Working out what a package does before removing it

You have found a package called com.manufacturer.dtvsvc and have no idea what it does. Before removing it, quite a lot can be worked out.

Permissions are the best clue#

adb shell dumpsys package com.example.package | grep -A 30 "requested permissions"

Permissions tell the story. A "product improvement" service asking for RECORD_AUDIO and ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION is telling you exactly what it does, whatever it is called.

Permissions worth noticing:

Check whether it is running right now#

adb shell ps -A | grep example

If it appears, it is in memory. And if it also starts with the system, it is consuming resources around the clock.

See what services it registers#

adb shell dumpsys package com.example.package | grep -A 20 "Service Resolver"

See whether it talks to the internet#

The cleanest way is from the router, or from a DNS that logs queries. If the package constantly queries an analytics domain, you know what it is.

We cover that in blocking ads at the router.

The definitive test: disable, do not uninstall#

When doubt persists, the prudent route is to disable rather than remove:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.example.package

Use the television normally for a few days. If nothing fails, you know it is dispensable. If something does:

adb shell pm enable com.example.package

Slower than deleting, and it is the difference between knowing what you are doing and getting lucky.