Android devices have a lot of preinstalled system applications. One such application is AppLinker. A lot of users want to know what is this AppLinker app and what does it do?
AppLinker is a preinstalled system application found in Samsung devices that allows users to open Websites directly from an App using Android System WebView and also open Apps directly from any Website. The package name(APK) of AppLinker is com.sec.android.app.applinker.
The “sec” in the package name stands for Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the company that developed the app. This app is available on all Samsung devices running on the Android Operating System.
Android System WebView is a web browser engine built into the Google Chrome browser that allows Android apps to open a Website and display Web content directly from the app.
In this article, I’ll explain more about the AppLinker app, what does it do, is it safe and can you uninstall it.
Page Contents
What Is AppLinker Used For?
AppLinker is a built-in system application on Android devices that opens a Website or Webpage directly from an App when the user clicks on a Website URL inside the App. This system application also redirects a user to an App from a Website when the user clicks on an App link in the Website.
For example, when you click on a Website link inside the Telegram app, the website directly opens in the Telegram app without having to exit the app because of the AppLinker system app.
Similarly, when you visit a Website that contains links to an App and you click on the App link, you’ll be automatically redirected to the App Installation page from the Website due to the AppLinker system app.
This Application Package name of this app is com.sec.android.app.applinker. You cannot find this app by simply checking your installed apps. To find this system application you’ll have to follow the steps below.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap on Apps.
- Tap on the Ellipsis icon (three vertical dots) in the upper right corner.
- Tap on Show System Apps.
- Scroll down below and you will find the AppLinker system app.
Is AppLinker A Virus or Is It Safe?
AppLinker is a preinstalled system application so it is totally safe. It is not a Virus, Malware, Spyware, or Adware. This app doesn’t cause any intentional harm to your device and doesn’t sell your data to third parties.
The AppLinker system app is safe as well as important. You cannot open websites directly from apps and open app links directly from a website without this system application.
It doesn’t consume your system resources like CPU and RAM unnecessarily so it is not bloatware. This app doesn’t cause any battery drain issues.
If you aren’t sure if this app is virus-free then you can install an Antivirus app on your device and scan this app with your Antivirus application. You will find the app is clean.
What Permissions Does AppLinker Require?
AppLinker uses only two permissions in your device that are mentioned below.
- Phone permission that allows the app to modify phone state, read phone status and identity.
- Storage permission that allows the app to read the contents of your USB storage and modify or delete the contents of your USB storage.
You can check all the permissions used by this app by going to Settings > Apps > Show System Apps > AppLinker > Permissions.
Can You Uninstall AppLinker?
AppLinker is a built-in system application so you cannot uninstall this app normally like the way you uninstall other third-party apps. To uninstall AppLinker, you’ll have to use a software called Android Debug Bridge(ADB) or an application called System App Remover which requires you to root your Android device.
You shouldn’t uninstall AppLinker from your device because if you remove it then you won’t be able to open website links directly from apps and open app links directly from a website. So, you’ll have to manually copy and paste the link on your browser instead of getting automatically redirected.
Android system applications should never be uninstalled because they perform important functions and removing them might cause issues with your device.
However, if you think the AppLinker system app is not necessary for you then you can uninstall this system app using the methods shown in the next section.
How to Uninstall AppLinker?
You can uninstall AppLinker using ADB or System App Remover. Both the methods are mentioned below in detail.
1. Uninstall AppLinker Using ADB
ADB is a command line tool that is used to communicate with a device running on the Android OS. ADB allows you to bring up a Unix shell so you can issue commands directly on the Android device. You’ll require a Windows PC to use ADB.
Here are the steps to uninstall this app using 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.
Step 12 – Run the command adb shell pm uninstall –user 0 com.sec.android.app.applinker then wait for a few seconds and you’ll notice the app has been uninstalled from your device.
To disable AppLinker instead of uninstalling it, you should replace “uninstall” with “disable” in Step 12 of the ADB command mentioned above.
2. Uninstall AppLinker Using System App Remover
This method requires you to gain root access to your device. If you don’t know how to root your Android device then check our Android Root guide.
After gaining root access follow the steps below.
Step 1 – Download and install the System App Remover application.
Step 2 – Launch the System App Remover application, search for com.sec.android.app.applinker and tap on the checkbox to select it.
Step 3 – Tap on the Uninstall button to completely uninstall the app and delete its data.
AppLinker Hack?
AppLinker is not a hacking application. This app is not used by hackers to retrieve sensitive information from your devices. It is an important system application built into Samsung Android devices and is totally safe.
AppLinker Remote Service
The Applinker system application is a Remote Service which means this app can be used by other applications on your device across process boundaries. Remote Service allows other apps to use the functionalities of a system app by exposing an interface via Android Interface Definition Language.
How to Download AppLinker?
AppLinker is a preinstalled system application so it should be present in your device from the beginning. If it’s missing then you can download it from the APKMirror website by clicking this link.
Conclusion
AppLinker is a built-in system application in Samsung Android devices that allows users to open websites from an app and also redirects users to the app link page from a website. It is a safe application.
This app shouldn’t be uninstalled from your device because removing it might cause issues. If you still want to uninstall it, you can use either ADB or System App Remover.