Sprint plans fix for BlackBerry KEYone that reinstalls bloatware
If you can't wait, the carrier suggests uninstalling the software launcher.
We were pretty impressed with BlackBerry's newest smartphone, the KEYone, especially given how long the company had gone without a serious contender on the market. But it seems its US versions carried by Sprint have brought something else from the past: Bloatware. Users discovered that certain apps they'd deleted kept reappearing on their phones. Sprint is reportedly working on a fix, but they've got a hard-and-fast solution in the meantime: Delete the whole software launcher.
To be clear, this problem only affects Sprint versions of the KEYone. That's because the carrier loaded each BlackBerry with Sprint Mobile ID, which automatically installs sponsored apps -- some popular, like Uber and Facebook, others not -- when users first buy the device. Except the latest versions of the service are buggy, re-uploading apps periodically.
A software update is coming to address the issue, Sprint told Phone Arena, but affected users can try an aggressive fix in the meantime. Go to Settings>Apps>Blackberry Launcher, click 'View Details' in the Play Store, and uninstall it. Rebooting the device should re-upload a factory-fresh version of the launcher, which shouldn't have the issue.
We've reached out to Sprint to confirm the issue and workaround steps and will update when we hear back.
