Ever wondered why free apps are free? The answer is crapware.
Follow the money. When you download your next free game or utility, that money’s not coming from you… it’s coming from other software makers.
These aren’t the guys putting out addictive games and helpful apps. Their software tracks your browsing, watches your purchases, redirects your browser to their own sites… and slows your system down, sometimes to a grinding halt. They’re not technically viruses, but they might as well be, auctioning off your privacy and bogging down even the fastest devices.
Crapware: the terrible statistics
How many of the top free download sites are bundling crapware with your freebies? All of them, according to this report.
That’s right: 100%. Almost every single download, even from reliable sites, is bloated with garbage.
Where’s the line between ethical adware and sneaky, underhanded crapware?
When I play my favorite Solitaire game on my Android phone, it shows a little ad at the bottom of my screen. I totally don’t mind. They have my permission to use that tiny bit of real estate… in return for a lot of free gameplay.
That’s the main difference between crapware and ethical adware: permission.
My solitaire game offers a quid pro quo – free gaming in return for my eyeballs. Crapware, bloatware, malware, whatever you call it, doesn’t bother asking. At least, not so most users can understand.
How can you protect yourself?
The easiest way to protect yourself is the simple checkbox.
Installers usually ask if you want to add the extra garbage. But like me, maybe you click “Next” to get through all the screens without really reading them.
Just by unchecking any checkboxes you can, you’ll be doing yourself and your device a huge favor. (If there’s an Advanced or Custom option, they sometimes hide the checkboxes in there.)
But crapware is getting sneakier. Even power users are falling for it now. Another way to protect yourself is with… wait for it… an app. Unchecky and WinPatrol are two free Windows programs that work in different ways.
- WinPatrol snapshots your system and warns you whenever a program tries to install itself.
- Unchecky sits in the background and when you install a new program, automatically unchecks boxes for unrelated software.
For Chrome users, Google has introduced a “Software Removal Tool” that can scan and pick up on crapware add-ons that may mess with your browsing.
When you can’t get away
But guess what? Many device manufacturers are now pre-bundling their systems with a load of garbage. So there really is no choice.
Once crapware lands on your system (and it will!), you’ll need to weed it out or you’ll get bogged down. Simple tasks could take twice as long – or more – than they should if your system’s bloated with crapware.
You can get rid of it by hand. But the best way if you’re not interested in hours of sifting through a haystack of obscure system folders – is a reliable third-party program which scans your computer for crapware and kills it dead in its tracks. Once it’s done, the app will hang out in the background and stops your system from being invaded.
Those free apps may not be as free as you think if they’re costing you time and money after they’ve messed up your system. But with a few simple security measures, you can breathe easy and sidestep all the crap(ware) heading your way.
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