Verizon customers who use the Samsung Galaxy S7, beware: a recent update installs new bloatware over your existing bloatware that installs new bloatware. Confused or pissed off? You should be, as this app can install new apps onto your phone without you knowing.
Verizon Galaxy S7 owners noticed that the update for the S7 installs DT Ignite software from Digital Turbine. Essentially, DT Ignite sees what you do on your phone and downloads apps based on your usage. It’s like YouTube’s “Recommended” section—only if YouTube downloaded all those videos onto your computer without your knowledge. It does this without notifying you, and the software can’t be deleted.
But it can be disabled, which in essence nullifies the app’s effect on your device. Go to Settings -> Application manager and click on the menu in the top-right corner, then select the option to show System apps. DT Ignite should pop up—select it, then choose “Disable.”
You can also check out our how-to guide for deleting bloatware on Android, which covers other options for ridding your phone of this sort of crap.
Additionally, you can delete the apps it downloads if you don’t get to it before it installs apps you didn’t ask for. It’s only quasi-Orwellian.
Sneaky Verizon
The privacy infringement of DT Ignite is an eye-rolling commonplace in today’s tech world. DT Ignite’s website almost hilariously cites how many app installs it’s initiated, like a warlord boasting how many heads they have on a pike.
Verizon issued a statement after the uproar, saying “Customers who already have an S7 will not find new or random apps installed or pushed to their phone after the software update. The Digital Turbine (DT Ignite) software is only active during the initial set-up of a brand new device or if a device goes through a factory reset. Following the initial set up, the software will not push or install new apps at any time in the background. Any app installed through DT Ignite is completely removable and can be uninstalled.”
It’s a save-face sort of statement, but we’d recommend you disable the app regardless. Just keep in mind, if you do need to factory reset your device, disabling or removing DT Ignite beforehand will not help, as it will just reinstall itself and all of its added bloatware with it.
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