Advice Request Best way to customize Android

[shmu26]

I have a Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 and I want a clean, unbloated experience. I don't need the stock YouTube app and the stock Music app and the games and other preinstalled stuff. I do need gmail, camera, whatsapp, waze, SMS, and a few other apps that I actually use.
What's the best way to do this? Should I install a custom ROM? Should I uninstall unwanted apps (not so easy with system apps), or what?
Is it possible to buy a blank phone and only install what I want?

 

[Jack]

Should I uninstall unwanted apps (not so easy with system apps), or what?

I always uninstall what I don't need, and if it's not possible to uninstall then I disable them. As you said, you can install a custom ROM, but is it really worth all the hassle for a few apps that you don't need? If I were you, I would uninstall what I don't need and disable the rest.
You can also try an app like Revo Uninstaller or CCleaner to see if they can help.

YouTube app

I use Youtube Vanced so this is disabled on my phone.

 

[Jack]

CCleaner

I've just tried to uninstall the Youtube app with Ccleaner, and even if it shows the Uninstall option...it can't do it. It just clears the cache.

 

[shmu26]

I've just tried to uninstall the Youtube app with Ccleaner, and even if it shows the Uninstall option...it can't do it. It just clears the cache.

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It's a system app. Tough to remove them.

 

[Jack]

Should I install a custom ROM?

If I were to install a custom ROM, I would go with: LineageOS – LineageOS Android Distribution

 

[Deletedmessiah]

If I were to install a custom ROM, I would go with: LineageOS – LineageOS Android Distribution

For Xiaomi Xiaomi European Community | MIUI ROM Since 2010 also can be a good choice since its modified from official Xiaomi firmware with bloat/telemetry removed.

 

[brambedkar59]

I wouldn't install custom ROM for daily usage, it's pretty much always buggy.
I would prefer to use ADB to either uninstall or disable system apps. Google apps are easy to disable, MIUI apps sometime give trouble.
This is why I went for stock Android for my father's phone, no bloat at all. And Google apps can be disabled easily without ADB

 

[shmu26]

I wouldn't install custom ROM for daily usage, it's pretty much always buggy.
I would prefer to use ADB to either uninstall or disable system apps. Google apps are easy to disable, MIUI apps sometime give trouble.
This is why I went for stock Android for my father's phone, no bloat at all. And Google apps can be disabled easily without ADB

What is ADB, and is stock Android a form of custom ROM?

 

[brambedkar59]

What is ADB, and is stock Android a form of custom ROM?

ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge, think of it as "Run as Admin" on Windows (Kinda but not really). It doesn't void warranty, doesn't root the phone & doesn't unlock the bootloader. But you still have to be careful running cmds with it.

How to uninstall carrier/OEM bloatware without root access

If you want to get rid of carrier/OEM apps from your phone, here's how you can uninstall bloatware from your device without root access!

www.xda-developers.com

Stock Android is what Google intended for Android to be, with only Google apps pre-installed (plus 1-2 OEM app as well) with some minor customization by OEM (eg. Moto)

 

[shmu26]

ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge, think of it as "Run as Admin" on Windows (Kinda but not really). It doesn't void warranty, doesn't root the phone & doesn't unlock the bootloader. But you still have to be careful running cmds with it.

How to uninstall carrier/OEM bloatware without root access

If you want to get rid of carrier/OEM apps from your phone, here's how you can uninstall bloatware from your device without root access!

www.xda-developers.com

Stock Android is what Google intended for Android to be, with only Google apps pre-installed (plus 1-2 OEM app as well) with some minor customization by OEM (eg. Moto)

If you install stock android, maybe there are issues with camera and mic and other hardware components? I have a Xaiomi phone.

 

[brambedkar59]

If you install stock android, maybe there are issues with camera and mic and other hardware components? I have a Xaiomi phone.

I meant I would rather buy phones that come with stock Android pre-installed like in case of Moto & Nokia.
Edit 1: There are custom ROMs which are mostly stock Android but have same issue as all other custom ROMs aka Bugs.
Edit 2: Think of Stock Android as Windows Clean install vs OEM factory image full of bloatware, except in case of Android you can't clean install it