If you own a Samsung Galaxy Android device you probably have seen “used com.samsung.android.aircommandmanager” activity on your Google My Activity section. This app package represents the FACM app but what is this app all about?
FACM or Factory Air Command Manager is a preinstalled system app on Samsung devices that manages the special features of the Samsung S Pen when the S Pen is active.
In this article, we’ll explain the purpose of the FACM app, is it safe and how to uninstall this app from your device.
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What is FACM App Used For?
The FACM app is used to manage S Pen features including Smart Select, Screen Write, and Samsung Notes. Air Command gives users access to the S Pen features and the FACM app manages those features.
When Air Command is activated by taking out the S Pen or hovering the S Pen over the device screen and clicking the S Pen button, a menu appears with several special S Pen features. These features are processed by the Air Command app and managed by the FACM app.
Some of the features managed by the FACM app are Smart Select, Screen Write, Samsung Notes, Live Message and a Translation feature. Smart Select allows you to use the S Pen to select text and images from a screen, Screen Write allows you to write text on the screen using the S Pen and Samsung Notes allows users to take notes in the Notes app using the S Pen.
Air Command also allows users to create Live messages which are drawings that come to life when sent to other users and the Translate feature where you can select a piece of text with the S Pen and have it translated to your preferred language.
The package name of the FACM app is com.samsung.android.aircommandmanager. The package file contains the FACM APK file and the data related to the FACM app.
Is FACM Safe or Is it a Virus?
FACM is not a Virus or Malware. It doesn’t cause any harm to your device. If you believe that FACM is spying on what you’re doing with the S Pen then you’re wrong.
This app doesn’t spy on your data, keep track of what you’re doing with your S Pen and doesn’t sell your data to third parties. So, it is not Spyware.
FACM is a safe application that is required to manage the special features of the S Pen. However, you can also use your S Pen without this app only using the Air Command app so this app could be considered Bloatware.
Can You Uninstall FACM App?
Yes, you can uninstall the FACM app because is not necessary for your device. Removing it won’t cause any issues to your device because you can use all the S Pen features using the Air Command app.
To uninstall FACM, you’ll need a software called Android Debug Bridge(ADB) that can uninstall the app without rooting your device or you can use the System App Remover application which requires rooting. You can also remove this app by deleting the FACM APK file using the Root Explorer app.
How to Uninstall FACM App?
Here are the three methods that can be used to uninstall the FACM app from your Samsung device.
1. Uninstall Using ADB
ADB allows you to bring up a Unix shell so you can issue commands directly on the Android device. You can use it to install, uninstall, debug and disable apps. You’ll need 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 – Type the command adb shell pm uninstall –user 0 com.samsung.android.aircommandmanager and press Enter to run this command. Wait for a few seconds and you’ll notice the app has been uninstalled from your device.
2. Uninstall 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 Rooting guide. After gaining root access follow the steps below to uninstall this system app.
- Download and install the System App Remover application.
- Launch the System App Remover application, search for the FACM app, and select it by tapping on the checkbox next to it.
- Tap on the Uninstall button to completely uninstall the app and delete its data.
3. Uninstall using Root Explorer
You can remove the FACM application by deleting the APK file using Root Explorer. To do this, use these steps:
- Root your Android smartphone.
- Download and Install the Root Explorer app.
- Open the app and browse to /system/priv-app/FACM/FACM.apk.
- Delete the FACM APK file.
- Reboot your device.
How to Disable FACM?
You can disable the FACM app using the Package Disabler Pro app. Package Disabler Pro is a package disabler app that can disable built-in system apps which cannot be disabled normally. To use this app you’ll have to root your device and once the device is rooted, follow these steps to disable this app.
- Download and Install the Package Disabler Pro app on your Android device.
- Search for “com.samsung.android.aircommandmanager” using the Search button in the top bar.
- Select the app package and tap Disable.
- Confirm your decision by selecting “Yes.”
Does FACM Consume Too Much Battery?
The FACM app doesn’t consume too much and doesn’t have a high battery usage.
Normally, this app doesn’t run in the background or consume cellular data however, when the S Pen is used to register certain commands or use special features this app consumes CPU which is when you’ll notice some battery consumption.
This battery consumption is low and is only seen when the S Pen is used for Smart Select, register notes in Samsung Notes, Screen Write, and Live Messaging. So, you won’t notice continuous battery consumption with this app.