Facebook’s presence can’t be completely removed on select Android phones – report

MANILA, Philippines – Facebook is once again the subject of scrutiny following a report which said the Facebook app – or at least the placeholder “stub” that makes the social media giant visible – can’t be deleted or uninstalled off certain phones from a number of device makers.

The Bloomberg report from Wednesday, January 9, said a US Samsung Galaxy S8 owner found he could not delete the Facebook app from his phone, and added the concerns of other Samsung users, though that wasn’t the end of it.

Bloomberg said Facebook wasn’t the only culprit of these pre-installed applications.

It explained, carriers like T-Mobile in the US have Amazon pre-installed as well. There are also preloaded apps like YouTube and Gmail from Google – the makers of the Android mobile operating system that powers many phones.

“Other phone makers and service providers, including LG Electronics Inc., Sony Corp., Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc., have made similar deals with app makers,” Bloomberg added.

Following the Bloomberg report, known Facebook technology news tipster Jane Manchun Wong said the permanently pre-loaded Facebook apps were “stubs,” essentially inert placeholder files with the logo of Facebook, and would only be active if Facebook was actually downloaded onto the phone for use. 

Samsung only ship the stub version of Facebook on their phones. It’s basically a non-functional empty shell, acts as the placeholder for when the phone receives the “real” Facebook app as app updates https://t.co/KHdkF9fFyK

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) January 8, 2019

The fact remains, however, that while users can disable Facebook on phones where it is pre-loaded – and thus stop data collection from that app – the stub of Facebook remains. Phone makers like Samsung and app developers like Facebook can still engage in deals where the consumer’s choices and peace of mind aren’t completely taken into account.  – Rappler.com