Many users have tried uninstalling the LinkedIn app from their phones, only to find that it reappears after some time. This had led to frustration and confusion for some users who do not want the LinkedIn app on their devices. There are a few reasons why the LinkedIn app seems to reinstall itself after being uninstalled.
LinkedIn App Comes Preinstalled
One of the main reasons is that the LinkedIn app often comes preinstalled on many Android devices. Phone manufacturers will preinstall popular apps like LinkedIn as part of agreements with the app developers. This means that even if you uninstall the LinkedIn app, it will simply reappear after some time or after a phone reboot because it is part of the phone’s core software.
There is usually no way for users to permanently uninstall preinstalled apps without rooting their device. Rooting gives you administrative control over the phone but also voids the warranty and poses security risks. So for most users, preinstalled apps like LinkedIn are impossible to remove completely.
LinkedIn Installs from Google Play Store
Another possibility is that you may have previously installed LinkedIn from the Google Play Store yourself. Even if you uninstall the app later, the Play Store still “remembers” that you installed it previously.
The Play Store has a feature where it will automatically reinstall apps you had installed before, even if you manually uninstalled them. This is meant to be helpful in recovering your apps if you reset your phone.
But it can also mean that LinkedIn gets automatically reinstalled from the Play Store after you uninstall it yourself. The only way to prevent this is to go to the Play Store app’s settings and turn off the “Auto-update apps” and “Auto-install apps” options.
Pre-Loaded by Carrier
If you purchased your Android phone through a mobile carrier, they may have pre-installed additional apps beyond what the device manufacturer put in. LinkedIn is a common app that carriers like Verizon or AT&T will preload on the phones they sell.
So even if you uninstall the LinkedIn app, your carrier’s version will likely reappear sooner or later. This occurs because the app is baked into the carrier’s custom version of the Android OS on that phone.
To remove carrier-installed apps, you would need to request your carrier to remove it or do advanced mods like flashing a generic Android firmware. But this is complex for average users and will void your warranty.
Installed as System App
Some variants of the LinkedIn app are installed as a “system” app rather than a regular app on Android. System apps have deeper integration into the core OS and cannot be uninstalled normally.
Even standard uninstall methods like using the Settings or a third-party uninstaller app won’t be able to remove a system app. The only way to remove such an app is to root your phone and delete the app manually from the /system directory.
But this is an advanced process most users won’t be comfortable attempting, and tampering with system apps risks destabilizing your OS. So for most users, a system app version of LinkedIn would reappear even after being uninstalled through normal means.
Auto-Restore Through Google Backup
Google provides a backup service that can automatically restore your apps if you reset or switch Android devices. LinkedIn gets included in this Google backup by default.
So if you uninstall LinkedIn and then restore from a Google backup, the app will automatically reappear. To prevent this, you would need to intentionally exclude LinkedIn from your Google backup before uninstalling it.
But most users are unlikely to remember to disable LinkedIn’s auto-restore, leading to the app eventually reappearing via Google’s restore mechanism after manual uninstallation.
Auto-Sync Through LinkedIn Account
If you use a LinkedIn account on your phone and have sync enabled, your apps can get automatically downloaded on any device logged into that account.
So even if you uninstall the LinkedIn app from your current phone, if you are logged into a LinkedIn account with sync enabled, it is likely to automatically re-download next time your phone syncs with LinkedIn’s servers.
Disabling app syncing on your LinkedIn account before uninstalling the app can prevent this auto-reinstallation. But most users won’t think to disable LinkedIn sync first, causing the unwanted app return.
Difficult to Fully Delete App Data
Part of the reason LinkedIn is hard to uninstall for good is because it is difficult to fully delete the app’s data and settings even after uninstalling.
Traces of the app’s data remain in various caches, temp folders and obscure OS locations that normal uninstall procedures don’t touch. So reinstalling the app can bring back your previous data along with the app itself.
Completely purging all of an app’s leftover data requires using advanced cleaning tools and know-how that is not practical for most non-techies. This makes the LinkedIn app troublesome to erase permanently.
Possible Workarounds
Here are some possible workarounds users can try if they are unable to fully uninstall the stubborn LinkedIn app:
Disable Auto-Updates
Open the Play Store, go to Menu > Settings and turn off auto-updates for apps. This prevents the LinkedIn app from being automatically reinstalled by the Play Store.
Disable Auto-Restore
Go to your Google account settings and turn off backup & restore for apps. This prevents restored backups from bringing back LinkedIn.
Uninstall Updates
In the Play Store, find the LinkedIn app and choose “Uninstall Updates” to revert it to the factory version. Then disable updates for it.
Disable Sync
Go to LinkedIn account settings and disable app syncing across devices. This stops the app from being pushed to devices from LinkedIn’s servers.
Clear App Data
Use the phone’s Settings or a file explorer to browse to the LinkedIn app’s data folders and delete them. This erases leftover data that could restore the app.
Factory Reset Phone
Performing a factory reset/data wipe on your phone will uninstall all apps and data, including LinkedIn. Just be sure to disable all auto-restore options first.
| Workaround | How To Do It |
|---|---|
| Disable Auto-Updates | Turn off auto-update option in Play Store settings |
| Disable Auto-Restore | Turn off backup & restore option in Google account settings |
| Uninstall Updates | In Play Store, choose Uninstall Updates for LinkedIn app |
| Disable Sync | Turn off app syncing in LinkedIn account settings |
| Clear App Data | Delete LinkedIn app folders using phone Settings or file browser |
| Factory Reset Phone | Perform full reset/wipe of phone data after disabling backups |
Removing Preinstalled Apps Risks
While the workarounds listed can help stop LinkedIn from automatically reinstalling, actually removing a preinstalled app like LinkedIn does carry some risks:
– It may void your device’s warranty since preloads are part of the stock firmware.
– Critical functions may depend on the app and get broken when you remove it.
– You may get errors about missing components during OS updates if an expected preinstalled app is gone.
– Apps, features and phone stability may not work correctly without expected preloads present.
– Re-locking the bootloader after rooting to uninstall may brick the device if preinstalled apps were removed.
So fully deleting a preloaded app is generally not recommended for average users. You are usually better off just disabling unused preinstalled apps instead of fully removing them.
Some options to disable instead of uninstalling include:
– Force stop the app and clear data/cache
– Disable app notifications
– Revoke unnecessary app permissions
– Disable autostart on boot
– Freeze the app using device administration tools
These measures can effectively restrict the app without the risks of actually deleting system components.
Conclusion
The LinkedIn app’s persistence after uninstallation is primarily down to it being preloaded as a system app on many devices. Phone manufacturers, carriers and even Google collude to ensure apps like LinkedIn automatically return if deleted.
Fully removing the app requires advanced technical skills that can jeopardize the device. Average users are best off just disabling the unwanted app through simpler means. Though annoying, reappearing apps like LinkedIn are usually not malicious in nature.
With phone software only getting more complex, preinstalled bloatware apps will continue to be frustratingly difficult to remove permanently in the future. But users can still exercise some control over their experience using the workarounds suggested here.
