OnePlus Open – the company’s first foldable phone that will debut on October 19 – comes pre-loaded with a number of third-party applications. The Chinese smartphone maker has confirmed that its upcoming device will include a number of non-OnePlus applications that will be pre-installed by the company. Third-party apps installed by manufacturers are informally known as bloatware and are usually found on Android smartphones. OnePlus has not yet provided a list of third-party applications that will be installed on the OnePlus Open.
In a prepared statement sent to Gadgets 360 on Tuesday, a OnePlus spokesperson confirmed that the OnePlus Open would come with third-party apps out-of-the-box. “Above all else, OnePlus prioritizes delivering a fast, smooth and hassle-free customer experience. To launch OnePlus Open, we worked closely with a host of mainstream app developers to ensure their apps are compatible with our new foldable design , improving the user experience,” said the spokesperson.
OnePlus says that Facebook – a widely used mobile app in its target markets – is one of the apps that will be installed by the company at the upcoming OnePlus Open. In 2020, OnePlus stated that its smartphones would no longer come pre-loaded with Facebook apps, starting with the OnePlus 8T, following backlash from users.
The smartphone maker says that to provide the best user experience, the OnePlus Open comes with “a small number” of pre-installed applications. However, apart from the Facebook app, OnePlus has not provided a list of third-party apps optimized for the OnePlus Open smartphone.
It is currently unclear whether the Facebook app or the other third-party apps that OnePlus will pre-install on the upcoming OnePlus Open can be disabled or uninstalled by users. The company has not announced whether these specially optimized applications will receive the same updates as other smartphones that have installed the same apps via the Google Play store.
According to McAfee, applications from third-party developers that are pre-installed can also pose a risk to the security of your device. They can also inconvenience users in the form of unwanted notifications and warnings from these applications. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 – which will compete with the OnePlus Open – also comes ready-made with apps like Netflix, Spotify and Facebook.
“We believe this approach strikes the right balance between delivering a new and seamless user experience while maintaining the stability and security of our products,” the company spokesperson said in the statement.
