All modern Android devices have a pre-installed system application called com.qualcomm.atfwd that runs in the background. If you monitor the background processes running on your phone, you might have come across this app.
If you are not sure whether it’s an important system app like ConfigAPK or bloatware like KLMS Agent then don’t worry because this article answers all your questions about com.qualcomm.atfwd, is it safe, and if you don’t want this then how can you force stop or uninstall this from your device.
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What is com.qualcomm.atfwd and What does it do?
com.qualcomm.atfwd is a pre-installed system application present in Android devices that allows you to mirror your mobile screen to a TV or computer using the Screen Mirroring feature. com.qualcomm.atfwd is required for the connection between the mirrored device(smartphone) and the output device(TV or computer).
Screen Mirroring technology allows you to mirror or duplicate your mobile screen to another screen like a TV or computer using WiFi or HDMI cable. You can view your photos, videos, movies, etc. on a larger screen by using the screen mirroring feature on your phone.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re using the built-in screen mirroring feature or a third-party screen mirroring app like Castto app, you cannot use screen mirroring without com.qualcomm.atfwd.
If you don’t want to use screen mirroring on your phone, you can easily disable or uninstall the app. Uninstalling or disabling com.qualcomm.atfwd won’t affect any other processes or functionalities on your device.
Screen Mirroring vs Screencasting
Most people believe that Screen Mirroring and Screencasting are the same and use both terms interchangeably. However, this is not true because they are two completely different features.
Screen mirroring allows you to mirror or duplicate your mobile screen on another screen like a TV or computer, but it doesn’t allow you to use your mobile phone for other purposes while it’s being mirrored. So, in screen mirroring the content on both the screens remains the same. You cannot use this feature while gaming. It is only good for watching photos, videos, movies, etc.
Screencasting allows you to connect your phone to other screens while giving you the ability to use your phone for other purposes. This feature is great for gaming, watching photos, videos, movies, etc., and accessing other apps on your phone while your mobile phone is connected to a TV or computer.
Is com.qualcomm.atfwd a Virus or Malware?
No, com.qualcomm.atfwd is not a virus, spyware, or malware. It is a system application present on Android devices that is required for screen mirroring. It doesn’t cause any harm to your device and doesn’t spy on your data.
Since this app runs in the background, some Android users believe that it is bloatware. However, this is totally false. com.qualcomm.atfwd is not an unnecessary app that just consumes your system resources. It is an important system application that comes pre-installed on all modern Android smartphones like Samsung.
Does com.qualcomm.atfwd cause any issues?
A majority of users didn’t have any issues with this app however, some Android users have complained about a few issues. Here are some of the issues that com.qualcomm.atfwd can cause:
1. Battery Draining
com.qualcomm.atfwd constantly runs in the background so it consumes system resources like CPU and RAM and drains your battery. The drainage is minimal because it doesn’t require a lot of system resources.
If your battery is draining very quickly then it is not because of this app. This could be a result of bloatware, other apps or hardware issues.
2. Mobile Data Consumption
Some pre-installed apps use mobile data to function properly and update in the background. However, com.qualcomm.atfwd doesn’t require mobile data. It could use mobile data during updates but generally, it doesn’t use it.
If your mobile data consumption is high then you can check out which apps are consuming the most data and remove those apps if they aren’t required.
3. Phone turns off automatically
A few users have complained that com.qualcomm.atfwd turned their phone off/on automatically. This can be really frustrating when you’re doing something important.
If this app is causing such issues then it’s better to force stop the app and if that doesn’t work then you should disable/uninstall the app. You can find the details in the next sections.
How to Delete com.qualcomm.atfwd?
If com.qualcomm.atfwd is causing issues on your device then you should first try to Force Stop the app. If Force Stopping the app doesn’t fix the issue then you can uninstall the app from your device.
Keep in mind that if you uninstall com.qualcomm.atfwd then you cannot use the screen mirroring feature on your phone even if you download a third-party screen mirroring app.
How to Force Stop com.qualcomm.atfwd?
You can Force Stop this app by following the steps mentioned below.
Step 1 – Go to Settings.
Step 2 – Tap on Apps.
Step 3 – Tap on the Ellipsis icon (three vertical dots) in the top right corner.
Step 4 – Tap on Show System apps.
Step 5 – Search for com.qualcomm.atfwd and then tap on it.
Step 6 – Tap on the “Force Stop” option.
How to Uninstall com.qualcomm.atfwd?
com.qualcomm.atfwd comes preinstalled on Android devices and does not offer an option to uninstall the app directly, but you can uninstall this system app using either the System App Remover application(requires root access) or using the Android Debug Bridge (ADB).
1. Uninstall com.qualcomm.atfwd 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 uninstall com.qualcomm.atfwd permanently. 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.qualcomm.atfwd and press Enter to run this command. Wait for a few seconds and you’ll notice the app has been uninstalled from your device.
N.B. – If you want to disable the app instead of uninstalling it, you need to replace “uninstall” with “disable” in Step 12 of the adb command shown above.
2. Uninstall com.qualcomm.atfwd 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 app.
Step 1 – Download and install the System App Remover application.
Step 2 – Launch the System App Remover application, search for com.qualcomm.atfwd and tap the checkmark box next to the app.
Step 3 – Tap on the Uninstall button to completely uninstall the app and delete its data.
Where to Download com.qualcomm.atfwd?
If your Android device doesn’t have the com.qualcomm.atfwd system app then you can download it from a website like APKmirror. Here is the download link for this app.
Conclusion
com.qualcomm.atfwd is a system application that is used for the Screen Mirroring feature. It is required by all screen mirroring apps. This app is totally safe and it is not some sort of virus, spyware, malware, or bloatware.
Some users have reported battery draining, high mobile data consumption, and automatic phone turning off/on issues with this app. You can resolve these issues by Force Stopping the app. If it doesn’t work then you can uninstall the app using ADB or using the System App Remover application.