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There are several definitions, even within the context of software (ignoring hardware bloat), and even within those definitions it's still open to subjectivity:
There are multiple definitions of bloatware within the context of software. They include:


*[[wikipedia:Software_bloat#Bloatware|Pre-installed software]] that's not required by a system to work
*[[wikipedia:Software_bloat#Bloatware|Pre-installed software]] that is not required for a system functionality
*Redundant or duplicate features included on a device (physical or digital)
*Redundant or duplicate features included on a device (physical or digital)
*[[wikipedia:Potentially_unwanted_program|Undesirable programs]] that were [https://www.deceptive.design/types/sneaking never requested by the user]
*[[wikipedia:Potentially_unwanted_program|Undesirable programs]] that were [https://www.deceptive.design/types/sneaking not requested by the user]
*Software that has [[wikipedia:Software_bloat|become bloated over time]]
*Software that has [[wikipedia:Software_bloat|become bloated over time]]


While the term "bloatware" is commonly ascribed to software, ''hardware'' bloat exists.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ionescu |first=Bogdan |date=2025-09-13 |title=Hosting a WebSite on a Disposable Vape |url=https://bogdanthegeek.github.io/blog/projects/vapeserver/ |access-date=2026-01-15 |website=BogdanTheGeek's Blog |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260209021718/https://bogdanthegeek.github.io/blog/projects/vapeserver/ |archive-date=9 Feb 2026}}</ref> See [[Internet_of_things|IoT devices]], for examples.
While the term "bloatware" is commonly ascribed to software, ''hardware'' bloat also exists.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ionescu |first=Bogdan |date=2025-09-13 |title=Hosting a WebSite on a Disposable Vape |url=https://bogdanthegeek.github.io/blog/projects/vapeserver/ |access-date=2026-01-15 |website=BogdanTheGeek's Blog |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260209021718/https://bogdanthegeek.github.io/blog/projects/vapeserver/ |archive-date=9 Feb 2026}}</ref> See [[Internet_of_things|IoT devices]] for examples.


Often, bloat is a symptom of [[enshittification]]
Bloat can be a symptom of a decline in quality of devices and services, colloquially referred to as [[enshittification]].


==Why it is a problem==
==Why it is a problem<!-- There should be information added regarding the users' lack of ability to remove bloatware as well; this is a particularly relevant topic for consumer rights because it means that a person does not have the power to determine what programs and apps are on their devices. -->==
Most bloatware tends to be pre-installed because the device manufacturer (OEM) has a contract or partnership with another corporation who's interested in "getting exposure" (actually, to advertise itself and collect user data).<ref>https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332932516_An_Analysis_of_Pre-installed_Android_Software ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251130162318/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332932516_An_Analysis_of_Pre-installed_Android_Software Archived])</ref>
Bloatware often arises as pre-installed software and applications because the device manufacturer (OEM) has a contract or partnership with another corporation. The terms and processes leading to these partnerships, however, lack transparency. One study determined that personal data collection and user tracking was prevalent pre-installed apps, with the data collection incluing PII and geolocation data, personal email and phone call metadata, contacts, behavioral and usage statistics as well as isolated malware samples.<ref>''J. Gamba, M. Rashed, A. Razaghpanah, J. Tapiador and N. Vallina-Rodriguez, "An Analysis of Pre-installed Android Software," 2020 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (SP), San Francisco, CA, USA, 2020, pp. 1039-1055, doi: 10.1109/SP40000.2020.00013.'' https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9152633 Accessed 2''6 Feb 2026.'' ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251130162318/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332932516_An_Analysis_of_Pre-installed_Android_Software Archived])</ref>


Bloat, in any of its forms, raises privacy and security concerns<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hubert |first=Bert |date=2024-02-08 |title=Why Bloat Is Still Software’s Biggest Vulnerability |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/lean-software-development |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=IEEE Spectrum |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260131190126/https://spectrum.ieee.org/lean-software-development |archive-date=31 Jan 2026}}</ref>. As a rule of thumb, every added branch of code can make a program exponentially harder to prove for correctness<ref>https://gavinhoward.com/2024/03/what-computers-cannot-do-the-consequences-of-turing-completeness/#infinite-state ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251214082939/https://gavinhoward.com/2024/03/what-computers-cannot-do-the-consequences-of-turing-completeness/ Archived])</ref> (ignoring the nuance that some code can aid [[wikipedia:Static_program_analysis|static analysis]] or even completely enforce [[wikipedia:Invariant_(mathematics)|invariants]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Biffle |first=Cliff |date=2019-06-05 |title=The Typestate Pattern in Rust |url=https://cliffle.com/blog/rust-typestate/ |access-date=2026-01-15 |website=Cliffle |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260130171909/https://cliffle.com/blog/rust-typestate/ |archive-date=30 Jan 2026}}</ref>), making it impractical (hopeless) to verify that a program is not malicious (such as [[spyware]]) or has an exploitable [[wikipedia:Software_vulnerabilities|vulnerability]]. The problem is exacerbated if the app is not [[wikipedia:Open-source_software|open-source]] (or at least, [[wikipedia:Source-available_software|source-available]]), since [[wikipedia:Reverse_engineering|reverse engineering]] is hard and (in many cases) illegal, forcing the user to be at the mercy of the developers and distributors of the app.
Bloat, in any of its forms, raises privacy and security concerns<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hubert |first=Bert |date=2024-02-08 |title=Why Bloat Is Still Software’s Biggest Vulnerability |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/lean-software-development |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=IEEE Spectrum |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260131190126/https://spectrum.ieee.org/lean-software-development |archive-date=31 Jan 2026}}</ref>.<!-- These privacy and security concerns should be detailed and explained. It would be the core point of this article. --> As a rule of thumb, every added branch of code can make a program exponentially harder to prove for correctness<ref>https://gavinhoward.com/2024/03/what-computers-cannot-do-the-consequences-of-turing-completeness/#infinite-state ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251214082939/https://gavinhoward.com/2024/03/what-computers-cannot-do-the-consequences-of-turing-completeness/ Archived])</ref>, making it impractical or impossible to verify that a program is not malicious (such as [[spyware]]) or has an exploitable [[wikipedia:Software_vulnerabilities|vulnerability]]. The problem is exacerbated if the app is not [[wikipedia:Open-source_software|open-source]] or [[wikipedia:Source-available_software|source-available]], since [[wikipedia:Reverse_engineering|reverse engineering]] is difficult and (in some cases) illegal. This means that user is unable to control or ensure the safety of their devices.  to be at the mercy of the developers and distributors of the app.


Bloat is known for causing sub-par [[wikipedia:User_experience|user-experience]]:
Bloat is known for causing sub-par [[wikipedia:User_experience|user experience]]:


*Slowness makes users want to exit the website<ref>https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260211103730/https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance Archived])</ref> or uninstall the program
*Increased latency, "slowness", when using programs and applications<ref>https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260211103730/https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance Archived])</ref>  
*High memory use prevents users from multitasking; and even if they can multitask, the system will be considerably slow<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrashing_(computer_science) ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260207194502/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrashing_(computer_science) Archived])</ref>
*High memory use prevents or impedes multitasking<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrashing_(computer_science) ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260207194502/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrashing_(computer_science) Archived])</ref>
*High power usage increases energy bills and reduces battery lifespan
*High power usage increases energy bills and reduces battery lifespan
*Overly relying on network connections (such as internet) prevents users from accessing data that could've been cached locally<ref>{{Cite web |year=2019 |title=Local-first software: You own your data, in spite of the cloud |url=https://www.inkandswitch.com/essay/local-first |url-status=live |website=Ink & Switch |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260130001648/https://www.inkandswitch.com/essay/local-first/ |archive-date=30 Jan 2026}}</ref>, and can increase cellular-data billing
*Over reliance on network connections (e.g., internet) preventing data from being cached locally<ref>{{Cite web |year=2019 |title=Local-first software: You own your data, in spite of the cloud |url=https://www.inkandswitch.com/essay/local-first |url-status=live |website=Ink & Switch |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260130001648/https://www.inkandswitch.com/essay/local-first/ |archive-date=30 Jan 2026}}</ref>, which can both impede access as well as increase cellular-data billing
*Big code-bases are harder to test and verify, leading to instability and unreliability issues
*Instability issues due to difficulty in testing and verifying big codebases


If an energy source isn't "[[wikipedia:Sustainable_energy|clean]]", bloat can worsen [[wikipedia:Climate_change|climate change]]. This is true for excessive processing (CPU, GPU, etc...) and network abuse (such as [[Artificial_intelligence/training|AI training]])
If sustainable energy sources are not used to power these devices with bloatware, bloat can contribute to [[wikipedia:Climate_change|climate change]]. This is true for any excessive processing (CPU, GPU, etc.) and network abuse (such as [[Artificial_intelligence/training|AI training]]).


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 22:21, 26 February 2026

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There are multiple definitions of bloatware within the context of software. They include:

While the term "bloatware" is commonly ascribed to software, hardware bloat also exists.[1] See IoT devices for examples.

Bloat can be a symptom of a decline in quality of devices and services, colloquially referred to as enshittification.

Why it is a problem

Bloatware often arises as pre-installed software and applications because the device manufacturer (OEM) has a contract or partnership with another corporation. The terms and processes leading to these partnerships, however, lack transparency. One study determined that personal data collection and user tracking was prevalent pre-installed apps, with the data collection incluing PII and geolocation data, personal email and phone call metadata, contacts, behavioral and usage statistics as well as isolated malware samples.[2]

Bloat, in any of its forms, raises privacy and security concerns[3]. As a rule of thumb, every added branch of code can make a program exponentially harder to prove for correctness[4], making it impractical or impossible to verify that a program is not malicious (such as spyware) or has an exploitable vulnerability. The problem is exacerbated if the app is not open-source or source-available, since reverse engineering is difficult and (in some cases) illegal. This means that user is unable to control or ensure the safety of their devices. to be at the mercy of the developers and distributors of the app.

Bloat is known for causing sub-par user experience:

  • Increased latency, "slowness", when using programs and applications[5]
  • High memory use prevents or impedes multitasking[6]
  • High power usage increases energy bills and reduces battery lifespan
  • Over reliance on network connections (e.g., internet) preventing data from being cached locally[7], which can both impede access as well as increase cellular-data billing
  • Instability issues due to difficulty in testing and verifying big codebases

If sustainable energy sources are not used to power these devices with bloatware, bloat can contribute to climate change. This is true for any excessive processing (CPU, GPU, etc.) and network abuse (such as AI training).

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ionescu, Bogdan (2025-09-13). "Hosting a WebSite on a Disposable Vape". BogdanTheGeek's Blog. Archived from the original on 9 Feb 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  2. ↑ J. Gamba, M. Rashed, A. Razaghpanah, J. Tapiador and N. Vallina-Rodriguez, "An Analysis of Pre-installed Android Software," 2020 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (SP), San Francisco, CA, USA, 2020, pp. 1039-1055, doi: 10.1109/SP40000.2020.00013. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9152633 Accessed 26 Feb 2026. (Archived)
  3. ↑ Hubert, Bert (2024-02-08). "Why Bloat Is Still Software's Biggest Vulnerability". IEEE Spectrum. Archived from the original on 31 Jan 2026. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  4. ↑ https://gavinhoward.com/2024/03/what-computers-cannot-do-the-consequences-of-turing-completeness/#infinite-state (Archived)
  5. ↑ https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance (Archived)
  6. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrashing_(computer_science) (Archived)
  7. ↑ "Local-first software: You own your data, in spite of the cloud". Ink & Switch. 2019. Archived from the original on 30 Jan 2026.
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