How to uninstall any OEM app on Windows Phone 8 or 8.1

You probably shouldn’t do this, but there’s a way to uninstall any OEM app on Windows Phone 8. If you follow these steps, you can uninstall apps like Glance, Storage Sense, Access Point, Display, and more. Still curious?

Head past the break to watch our how-to video.

  1. Go to settings, then date + time.
  2. Change the year to 2106 or later.
  3. Press back and click any of the OEM settings at the bottom such as Nokia account, Storage Check, Touch, Audio, and more.
  4. A message pops up about a problem with the app. Click uninstall.

That’s it! Don't forget to change back the time afterwards. We have tried this on our own Nokia Lumia Icon running Windows Phone 8.1 Preview for Developers. If you want to re-install the app, you’ll need SysApp Pusher. If you’ve never heard of it, SysApp Pusher allows you to check the Windows Phone Store for Nokia, HTC and Samsung software.

This bug or hidden feature was brought to our attention by Windows Blog Italia. It's good to know that we have this option if we ever need to remove OEM apps. Are you trying this? Which app are you uninstalling? Let us know in the comments!

Mark Guim

Mark Guim is Video Editor at Windows Central. He switched to Windows because the MacBook Pro isn't Pro enough. You can follow him on Twitter at @markguim.