The way the Google support page ("Android 8.1 and up") is written suggests that this option may have been only available in third-party ROMs:
> **Disable apps that came with your phone**
>
> You can’t delete some system apps that came pre-installed on your
> Android phone. But on some phones, you can turn them off so that they
> won't show on the list of apps on your phone. To learn how to disable
> apps, contact your device manufacturer.
I don't personally have an issue with bloatware as I run LineageOS, but temporarily turning off apps would have often been beneficial for various reasons (some, while useful, are rarely used and may run at boot; issues with the latest update and no roll-back option).
Asked by user598527
(798 rep)
Jul 2, 2020, 04:12 PM