Android · Apps
Manage Apps & Set Default Apps on Android
The Apps settings page lists every installed app along with its permissions, storage use, and battery impact, and lets you set which app opens automatically for tasks like browsing, messaging, or phone calls when more than one option is installed. This is also where you uninstall, disable, or force-stop an app directly.
How to open Apps & Default Apps
- Open Settings → Apps.
- Tap 'Default apps' to review or change the app used for browsing, calling, messaging, and more.
- Select a category and choose your preferred app from the list.
What you should know
- Default apps can be set individually for browser, phone, messaging, and other common categories.
- Disabling a pre-installed system app hides it without fully uninstalling it, which can be reversed later.
- Force-stopping an app immediately ends all of its running processes, useful when one is frozen or misbehaving.
- Each app's detail page shows permissions, storage, battery, mobile data, and notification settings in one place.
Clearing an app's 'storage' from this screen (not just its cache) deletes its saved logins and local data — that step can't be undone.
Why it matters
Default apps quietly control which browser opens every link and which app answers every call, so getting them wrong means constantly being routed into an app you didn't actually mean to use. The full app list is also the fastest way to see what's actually installed, what's eating storage or battery, and what genuinely needs to be removed instead of just ignored. For troubleshooting, force-stop and disable are often the difference between a full factory reset and a thirty-second fix for one misbehaving app.
Best practices
- Set a default browser and messaging app deliberately rather than letting the first prompt decide by accident.
- Force-stop a frozen or unresponsive app before assuming a full restart is necessary.
- Disable pre-installed apps you never use instead of leaving them running invisibly in the background.
- Review the full apps list periodically to catch anything installed without your direct knowledge.
- Clear a default app choice if you install a preferred alternative later, so Android prompts you again.
Common problems and fixes
- Links always open in the wrong browser.
- Go to Settings → Apps → Default apps → Browser app and select your preferred browser directly.
- An app is frozen and won't respond to taps.
- Open Settings → Apps → [app] → Force stop, then reopen it; reinstall only if the problem persists.
- A pre-installed system app can't be uninstalled.
- Use 'Disable' instead of uninstall for system apps, which hides it and stops it from running without requiring full removal.
- An app keeps prompting to choose a default every single time instead of remembering the choice.
- Check that 'Always' (not 'Just once') was selected when prompted, or set the default directly from Settings → Apps → Default apps.
Tips and tricks
- Use each app's detail page as a one-stop view of its permissions, storage, and battery impact instead of checking multiple settings screens.
- Set default apps for links, messaging, and calling right after setting up a new phone, before habits form around the wrong ones.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change my default browser after already picking one?
Yes, open Settings → Apps → Default apps → Browser app at any time and select a different one.
What's the difference between disabling and uninstalling an app?
Disabling hides a pre-installed app and stops it from running while keeping it recoverable; uninstalling removes it (and its data) entirely, where allowed.
Does force-stopping an app delete its data?
No, it only ends the app's current running processes; your data and settings for that app remain intact.
Related settings
- App PermissionsApp permissions control what each app is allowed to access — camera, microphone, location, contacts, and more. You can review and change these at any time, per app or per permission type.
- Storage & CleanupStorage settings show a breakdown of what's using space on your device — apps, photos, videos, and cached data — and offer one-tap tools to clear space safely.
- Privacy DashboardThe Privacy Dashboard gives you a timeline of exactly which apps accessed your camera, microphone, and location, and when — so you can spot anything unexpected at a glance.
More Apps guides for Android
- App InfoApp info is the dedicated settings page for a single installed app, showing its permissions, storage and cache usage, notification controls, battery behavior, and options to force stop, uninstall, or disable it.
- Special App AccessSpecial app access holds a set of sensitive, less-common permissions — like displaying over other apps, device admin access, or usage access — that aren't part of the normal runtime permission prompts.
- Unused AppsAndroid automatically detects apps you haven't opened in months and can revoke their runtime permissions or archive them — removing most of the app's files while keeping its icon and data so it can be quickly restored.
- Dual AppsDual apps (branded Dual Messenger on Samsung, App Cloner or Parallel Space on others) creates a second, independent instance of a supported app so you can stay signed into two accounts — like two WhatsApp numbers — on one phone at once.
- Notifications Per AppThis app-level screen lets you fine-tune notifications for one specific app, toggling individual notification channels such as promotions, messages, or reminders, and setting importance levels without affecting notifications from any other app.
- Permission ManagerPermission Manager organizes app permissions by category, such as Camera, Location, Microphone, and Contacts, so you can see and revoke access across all apps at once instead of checking each app individually.