Huawei has been under a cloud right from the time they used Spyware as built-in apps on their devices. Because of this Huawei users are skeptical about unknown system apps on their devices.
One such application that most Huawei users have voiced their concerns about is the androidhwext app. Some believe that it’s Spyware whereas others think that it might be an important system application.
In this article, I’ll explain what is androidhwext, what is it used for, and should you uninstall this app.
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What Does Androidhwext Mean and What Is It Used For?
Androidhwext is a preinstalled system application on Huawei devices which is a system framework that controls the style and design of the home screen and apps in Huawei’s native graphical User Interface known as EMUI.
The androidhwext provides additional features like Dark mode where users can darken interface colors by changing to a darker color scheme. This app also allows Android app developers to customize the design of their apps based on the style and design of the native apps in EMUI.
EMUI or Emotion User Interface is a custom Operating System derived from the Android OS developed by the Chinese company Huawei and is used in smartphones developed by Huawei and Honor. In Honor devices, EMUI is also known as Magic UI.
The package name of the androidhwext app is com.android.frameworkhwext which has two different components in the framework-res.apk file known as com.android.frameworkhwext.dark and com.android.frameworkhwext.honor and the storage path of this app is /system/framework/framework-res-hwext.apk
The com.android.frameworkhwext.dark controls the styling and design of screens and apps on the Dark Mode and the com.android.frameworkhwext.honor controls the styling and design of the normal lighting mode in Honor devices.
Framework-res.apk file contains all the elements associated with the Graphical User Interface of the device.
Is Androidhwext A Virus or Is It Safe?
Androidhwext is definitely not a virus because it doesn’t cause any intentional harm to your device. There has been some debate whether androidhwext is Spyware but it has not been found to spy on user’s data or sell it to others so we can safely say it is not Spyware.
Androidhwext is a safe application that controls the look and feel of your screens and apps.
It is not an application without which your device cannot run but users can keep it to use some additional features such as Dark Mode, modify the design and style of apps, user screens, etc. Some people do consider it as Bloatware.
Can You Uninstall Androidhwext?
You can definitely uninstall the Androidhwext app using the Android Debug Bridge(ADB) software, the System App Remover application, or using the Titanium Backup application. The first method doesn’t require rooting but the second and third methods require you to root your Huawei device.
Even though you can remove this application, it is recommended that you don’t uninstall this app because removing it might cause issues with user interface design in Huawei as well as Honor devices and you cannot enable the Dark Mode and customize the UI.
But if you are sure that you don’t want this app, you can remove it using the methods mentioned below.
1. Uninstall Androidhwext Using Android Debug Bridge(ADB)
ADB allows you to bring up a Unix shell so you can issue commands directly on the Android device. You’ll need a Windows PC to use ADB.
Step 1 – Go to Settings > System > About phone.
Step 2 – Tap on the Build number 7 times to activate Developer Options.
Step 3 – Go back to the main Settings menu and tap on Developer Options to open it.
Step 4 – Enable USB debugging by tapping on it.
Step 5 – Download ADB on your PC.
Step 6 – Extract the ZIP file into a folder.
Step 7 – After extracting the ZIP file, open that folder.
Step 8 – Press and hold the shift button and right-click in a blank area.
Step 9 – Click on “Open Powershell window here.”
Step 10 – Enter the command adb devices.
Step 11 – Connect your Android device to the PC using a USB data cable and set the USB mode as File Transfer.
Step 12 – You will receive a USB debugging notification on your phone, tap on OK to allow debugging access.
Step 13 – Re-enter the command adb devices.
Step 14 – You should now see the Serial number of your device on the Powershell window.
Step 15 – Run the command adb shell pm uninstall –user 0 com.android.frameworkhwext and wait for a few seconds. You’ll notice the app has been uninstalled from your device.
2. Uninstall Androidhwext Using System App Remover
System App Remover is an application that allows you to uninstall system applications. You can only use this app if you root your device. Here is a guide to root your Android device.
- Download and install the System App Remover application.
- Launch the System App Remover application and search for the androidhwext app.
- Select the androidhwext app by tapping on the checkbox next to it.
- Tap on the Uninstall button to completely uninstall the app.
3. Uninstall Androidhwext Using Titanium Backup
Titanium Backup app allows you to uninstall or disable an app. If you don’t want to remove the androidhwext app completely but want this app to stop functioning then you can disable the app.
This app requires you to root your device. You can use our rooting guide mentioned above. After rooting your device, follow the steps to uninstall or disable this system app.
- Download and install the “Titanium Backup” app.
- Launch the app.
- Search for androidhwext.
- Tap on the androidhwext app.
- Tap on the “Un-install” option to uninstall this app and tap on the “Freeze” option to disable the app.
What Permissions Does Androidhwext App Require?
The androidhwext app doesn’t require any permissions. If you check the permissions used by the app from the App settings you’ll see “No Permissions allowed.”
You can check the permissions required by going to Settings > Apps > Apps > Show system processes > androidhwext > Permissions.
Androidhwext Consuming Too Much Battery?
The androidhwext app is part of Huawei’s UI so it will consume a significant amount of battery. It consumes battery to keep the style and design of the EMUI running.
You can check the battery consumed by the app using the HwPowerMonitor app. If you see it consuming a lot of battery then you can decrease the battery consumption by changing its settings in the HwPowerMonitor app and the Power Genie app.
You can also Force Stop the app by following the steps below.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap on the first Apps option.
- Tap the Ellipsis icon(three vertical dots) in the upper right corner.
- Find androidhwext from the list and tap on it.
- Tap the Force Stop button.
If that doesn’t help then you should disable the app or uninstall the app using the methods shown in the previous sections.