Disable TouchWiz

Make any Samsung phone work like a Nexus by removing the TouchWiz interface. Matt Egan reports

One of the great things about Android is that it is customisable. Unlike Apple’s iOS and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8, Google’s OS is open to developers, so that each manufacturer can put their own spin on the software. The trouble is, they do. And for everyone who loves HTC Sense or Samsung TouchWiz, there is another who wants only a clean, Google-like Android smartphone. If you find that your Samsung phone is a little too pushy with its notifications, it may be that it is TouchWiz to blame.

TouchWiz is Samsung’s own skin for Android. To some people, it adds a welcome splash of colour and many useful new features. But if you want to make your Samsung phone more Google than Samsung, we can show you how.

The methods outlined here range from easy to difficult, so you should try them in the order they have been written. But you get nothing for nothing, and to truly dispense with TouchWiz you may be forced to go for method three: rooting your phone and adding a custom ROM. My own preference is to use the Google Now launcher as outlined in method two.

Reset your phone, and disable individual features

This will not remove TouchWiz, but depending on what it is about Samsung’s software that irks you, it may remove the problem. If you really want rid of TouchWiz, move on to the next section.

First you need to factory reset your Samsung phone. Go to the Apps page, and then head to ‘Backup and reset’, under ‘User and backup’. Scroll down to ‘Personal Data’, and choose ‘Factory data reset’. All data will be erased from device memory, so make sure that you have backed up all the files and documents you need. You will be able to reinstall contacts, emails and apps by resynching with your Google account.