I never thought about auditing my carrier’s software because I never knew how easy it was. I’d checked app permissions, turned off ad tracking, and cleaned out old apps, but the preloaded packages that came with my Galaxy stayed untouched because I assumed they were just part of the phone. I spent an afternoon looking into what T-Mobile and Samsung put on my device, what it can actually do, and what happens when you turn it off. It’s easy enough to try yourself.
