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Easy Guide: Disable Whats New app on Sony Xperia devices

The Sony Xperia Z3 is an amazing device, it distinguishes it self from the competition by its phenomenal battery life but as far as software goes, there is one little annoying thing: The Whats New app.

The Z3 isn’t the only device that has this app as the Z2, Z3 compact have the same problem. All devices have a shortcut to Whats New, an app from Sony that comes pre-installed on your device right new to Google Now and there is no easy way to just get rid of it, until now. Lets take a look at how to

How to Disable Whats New app on Sony Xperia devices

  1. First, head over to Settings and enable the Developer mode on your Xperia device. This can be accomplished by tapping multiple times the “Build Number”
  2. Download ADB here
  3. Connect your device to your computer
  4. Open up Start > Run > CMD to open up a terminal.
  5. Drag the ADB folder to your desktop
  6. Write in the command line: cd desktop/android
  7. Enter the following command: adb devices
  8. If you get a reply, proceed to write the following command:  adb shell
  9. Then: pm block com.sonymobile.advancedwidget.entrance
  10. Then: exit
  11. Then: adb reboot
  12. Once all commands have been executed, your Xperia device will reboot, wait for it to boot back up and
  13. voila!

Other things to disable without rooting your Xperia Z3

Following the guide above and simply changing the command in step number 9 you can disable a lot of things without actually rooting your Z3 device. Here is a list of some other things you might want to disable: (full list here)

pm block com.sonyericsson.textinput.chinese
pm block com.sonymobile.simplehome
pm block com.sonymobile.anondata
pm block com.facebook.katana
pm block com.sonyericsson.idd.agent
pm block com.sonyericsson.eventstream
pm block com.sonymobile.twitter.account
pm block com.sonymobile.twitter.setupwizard
pm block com.sonyericsson.advancedwidget.music
pm block com.sonyericsson.advancedwidget.notewidget
pm block com.sonyericsson.advancedwidget.photo
pm block com.sonyericsson.advancedwidget.weather
pm block com.sonyericsson.androidapp.timescapefeedsplugin