[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] JudasKilman:
I just bought an S22. Great Phone! Except for one issue, the T-mobile stuff, as noted in the original post. Why do they feel like it's their right to linger in our lives and have the ability to snoop on us, when we've paid for a device and own it outright? Foolish. Has no one been able to find a solution to this? I'm still a rookie with XDA, but I referenced this forum a few years ago when I first got into using ADB and removing bloatware. It's fun. I read on another post that the Cat S22 comes with an unlocked bootloader? I found the link on duckduckgo when i searched "XDA cat S22" it was the first result. This current thread I'm on, was lower down the list of search results. Anyway, the post had no replies but stated the Cat S22 comes out of the box with an unlocked bootloader. Is that accurate? Or is that other thread misinformation or incorrect, something to that effect?

I'm not in the USA. However, I live in a country that developed in parallel with the USA and we share many similarities in our 2 countries. I'm mostly just writing this post to bump the thread up and hopefuly garner it some attention, and maybe provide some insight into our dilemma.

For me, T-mobile doesn't need to be on my phone since I'm not within US jurisdiction. I find it a nuisance, and since I have some compulsive behaviors, the fact that I can't debloat the T-mobile stuff is really irritating me. Doesn't take up much space, no, but I'm particular and obsessive about things due to slight mental defect in my brain development. As such, this is really hitting a nerve and i'd LOVE to find a solution. Being able to ROOT it would be cool, of which I don't know much, but in reading this thread, we need a copy of the firmware? Who do we get this from? The phone says made in china. Who would have the firmware? I'd like to write them to obtain a copy, so we can have fun with the S22 the way everyone else does with their normal smartphones.

As for some insight on this situation, I suspect this has to do with the US government recognizing the important investigative value of cellphones, especially given how phones have evolved over a short period of time, and how many crimes they've helped solve. Laws have already been enacted years ago that MANDATE the service providers to retain certain controls over their devices. In the event of......"insert circumstances or official investigation here"... some hypothetical bad guy stuff where the "good guys" need to intervene. As such, it seems the providers have the ability to basically brand these phones the way you would cattle. Or, another comparison, the way you'd microchip your cat/dog. It's not about them getting extra advertising and promoting their brand.

It's about the laws and the authority the federal government has, and wants to retain. The ability to locate and track a device if it falls into the hands of a bad actor who has bad intentions. For me, personally, I'm naturally paranoid about everything in life. I take medication for it. But it persists. I dont like the idea of some jerk loser being able to locate or snoop on me remotely, even if I'm not doing anything wrong, and even if they aren't snooping on random people, I still dont like the fact that they technically can. So I'm really hoping for a solution to this dilemma.

Also, a few other points. People debloat for a variety of reasons. For me, its partially about having a tidy phone with less BS on it weighing it down taking up space irritating me, but also, the paranoid part. I like to be private and maintain anonynimity. I like to browse in incognito and submit 'do not track' requests. I customize my browsers apps and settings, use VPN etc.

But really, those efforts are futile. The system is years ahead of where we stand, today, with the internet and technology. If you start to type a text, then change your mind and delete the message without sending it, that information can still be obtained. At the very least, if your device was obtained by the authorites, their forensic software will quickly dump all info from the phone and every tap that ever occurred on the screen, including that long since deleted message you never even sent! Better hope it wasn't incriminating! haha.

Good thing I don't have bad intentions or do bad things. I'm just a paranoid schizophrenic with lots of free time who loves to play with computers and cellphones in my abundance of free time, being the reclusive type.

In conclusion, I think its ridiculous and unfair that T-mobile gets to permanently leave their stamp on this dirt cheap phone that most people would never consider owning. Since virtually any other branded phone can be debloated using ADB, why not T-mobile? Why are they so special. If the device can ultimately be tracked and surveilled regardless even after a debloat, via ADB, why not just give us a false sense of security, or peace of mind, or the extra storage space - since the phone is only 16gb after all.

Outrageous! Fingers crossed someone with a viable solution reads this post and takes time to reply. Preferably not some know-it-all nobody who actually knows very little outside of a sinch of knowledge and the ability to form assumptions. Preferably, someone who has handled the S22 and found a solution that is known to work. Maybe XDA is simply a forum of healthy etiquette, but other internet forums I've been on whether or not tech related, there is always an abundance of imbeciles and keyboard - warriors who get off on making stupid passive aggressive posts that only serve to introduce negativity to the discussion and not provide contributions. Having said that, I'm surprised to see this thread has gotten minimal attention. Not even the trolls have made an appearance!