A new analysis of smartphone software has highlighted the huge number of pre-installed applications one can carry with a new phone. According to a study by Surfshark, a Swedish cybersecurity and privacy company, Samsung smartphones had the highest number of pre-installed user-facing apps among the brands studied, with 88 apps.
We analyzed preloaded applications for Samsung, Google, Xiaomi and Apple iPhone devices and compared them to one another. Samsung Android devices had 88 apps, Google phones had 71, Xiaomi had 61, and Apple iPhones had up to 50 built-in apps.
Samsung leads with 88 pre-installed apps
Samsung smartphones were found to have 88 user-facing pre-installed applications in Bayton's database of voluntarily synced devices. These applications can come from Samsung, Google, mobile carriers, and third-party partners.
The study also found that around 57% of Samsung's preloaded apps were marked as safe to remove by the Universal Debloater Alliance Next Generation project. However, the exact selection of pre-installed applications can vary depending on the smartphone model, market and software configuration.
Some of the third-party applications identified in the analysis include Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Microsoft OneDrive and Link to Windows.
We also investigated the privacy aspect of these applications. In 35 Samsung pre-installed apps available on Google Play that disclosed their data practices, the apps collected an average of 13 types of data per application, Surfshark reported.
Google smartphones have 71 pre-installed apps
Google smartphones were second in the analysis, with 71 pre-installed user-facing apps.
Approximately 38% of these applications were treated as safe to remove under the research methodology. Out of 40 Google apps available through Google Play that disclosed their data practices, the average was 13 types of data collected per app.
We found Google Gemini and the Google app among the applications that have the largest number of data types, with 29 out of 38 categories.
Xiaomi has 61 preloaded apps
In the study database, Xiaomi smartphones had 61 user-facing applications pre-installed.
Xiaomi devices can also come with applications from different sources as Samsung does. A total of about 57% of the preloaded apps were considered safe to remove.
Among 33 Xiaomi-related applications available on Google Play that disclosed data practices, the average was 16 types of data per application, the highest in comparison to the Android brands included in the comparison.
The study found Google Gemini and the Google app to collect the largest number of data types among the Xiaomi applications examined, with 29 of 38 categories each.
iPhone has up to 50 built-in apps
The iPhone had the lowest number in comparison, with up to 50 built-in applications. Unlike the Android figures, Surfshark said these iPhone applications were all designed by Apple.
The study examined 47 of the 50 iPhone applications available through the App Store and reported how they collected data. Apple applications in the analysis collected an average of eight types of data for each app.
The ability to remove built-in applications also varies by market. Surfshark reported that users in the European Union can remove up to 98% of pre-installed iPhone apps, compared to up to 88% in other markets.
What does the comparison mean for smartphone users?
The figures illustrate how much software can already be on a smartphone before users download more software. But the number of pre-installed apps alone does not prove that one smartphone brand poses more privacy risks than another.
Surfshark itself notes that its Android data was based on Bayton's database of voluntarily contributed device data, which may not represent every device or region. The study also relied on app-store disclosures when examining data collection, rather than independently verifying every instance of data collection.
For users, the findings underscore the need to check which apps are installed on a new smartphone and review permissions granted to them. Some apps can be removed, and some can be disabled and/or hidden depending on the device and software.
Samsung, for example, confirms that pre-installed apps can be deleted, while essential applications may not be removable. Some apps that cannot be deleted can instead be disabled when that option is available.
The Surfshark analysis thus provides a snapshot of the software that arrives with several major smartphone brands. Samsung has 88 pre-installed user-facing apps, Google has 71, Xiaomi has 61, and iPhone has 50, so that comparison also illustrates the different ways manufacturers approach the software experience users encounter when they first switch on a new phone.
