I see that this system app has just appeared in the Update list on my
phone (it stood out because I didn't recognise the icon. Oddly, it uses
a different icon in the app list), although it seems to have been around
for some time under another name. Looks like it's another Google app I
almost certainly don't need - especially as it wants to access my
location. I've stopped some permissions, but that's all I can do other
than stop the app. No option to disable or uninstall simply (no doubt
adb would deal with it). So far nothing obvious is "misbehaving".
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.as<https://alliancex.org/shield/apps.html>
Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote
I see that this system app has just appeared in the Update list on my
phone (it stood out because I didn't recognise the icon. Oddly, it uses
a different icon in the app list), although it seems to have been around
for some time under another name. Looks like it's another Google app I
almost certainly don't need - especially as it wants to access my
location. I've stopped some permissions, but that's all I can do other
than stop the app. No option to disable or uninstall simply (no doubt
adb would deal with it). So far nothing obvious is "misbehaving".
Hi Jeff,
Here's what I found out for you on your question above.
Let me know if I can be of further assistance in your quest.
"For starters, ASI requires access to much of your device.
You'll need to give it permission to access contacts, messages,
and calendars, for example. Only then can it work wonders on your phone."
<https://www.androidpolice.com/android-system-intelligence/>
You're correct adb will easily uninstall it even on unrooted phones.
C:\> adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.as
<https://alliancex.org/shield/apps.html>
Mine has been uninstalled for a very long time without known issues.
<https://i.postimg.cc/DfMpKn97/android-system-intelligence01.jpg>
The reason, of course, is that it does stuff I don't want done.
"Android System Intelligence learns about you as you use
your Android device. It tracks everything you do,
when you do it, and where you are when you do it.
Some people may have privacy concerns surrounding
this level of tracking. Android System Intelligence
collects device identifiers and diagnostics to function properly.
It also collects crash logs to help it improve.
On-device machine learning is only as good as its connection
to the cloud. ASI uses secure private cloud relays to
Google's greater AI to function."
The question, of course, is what does it do for the average user.
<https://duckduckgo.com/&q=what+does+com.google.android.as+do>
Here's one result (which was published just today in fact).
*What is Android System Intelligence?*
<https://www.androidpolice.com/android-system-intelligence/>
"Android System Intelligence is the brain of your smartphone.
Here's everything it does"
"There was once an app on every Android phone called
Device Personalization Services. It handled basic smart services
such as storing clipboard information and managing notifications.
In 2021, Google rebranded the app and updated it
with machine learning capabilities, giving it more core tasks
and a massive role in how your Android works.
They renamed it Android System Intelligence."
Despite this supposedly "massive role" ASI has in handling "smart
services", my phone is working just fine without it being there.
a. My notifications are working just fine
b. My screen rotation is working just fine
c. My voice-to-text is working just fine
d. My clipboard is working just fine
e. My app-opening search & launch process is working just fine
etc.
This is why...
"Do you need Android System Intelligence?
You don't need ASI to use your Android device.
Your core functions, such as your phone, messages, and cameras,
don't depend on it. Your apps work independently of ASI,
so nothing stops working if you turn off Android System Intelligence."
See also
*Google Pixel phones may offer to translate apps for you on Android 12*
<https://www.xda-developers.com/google-pixel-ui-translation-android-12/>
"Google Pixel phones will likely support the undocumented UI translation
feature in Android 12 which seems to translate text in apps."
Which says
"Specifically, config_defaultTranslationService is set to
com.google.android.as/com.google.android.apps.miphone.aiai.translate.services.TranslationService
where "com.google.android.as" is the package name for
Device Personalization Services and
"com.google.android.apps.miphone.aiai.translate.services.TranslationService"
is the name of the translation service provided by the app."
Also mentioned here for the same reasons.
*Android 12 Beta 2 hints at a new Google "Live Translate" feature*
<https://www.xda-developers.com/android-12-beta-2-google-live-translate-feature/>
"For starters, ASI requires access to much of your device.
You'll need to give it permission to access contacts, messages,
and calendars, for example. Only then can it work wonders on your phone." >> <https://www.androidpolice.com/android-system-intelligence/>
Thanks for that. I'd seen the 25th August page at <https://www.androidpolice.com/what-is-android-system-intelligence/>,
but didn't know it had been updated
You're correct adb will easily uninstall it even on unrooted phones.
C:\> adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.as
<https://alliancex.org/shield/apps.html>
That's a very useful page. It just shows what can be uninstalled without issue.
Mine has been uninstalled for a very long time without known issues.
<https://i.postimg.cc/DfMpKn97/android-system-intelligence01.jpg>
Good to know. Google loves to give scary pop-up messages to suggest your phone will self-destruct if you attempt to stop them data-collecting. ;-)
This is why...
"Do you need Android System Intelligence?
You don't need ASI to use your Android device.
Your core functions, such as your phone, messages, and cameras,
don't depend on it. Your apps work independently of ASI,
so nothing stops working if you turn off Android System Intelligence."
Exactly. I wonder what the next fabulous app Google will foist on us as
part of its data-collecting exercise.
Also mentioned here for the same reasons.
*Android 12 Beta 2 hints at a new Google "Live Translate" feature*
<https://www.xda-developers.com/android-12-beta-2-google-live-translate-feature/>
Very helpful post WJ. I'll keep an eye out for apps which suddenly
appear without warning.
I see that this system app has just appeared in the Update list on my
phone (it stood out because I didn't recognise the icon. Oddly, it uses
a different icon in the app list), although it seems to have been around
for some time under another name. Looks like it's another Google app I
almost certainly don't need - especially as it wants to access my
location. I've stopped some permissions, but that's all I can do other
than stop the app. No option to disable or uninstall simply (no doubt
adb would deal with it). So far nothing obvious is "misbehaving".
Guess my old smartphone (released 2016, running Oreo 8.0 c.2017) is too
old for all this hoopla. Not a choice in Apps (under new or old name)
to disable.
VanguardLH wrote:
Guess my old smartphone (released 2016, running Oreo 8.0 c.2017) is too
old for all this hoopla. Not a choice in Apps (under new or old name)
to disable.
Best way to tell is to run a _good_ App Manager such as this one. https://github.com/MuntashirAkon/AppManager
If you think you already have an app manager which you think is
showing you all the installed packages, think again (as it's likely
missing some apps. https://f-droid.org/packages/io.github.muntashirakon.AppManager/
It's almost as if Google is desperate to get us to use this Android Personalization Service so that they can gather data - so what Google does
is feed the Android Police editors a whole pile of total BS to scare us
into keeping it on our system in the default = on configuration.
It's almost like the scare tactics used for global warming wacknuts who pervert science by claiming every weather event is due to this bullshit.
Same here it seems.
The articles are complete bullshit.
Fed to the editors by Google almost certainly.
Everything that the article said Android System Intelligence does I do already or (like "live captions") I don't ever want to even think about.
I hope our conversation has helped many others who are reading these posts. That's the whole point of this discussion group about Android.
We all learn by listening to each other and helping where we can.
A case of "newer is better" is untrue. More often it is "newer is different". Programmers have to qualify their pay somehow, and
marketers must have something new, er, different to sell.
Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote
You're correct adb will easily uninstall it even on unrooted phones.
C:\> adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.as
<https://alliancex.org/shield/apps.html>
That's a very useful page. It just shows what can be uninstalled without
issue.
Thanks for appreciating the additional link as I had googled for the
package name of "com.google.android.as" to find more information about it
and that's how that specific page showed up outlining how to remove it.
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.as
Each time you ask a question - I learn from your question.
Each time I try to help you - I learn from trying to help you.
Every thread. Every post. We learn more, together, about how Android works. In the case of that table, the author didn't test the removal.
But I did.
There were no negative effects from removing "Android Personalization Service" (aka "Android System Intelligence" that I had ever noticed.
Mine has been uninstalled for a very long time without known issues.
<https://i.postimg.cc/DfMpKn97/android-system-intelligence01.jpg>
Good to know. Google loves to give scary pop-up messages to suggest your
phone will self-destruct if you attempt to stop them data-collecting. ;-)
I have to admit, the articles you and I found about the Android Personalization Service and the Android System Intelligence package make it sound like the phone will become radioactive if we uninstall the app.
After reading about it, I still can't tell what it does that I care about. Can you?
I mean, I care about screen rotation - but mine works just fine without Android System Intelligence. So does my voice to text typing work fine.
This is why...Exactly. I wonder what the next fabulous app Google will foist on us as
"Do you need Android System Intelligence?
You don't need ASI to use your Android device.
Your core functions, such as your phone, messages, and cameras,
don't depend on it. Your apps work independently of ASI,
so nothing stops working if you turn off Android System Intelligence." >>
part of its data-collecting exercise.
Just like you have to exercise adult critical thought processes whenever someone screams at you that every weather event is proof of global warming, it seems that "Google doth protest too much" in the case of this pernicious Android System Intelligence package being on our system & on by default.
A. It seems, to me, that it does nothing I care about it doing.
B. Worse, it seems to me it does things that I care that it does NOT do!
C. And, when I disabled it - nothing bad happened.
Given those observations, I'd recommend nuking it.
1. You can neuter it in the Android settings
2. Or you can nuke it with adb (which requires a PC)
3. Or you can nuke it with local adb (which doesn't require a PC)
Very helpful post WJ. I'll keep an eye out for apps which suddenly
appear without warning.
I'm happy to have helped you.
Answering your questions in the past has taught me a lot.
I hope our conversation has helped many others who are reading these posts. That's the whole point of this discussion group about Android.
We all learn by listening to each other and helping where we can.
Everything that the article said Android System Intelligence does I do
already or (like "live captions") I don't ever want to even think about.
Definitely a bold move to claim to lock basic system features behind
data collection.
1. You can neuter it in the Android settings
2. Or you can nuke it with adb (which requires a PC)
3. Or you can nuke it with local adb (which doesn't require a PC)
That reminds me. Until I get round to nuking it, I can simply "stop" it,
but then it just restarts the next time I switch the phone off and then
on.
With adb, does the app get reinstalled with any update, only a major
update, or does it not get reinstalled at ll?
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.as
adb shell cmd package install-existing com.google.android.as
candycanearter07 <no@thanks.net> wrote
Everything that the article said Android System Intelligence does I do
already or (like "live captions") I don't ever want to even think about. >>>
Definitely a bold move to claim to lock basic system features behind
data collection.
You said it succinctly & far better than I ever could summarize it!
Thanks for understanding.
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