AppHatin’
T-Mobile removes product that allegedly installed apps on devices without user consent.
AppLovin is a mobile advertising company and has recently come under fire for downloading its advertisers’ apps onto users’ Android devices without their permission. T-Mobile is one of its customers and reportedly uses a product called Array to preload apps on devices. AppLovin shut down Array last month, according to Bloombergclaiming it was a test product.
The Array product was a test product and was discontinued last quarter because it was not economically viable for us. Users never receive downloads with any of our products without explicitly requesting it.
AppLovin spokesperson, October 2025
I’m saying the real reason AppLovin stopped is not because this tactic isn’t profitable. It’s because they got caught.
Ben Edelman, independent researcher and former Harvard professor, October 2025,
T-Mobile may have started uninstalling the com.applovin.array.apphub.tmobile system component to distance itself from the drama engulfing AppLovin.
T-Mobile defends its involvement
T-Mobile users have complained in the past about the carrier installing apps on their devices. | Image credit – Reddit user nima0003
T-Mobile defended AppLovin by saying it does not pre-install or install any apps on customers’ devices without their consent. The operator says its work with AppLovin is limited to creating a better advertising experience.
We previously tested an ad experience with a partner that allowed customers to choose to install apps directly from ads; this pilot is finished.
T-Mobile spokesperson, October 2025
Customers do not necessarily agree. Many subscribers have complained that it’s not just smartphones that they financed T-Mobile come with unwanted apps, but the operator also downloads apps to their phone without their approval.
A good step
Bloatware is the reason some customers stopped buying Android Phones via a carrier. Since Apple and Google have stricter requirements, iPhones and Pixels are spared from this problem.
Carriers spread the cost of purchasing phones over several years, making them affordable for buyers who otherwise wouldn’t be able to upgrade. Bloatware was seen as an inevitable nuisance, but with T-Mobile By disabling the installer, the situation might improve, assuming that AppLovin products were the only source of unwanted downloads.