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Microsoft bringing more bloatware to Android

Microsoft now has deals in place with 74 Android hardware makers in 25 countries that will result in more bloatware on smartphones and tablets.
Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer

Microsoft is helping to make Android even more swollen with bloatware.

If you're a user of Microsoft products and services, then you'll be pleased to hear that more hardware OEMs will be preloading apps such as Office and Skype onto Android smartphones and tablets.

For everyone else, this is just going to mean more bloatware to deal with.

Now I'm well aware that one person's trash is another person's treasure, and that there will be Android users out there who will welcome not having to download Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype, but for everyone else, this pre-installing of software on devices is annoying for a number of reasons.

It means having to go through the hassle of deleting it off the device (and this is something that can get really ugly if you want to do anything more than just disable it from running), or putting up with wasting expensive storage space, and not to mention endless updates.

And remember, this is on top of all the OEM and carrier bloatware that's already being shoveled into Android.

Now don't get me wrong, products like Microsoft Office for Android are nice, but we don't need it pre-installed. It's available to download from the Google Play Store for anyone who wants it. That's the whole point of having the app store in the first place.

But I can also understand why Android hardware OEMs are willing to do this. And it's not as simple as them just selling your storage space to the highest bidder. The truth is they might not have much of a choice.

Not only are Android hardware OEMs operating on a razor-thin profit margin, but Microsoft also has a whole list of patents that it requires them to license to avoid litigation, and reports suggest that Microsoft is willing to offer discounts on these licensing fees in exchange for pre-installing software onto the hardware.

If you don't want to have to deal with Android bloatware, then your only option is to dig deep into your pockets and stump up the cash for a Nexus device. And that way not only are you freeing yourself from bloatware hassles, but you're also guaranteeing that you get Android updates, which isn't a bad thing.

Or I suppose you could go with iOS...

See also:

Best Android smartphones: February 2016 edition

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