Smartphones and tablets play a massive role in our daily lives for entertainment, work, or communicating with others. That also means they are always on, and services constantly run in the background, both good and potentially harmful ones. Certain system apps are necessary, but DT Ignite can be seen as intrusive since it can add unwanted apps to your device. Many Android phones and themost affordable Android tabletsfrom your wireless carrier come preloaded with DT Ignite. In this guide, we go over what DT Ignite is and why it’s there in the first place.
What is DT Ignite, and why does it exist?
DT, short forDigital Turbine, offers services to mobile app developers, device manufacturers, and wireless carriers. They are a legitimate platform to help the growth of their customers in the mobile space by offering various features. These might include preinstalling apps unique to that company or device, serving ads to users, and installing or updating apps in the background without user input. The goal is to provide a seamless experience to mobile users where companies can curate certain aspects and features of a device.
When you purchase an Android device — a smartphone or tablet from your wireless carrier —the DT Ignite app will likely be installed by default. This allows the wireless carrier to automatically install and update their unique carrier-specific apps in the background. That means you have no say in the matter in most cases. They can install apps you don’t want at any time. On top of all that, since the service runs constantly, this can negatively affect your battery life or introduce odd bugs that crash your device.
Can you uninstall the DT Ignite app?
DT Ignite is a system app, which typically means you can’t remove it using traditional methods. You can uninstall or turn it off depending on the wireless carrier, device manufacturer, and model. To check if you can do this, open theAppssection in yourSettingsapp and tap the menu icon. Turn on theShow systemoption to unhide these preinstalled apps and search forDT Ignite. If you find it, tap the entry for the app and see if you can remove or deactivate it from there.
There’s a catch. Many wireless carriers or device manufacturers might hide the DT Ignite app from you even if you turn on theShow systemoption. If you don’t findDT Ignitein theAppssection,try ADB commandsor root your device for full system privileges. Doing so allows you to fine-tune your experience and control your device beyond what’s possible with stock settings. You can effectivelyuninstall or deactivate any system app using ADB commandsor having full root access, DT Ignite included.
Should you purchase a device from your wireless carrier?
One of the most enticing parts about purchasing a device from your wireless carrier is the option to pay through low monthly installments. On top of this, they usually have upgrade plans that allow you to trade in your old device after a specific amount of time, allowing for more flexibility. You effectively replace those conveniences with preinstalled apps from your wireless carrier, known as bloatware. Imagine purchasing a device with bloatware from the manufacturer and buying it via your wireless carrier. You have likely doubled the number of unwanted apps.
You also significantly increase your odds of getting DT Ignite preinstalled with your device when you purchase directly from a wireless carrier. The DT company may not necessarily be bad, but the DT Ignite app is still an issue for many. The problem usually stems from the wireless carrier that uses DT Ignite. They are overly aggressive with their background services while installing unwanted apps. Many purchase devices this way but may be unaware of these actions since they happen silently without user input.
Buying from a wireless carrier compared to a device manufacturer
Should you still buy an Android device from your wireless carrier now that you know about DT Ignite? This option is viable if you need a payment plan and can deal with the background services. There’s a chance you can remove the DT Ignite app and offending services, but that’s never guaranteed. Unless you know how to use ADB commands or have a rooted device, you may be stuck with it running in the background when you don’t want it to.
The choice is yours to make in the end whether you purchase a device through your carrier. We recommend buying from the device manufacturer to reduce the amount of bloatware, DT Ignite included. You may give up a few of the conveniences you get from going through your wireless carrier. However, you’ll get greater peace of mind in exchange, which is a fair deal. Buying from the manufacturer benefits those users who want more control over their devices.
DT Ignite can be problematic in some cases
The DT platform and company offer legitimate services that wireless carriers often tap into for their needs. They use the DT Ignite system app and services to maintain certain parts of your device. However, the way they implement these features can often be intrusive. That can include installing unwanted apps in the background whether you want them or not. Some wireless carriers are more notorious than others for aggressively pushing their bloatware onto their users. However, you may attempt to remove the DT Ignite app if it disrupts your user experience.
DT Ignite is often preinstalled with wireless carrier devices and is collectively known as aMobile Services Manager. We discuss what this means and why many wireless carriers use it on their devices.
