Samsung Finally Lets Galaxy Users Uninstall This Pre-Installed App

Samsung is giving Galaxy users a little more control over the apps that come with their phones. With One UI 9, users can finally uninstall Microsoft SwiftKey instead of leaving the pre-installed keyboard on their device. It is a small change, but if you have ever wondered why an app you don't use cannot be removed, this is good news.

SwiftKey has been pre-installed on Samsung phones for years as part of the company's deal with Microsoft. You could disable the app, but removing it completely wasn't an option. One UI 9 appears to change that.

The change was spotted on a Galaxy S26 Ultra running One UI 9 Beta 5. SwiftKey now has the normal uninstall option, just like an app you downloaded yourself. Removing it frees around 55MB of storage.

Let's be honest, nobody is going to celebrate getting 55MB back on a phone with 256GB or 512GB of storage. That's enough for a few photos or perhaps a very short video, so storage isn't really the point here.

The important part is choice.

If you use Samsung Keyboard or Gboard every day, there is little reason for SwiftKey to sit on your phone with no way to remove it. I have never liked the idea of apps being impossible to uninstall just because two companies signed a deal, so this is a change I am happy to see.

Here's the interesting part, though. Samsung may be doing more than simply adding an uninstall button.

SwiftKey is reportedly not pre-installed on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, both of which launched with One UI 9. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is also expected to ship without it. Samsung has already left SwiftKey off some mid-range phones, including the Galaxy A57.

That raises an obvious question: is Samsung slowly ending its long software deal with Microsoft?

The original agreement brought several Microsoft apps to Galaxy phones, including Office, OneDrive, OneNote and SwiftKey. Samsung also built OneDrive support into apps such as Gallery and My Files. Some of those ties have become less visible lately, which could explain why SwiftKey is now easier to remove.

Samsung has not said that its Microsoft partnership is over, so I wouldn't go that far just yet. What we can say is that One UI 9 gives users more control over SwiftKey, while some new Galaxy phones don't include the keyboard at all.

Pre-installed apps are not always bad. Some people use SwiftKey every day and may prefer it to Samsung Keyboard or Gboard. But if I buy a phone, I should also be able to remove software I don't want.

Getting 55MB back won't change your life. Being able to decide what stays on your Galaxy phone is the real upgrade here.