- OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open now have as many as four third-party apps pre-selected for installation during device setup.
- The OnePlus Open also continues to ship three Meta apps that cannot be easily uninstalled.
- We also spotted evidence in the OnePlus 12’s latest firmware of many more third-party apps that were once destined to be preloaded on OnePlus devices. However, there is a chance that OnePlus does not proceed with this plan.
OnePlus has released some great Android smartphones recently, including premium flagships like the OnePlus 12 and the OnePlus Open. I like what OnePlus has done on these devices, with standout features like Open Canvas on the OnePlus Open and the amazing battery life on the OnePlus 12. But lately, these devices have received updates that have added third-party apps (aka bloatware), and we’ve found evidence of more bloatware possibly coming soon to these premium flagships.
The bloatware problem on the OnePlus 12
Content creator Gauraang Arora spotted that the “Review additional apps” screen presented during the setup process on the OnePlus 12 now includes some new apps. This screen allows users to deselect four pre-selected apps, which have been mentioned under the “From OnePlus” header, meaning that OnePlus made the decision to push these third-party apps through the Google Play Store. The third-party apps are LinkedIn, Policybazaar, Block Blast!, and Candy Crush Saga.