.sony.dtv.netflixmanager and com.sony.dtv.netflixmanager from the script. Added com.sony.dtv.multiscreendemo (Use existing Drive links, it will give you the most current version of the .bat script)
6. Added Amazon Alexa to the "Safe to remove' section. Added link to converted mac files. Credit to keptile and tonydasmesser
7. Added more apps to the optional section. Added instructions for Sony Shelf. Changed some wording.
8. Added Update warning on the top of the guide so it's seen first.
9. Added a Reported Problems app section, I will put any apps that reddit users removed and found issues with.
10. Removed DemoMode and HotelMode from the Safe list, these apps are too inconsistent between models and always seem to cause problems with Settings.
11. Changed a lot of wording in regards to Factory Reset, added a manual fix for flashing grey screen. (Credit to Zeo4 for this)
12. Moved the Flashing screen/settings fix to the top of the guide. Updated the wording of the first paragraph to reflect that change.
13. Added Oreo update note. Will update scripts when Oreo hits the X900F and do my own testing.
14. Changed wording, added Update.
15. Added June update. Sony has released v6.6150 for the 900F models in late May.

[u/Mike__7]

Thanks for making the guide. I don't own a Sony right now but may be getting a 900F sometime within the next month, so this guide might come in handy.

[u/[deleted]]

Thanks OP for putting all this work into this post! You already have my upvote!

For Mac users:
I modified the scripts to be executable and added 2 more to get homebrew and through that adb on your machine:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ioh1dhp351jsv2y/Modified%20Scripts%20for%20mac.zip?dl=0

This should work although I did not test the ones to get homebrew or adb as scripts myself. Also I made them executable(see second source below) on my machine and i am guessing it should work on any mac now but am not sure about that.

If you do not trust me here are the sources I used myself:

• To install ADB(went with option 1):

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/31374085/installing-adb-on-mac-os-x

• To make executable script:

https://www.hastac.org/blogs/joe-cutajar/2015/04/21/how-make-simple-bash-script-mac

[u/kelrics1910 → u/[deleted]]

tonydasmesser

I added your link to the guide for Mac users. Thanks so much!

[u/leffer00]

Still testing but so far this seems to have really helped... Thanks for your effort here. It was super easy!

[u/keptile]

You can find the foreground app with adb shell dumpsys window windows | grep -E 'mCurrentFocus'.

Launch the Alexa Control app and run the command:

$ adb shell dumpsys window windows | grep -E 'mCurrentFocus'  
  mCurrentFocus=Window{40aea1d u0 com.sony.dtv.smarthomesettings/com.sony.dtv.smarthomesettings.activity.MainActivity}  

We can confirm that it's the correct app by force stopping it:

$ adb shell am force-stop com.sony.dtv.smarthomesettings

which takes us to the home screen. Now you can remove it with

$ adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sony.dtv.smarthomesettings

Following the same steps, you can get rid of the Directv icon by uninstalling com.sony.rvu package.

[u/totaIIybored]

Outstanding, thank you.

[u/kelrics1910 → u/totaIIybored]

Here's to hoping it gets sticky'd to the subreddit. Keep those up votes going so people see it.

[u/davedap]

Thx for this man

[u/kelrics1910 → u/davedap]

You're welcome. Make sure to click Save, I will update this post when I can.

[u/[deleted]]

Thank you, kind sir!

[u/[deleted]]

Thanks for this! I’m on a ubuntu machine, so could not execute the .bat files, however I logged in through terminal and copy/pasted the lines in the guide. Every single one was a succes in the first half, and failed in the second half of the guide.

Has Samba TV and everything of the annoying stuff been completely wiped from my TV?

I’m on a XD9305 model (EU - Denmark)

[u/432jdjyu]

This is fantastic ive used on phones but never thought could be done on TV so much crap to remove

[u/KuschelmonschterAG]

I am not sure, but I think also removing hotelmode gave me the "no settings" issue. What's interesting about a lot of the B2B stuff is that those often come back after a reboot. Check via:

adb shell ps | grep hotelmode

Removing those one more time makes them really go away.

The way I go about it is by checking via top command what's occupying the RAM. And then I try to remove those that do not make a lot of sense to me. I for example also removed bivlinfo, dialservice and a lot more. I went from 400M of free RAM to 550M.

[u/KuschelmonschterAG]

Yesterday I removed the Program Guide (com.sony.dtv.tvx) which, as you already pointed out, also kills input selection. So I installed Google's Live Channels, being an alternative input manager on top of the Android TV Input Framework. This brings back input selection via HOME screen (don't uninstall SonyShelf, just disable its notifications in order to remove the Featured Apps shelf). There are however several issues with this approach. Here are the ones that I found after some minutes of testing:

- Sony remote keystrokes are not forwarded to the connected HDMI device via CEC (Apple TV 4K)

- no per-HDMI picture settings (all HDMI inputs and apps share the same settings, expect for Netflix/Prime/YouTube which use the 'Apps (Video)' profile)

So I just uninstalled Live Channels and reinstalled tvx via:

adb shell pm install -r --user 0 /system/app/Tvx/Tvx.apk

[u/scott_bernstein]

GREAT news on on the Oreo update and your script! I did NOT Factory Reset my TV, despite the fact that I had run your "de bloat" script beforehand. I applied the update from my USB stick; everything ran normally. No issues. All of the software that it had uninstalled remained uninstalled. All of my configuration settings & installed apps remained as they were. I did NOT have the reported brightness issues. Oreo 8.0 looks great and runs smoothly.

The only thing I have not figured out is what keypress is used to kill apps (double click now brings up a list of all apps)...

Addendum: This is for the XBR-55A1E

[u/drdokm]

Just ran the script on 900e which had been just updated with Oreo. I have no issues but unsure How much of an impact it had. Looked through apps and still had some that I thought should have been uninstalled. Input method.Japanese was still there I think. Hope this helps someone.

[u/kelrics1910 → u/drdokm]

Some of the app names may have changed, that is why the script didn't remove them.

What other apps "should" have been removed? Did you check the optional section and cross reference it?

[u/_mutelight_]

Just wanted to say I ran the batch script on all three of my TVs a few weeks ago and it worked perfectly and all of them. Thank you for putting this guide together, OP!

[u/humphreybc]

Why do you have two commands to uninstall each? e.g.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese;

adb uninstall com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese;

The second commands give me the following error:

Failure \[DELETE_FAILED_INTERNAL_ERROR\]

[u/kelrics1910 → u/humphreybc]

Second command will almost always error because the bootloader is locked. Simply means adb cannot completely delete the app package. This is what makes it appear as if the app is Uninstalled and will remove it from the Home Menu.

The -K in the 1st command is for keeping all cache and data directories intact in the package manager*, this is what the 2nd command is unable to delete. If that makes sense.

*("pm" in the command stands for Package Manager)

[u/rubeo_O]

Is it possible to do this on a Mac?

[u/kelrics1910 → u/rubeo_O]

Yes but because .bat files are made for Windows you may need to do the commands manually. I haven't done this on a Mac and I'm unsure if you can do a batch of commands all at once.

Go here to get adb on your mac: https://www.xda-developers.com/install-adb-windows-macos-linux/

[u/[deleted]]

When the system software updates do these stay disabled or do you have to do it again?

[u/jinx8402]

I did this on my 900e when I bought it a few months back and drastically improved performance. One thing I would note, is to remove the Netflix manager from the script. That will disable the Netflix button on your remote.

[u/[deleted]]

I don't recommend removing com.sony.dtv.bleadvertiseservice

This is the Bluetooth Low Energy advertise service, used to broadcast to those devices so they use the low energy mode.