My Pocket PC (PPC) Adventures: Cubot Pocket 3

Year 2024: Cubot Pocket 3

A replacement for my Cubot King Kong Mini 2 Pro, the Pocket 3 [specs] [de] [prod] comes with Android 12 (API 31) and GMS for banking apps. It is rather oblong, bigger than the Pocket 1, and apparently there has been no Pocket 2.

Cubot Pocket 3	Evaluation
	Pro: Somewhat small GPlay for banking apps Contra: Low-res camera Non-removable battery No hardware buttons Bugs: So far none

Using adb (stand-alone per apt-get install adb or from Android SDK) is a must to remove bloatware [xda1] [xda2]. Boot specials by holding Power + VolumeUp.

Privacy: Pocket 3

First disable apps manually by going to Settings->Apps and notifications>See all 32 apps, and then turn off everything that moves, including Android Auto, Assistant, Calendar, Contacts, Chrome, Drive, Duo, Files by Google, Gmail, Google, Google TV and Maps, Photos, and Youtube, but keep Files, Gboard (keyboard), Google Play services and store, Messages, Phone, and Quickstep (homescreen launcher), as well as SagaTest.

Second, connect the phone by USB, and test the connection with adb devices and then adb shell, where you can pm list packages -e |sort |more and grep to find out if a specific app is installed.

pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.bips
pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.feedback
pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.onetimeinitializer
pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.partnersetup
pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.setupwizard
pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.mainline.telemetry
pm disable-user --user 0 com.sagatest

Details: bips is "built-in printing service", feedback is a telemetry spy, googlequicksearchbox includes the "discover" pages [xda], onetimeinitializer is for installing gapps once [xda], partnersetup is for vendor bloatware configuration once [guide], setupwizard is another one-time init [guide], telemetry is phoning home even if it is for updates [xda] [debloat] and could possibly stay, and sagatest seems to be Cubot-only, with no real explanation [xda].

While I could deactivate Sagatest in the settings UI, re-enabling was trickier: pm enable com.sagatest did not work, instead pm default-state com.sagatest, via pm help |more for overflowing info; so pm disable-user --user 0 com.sagatest is the safer choice.

Just for the record, the full list of packages is:

com.android.backupconfirm
com.android.bips
com.android.bluetooth
com.android.bluetoothmidiservice
com.android.bookmarkprovider
com.android.calllogbackup
com.android.cameraextensions
com.android.carrierconfig
com.android.carrierdefaultapp
com.android.cellbroadcastreceiver
com.android.certinstaller
com.android.chrome
com.android.companiondevicemanager
com.android.cts.ctsshim
com.android.cts.priv.ctsshim
com.android.dreams.basic
com.android.dynsystem
com.android.egg
com.android.emergency
com.android.externalstorage
com.android.hotspot2.osulogin
com.android.htmlviewer
com.android.imsserviceentitlement
com.android.inputdevices
com.android.internal.display.cutout.emulation.corner
com.android.internal.display.cutout.emulation.double
com.android.internal.display.cutout.emulation.hole
com.android.internal.display.cutout.emulation.tall
com.android.internal.display.cutout.emulation.waterfall
com.android.internal.systemui.navbar.gestural
com.android.internal.systemui.navbar.gestural_extra_wide_back
com.android.internal.systemui.navbar.gestural_narrow_back
com.android.internal.systemui.navbar.gestural_wide_back
com.android.internal.systemui.navbar.threebutton
com.android.internal.systemui.onehanded.gestural
com.android.keychain
com.android.launcher3
com.android.localtransport
com.android.location.fused
com.android.managedprovisioning
com.android.mms.service
com.android.mtp
com.android.musicfx
com.android.networkstack.inprocess.overlay
com.android.networkstack.overlay
com.android.networkstack.tethering.inprocess.overlay
com.android.networkstack.tethering.overlay
com.android.nfc
com.android.ons
com.android.pacprocessor
com.android.phone
com.android.printspooler
com.android.providers.blockednumber
com.android.providers.calendar
com.android.providers.contacts
com.android.providers.downloads
com.android.providers.downloads.ui
com.android.providers.media
com.android.providers.partnerbookmarks
com.android.providers.settings
com.android.providers.telephony
com.android.providers.userdictionary
com.android.proxyhandler
com.android.se
com.android.server.telecom
com.android.settings
com.android.settings.intelligence
com.android.sharedstoragebackup
com.android.shell
com.android.simappdialog
com.android.soundpicker
com.android.soundrecorder
com.android.stk
com.android.systemui
com.android.theme.font.notoserifsource
com.android.traceur
com.android.vending
com.android.vpndialogs
com.android.wallpaper
com.android.wallpaper.livepicker
com.android.wallpaperbackup
com.android.wallpapercropper
com.android.wallpaperpicker
com.android.wifi.mainline.resources.overlay
com.android.wifi.resources
com.android.wifi.resources.overlay
com.debug.loggerui
com.google.android.apps.docs
com.google.android.apps.googleassistant
com.google.android.apps.maps
com.google.android.apps.messaging
com.google.android.apps.nbu.files
com.google.android.apps.photos
com.google.android.apps.restore
com.google.android.apps.setupwizard.searchselector
com.google.android.apps.tachyon
com.google.android.apps.wellbeing
com.google.android.apps.youtube.music
com.google.android.calculator
com.google.android.calendar
com.google.android.captiveportallogin
com.google.android.cellbroadcastreceiver
com.google.android.cellbroadcastservice
com.google.android.configupdater
com.google.android.connectivity.resources
com.google.android.contacts
com.google.android.deskclock
com.google.android.dialer
com.google.android.documentsui
com.google.android.ext.services
com.google.android.ext.shared
com.google.android.feedback
com.google.android.gm
com.google.android.gms
com.google.android.gms.location.history
com.google.android.gmsintegration
com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
com.google.android.gsf
com.google.android.ims
com.google.android.inputmethod.latin
com.google.android.marvin.talkback
com.google.android.modulemetadata
com.google.android.networkstack
com.google.android.networkstack.overlay
com.google.android.networkstack.permissionconfig
com.google.android.networkstack.tethering
com.google.android.networkstack.tethering.overlay
com.google.android.onetimeinitializer
com.google.android.overlay.gmsconfig.common
com.google.android.overlay.gmsconfig.comms
com.google.android.overlay.gmsconfig.geotz
com.google.android.overlay.gmsconfig.gsa
com.google.android.overlay.gmsconfig.photos
com.google.android.overlay.gmsconfig.searchlauncherqs
com.google.android.overlay.modules.documentsui
com.google.android.overlay.modules.ext.services
com.google.android.overlay.modules.modulemetadata.forframework
com.google.android.overlay.modules.permissioncontroller
com.google.android.overlay.modules.permissioncontroller.forframework
com.google.android.packageinstaller
com.google.android.partnersetup
com.google.android.permissioncontroller
com.google.android.printservice.recommendation
com.google.android.projection.gearhead
com.google.android.providers.media.module
com.google.android.setupwizard
com.google.android.syncadapters.contacts
com.google.android.tag
com.google.android.tts
com.google.android.videos
com.google.android.webview
com.google.android.youtube
com.google.mainline.telemetry
com.mediatek
com.mediatek.FrameworkResOverlayExt
com.mediatek.MtkSettingsResOverlay
com.mediatek.SettingsProviderResOverlay
com.mediatek.batterywarning
com.mediatek.camera
com.mediatek.capctrl.service
com.mediatek.cellbroadcastuiresoverlay
com.mediatek.duraspeed
com.mediatek.engineermode
com.mediatek.frameworkresoverlay
com.mediatek.gbaservice
com.mediatek.gnss.nonframeworklbs
com.mediatek.ims
com.mediatek.lbs.em2.ui
com.mediatek.location.lppe.main
com.mediatek.omacp
com.mediatek.sensorhub.ui
com.mediatek.simprocessor
com.mediatek.smartratswitch.service
com.mediatek.systemuiresoverlay
com.mediatek.telephony
com.mediatek.voicecommand
com.mediatek.voiceunlock
com.mediatek.ygps
com.sagatest
com.wtk.factory
com.wtk.stresstest

... and that should save you some battery life and provide additional privacy too.