Google One, Google Home, Keep and News can go if you don't use them, and Google TV can be switched off. Here is how, and which apps you should keep.
Pixel phones carry fewer preinstalled extras than many Android phones, but there are still Google apps plenty of owners never use. Removing them frees storage and stops background updates.
Four can be uninstalled safely if you don't need them: Google One, which only matters if you pay for extra storage; Google Home, for Nest smart home gear; Google Keep, the notes app; and Google News. Press and hold an app's icon, tap App info, then Uninstall.
Everything can be reinstalled from the Play Store later, so a quick cleanup carries little risk.
Your Pixel came with apps you have probably never opened, and each one takes up storage and keeps downloading updates. Four of them, Google One, Google Home, Google Keep and Google News, can be deleted in about ten seconds each if you don’t use them, and a fifth, Google TV, can at least be switched off.
This matters most if you bought a Pixel with the smallest storage option, or if your phone keeps warning you that space is running low. Clearing out apps you never use is free, takes a few minutes and can always be undone. It also tidies up your app drawer so the things you do use are easier to find.
You can uninstall most optional Pixel apps from the app drawer or from Settings. Here are both methods:
If you only see a Disable button, Google treats that app as part of the system. Disabling it hides the icon, stops it running in the background and keeps it from installing updates that eat more space. Changed your mind? Any app you uninstall can be downloaded again from the Google Play Store, and a disabled app can be turned back on from the same Settings screen.
These four come preinstalled on most Pixel phones, and none of them is needed for calls, texts, the camera or the core phone experience.
Google TV is the awkward one. On many Pixel phones Google does not allow you to uninstall it, so the Uninstall option simply isn’t there. You can disable it, which stops it using background resources. Some owners report being able to remove it entirely, so check your own phone.
The app gathers shows and movies from different streaming services, builds watchlists, offers recommendations and sells or rents films. It can also work as a remote for a Google TV or Android TV set. If you stream through a Fire TV Stick, a Roku or apps like Netflix directly, it is easy to live without on your phone.
Once you have cleared the big four, a few more apps are worth checking:
Be more careful with these:
Will this make your phone faster? Some long-time Pixel users say their phones feel quicker after clearing out unused apps, though the results vary a lot by phone and by how you use it. The clearer win is storage: deleted apps stop taking space and stop downloading updates.
The best approach is simple. If you haven’t opened an app in months and you don’t pay for the service behind it, remove it. Pixels already carry far less bloatware than many Android phones, so a quick five-minute cleanup is usually all it takes.
If you are setting up a brand-new Pixel 10, do it on day one, before the apps download their first round of updates.
Yes. Every app covered here can be downloaded again from the Google Play Store, and disabled apps can be re-enabled from Settings, then Apps.
Google treats some apps, such as Chrome and often Google TV, as system apps. You can disable them instead, which hides them and stops background activity and updates.
No. Calls, messages and the camera don’t depend on Google One, Home, Keep or News. Avoid disabling Google Photos or AI Core unless you accept losing the features linked to them.
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