Google Play will soon let users remotely uninstall apps.

 

Google Play will soon let users remotely uninstall apps

The remote install feature has been available for quite some time now

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TL;DR: Google is about to provide a new management option for Android users and app-testing enthusiasts. A recent update to the Google System back end introduced a novel uninstall feature to all Android devices, be they phones, TV sets, or anything else.

Google recently released the latest update for Android System apps, bringing new features and improvements to its mobile OS. For the first time, the update is introducing an uninstall option to help users manage all their apps from any device connected to Google. Mountain View isn't providing further details about the new feature, but thanks to news site TheSpAndroid we now know what it is actually useful for.

The Google System Updates release notes for December 2023 include a new feature to help you "uninstall apps on connected devices" from auto, PC, phones, TV and Wear devices. TheSpAndroid explained that the new option is designed to uninstall apps remotely, providing a list of connected devices when the user opens the app list in the Play Store.

Google already provided a way to remotely install apps on a smartphone from the Play Store website back in 2011, and a similar feature has been available on the Play Store app since 2022. Just like remote installation, remote uninstall capabilities aren't exactly bleeding-edge tech or uncommon features in the software market at this point.

Remote installs from the Play Store work thanks to Android's push notification system: by pressing the install button for an app, the user asks Google to send an app push to their selected device. If or when the device is turned on, the notification will instruct the Android operating system to perform the installation.

The notification system could likely be used to perform remote uninstallations as well, even though Google isn't providing any explanations (yet). The company has shown that it's perfectly capable of remote uninstalling apps from users' devices on its own, a "super power" which has been mostly used to mass remove malicious apps from all Play Store-connected devices so far.

Besides providing a "universal" remote uninstall feature for end users, the December Google System Updates also includes additional features, bug fixes and improvements for battery life, device performance, and network usage. Owners of Android phones can now watch app videos in full screen by default for an improved viewing experience, while the Google Settings "UI architecture" has been redesigned with a refresh of settings screens.