How to see which applications were installed on Android: all methods

Every owner of a smartphone Android sooner or later is faced with the need to check the list of installed applications. This may be needed to clear memory, search for suspicious software, or simply to analyze your own habits. However, standard system settings do not always show the full picture: some apps are hidden in the background, and the installation history is Google Play limited to recent actions.

In this article we will look all available methods - from built-in tools to advanced methods using ADB and third-party utilities. You will learn how to see not only current applications, but also those that have been deleted, as well as how to track installations on devices with different versions of Android (from Android 8.0 Oreo to Android 15). We will pay special attention to security issues: how to distinguish system apps from potentially dangerous ones and what to do if unknown APKs are found in the list.

1. Standard method: through Android settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in system tools. It is suitable for most devices, including smartphones Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei and other brands with shells One UI, MIUI or EMUI. The interface may be slightly different, but the general logic is the same.

To open the list of installed applications:

• 📱 Open the menu Settings (gear icon on the main screen or in the notification panel).
• 🔍 Go to the Applications section (sometimes called All applications or Application Manager).
• 📋 Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show system onesto see all apps, including utility ones.

In this list you will see:

• 📌 User applications —those that you installed independently.
• 🤖 System applications —pre-installed by the manufacturer (for example, Google Services or proprietary utilities Samsung Knox).
• 🔄 Disabled applications —apps that are not uninstalled, but are not active.

⚠️ Attention: Not all applications in this list are safe. If you see apps with unknown names (for example, com.android.abc.xyz), it may be malware or an advertising module. Check such applications through VirusTotal or remove them. them.

2. Installation history on Google Play

Google Play Store keeps a log of all installed applications linked to your account. This is convenient if you want to see what you installed in recent months, or restore deleted apps on a new device. However, there are nuances: Google Play Market data-i="86">-files (outside the store).

• ⏳ History is stored limited time (usually up to 1 year).
• 🚫 Applications installed from APK-files (outside the store).
• 📱 If you used several devices, the history will be mixed.

To view the history:

1. Open Google Play Market and tap on the profile avatar in the upper right corner.
2. Select Manage applications and devices → History.
3. Sort the list by installation date (Latest).

If the history is empty or incomplete, this may mean:

• 🔄 You cleared the cache Google Play or account data.
• 📵 The device was not connected to the Internet during installation.
• 👤 You used another account Google.

3. Viewing via ADB (for advanced users)

If you need to get a complete list of all ever installed applications, including deleted ones, you can use the tool ADB (Android Debug Bridge). This method requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and enabling developer mode, but provides the most detailed information.

Instructions:

1. Enable USB debugging on the phone:
   • Go to Settings → About phone → Build number and tap 7 times to activate Developer mode.
   • Go back to Settings → System → For Developers and enable USB Debugging.

adb shell pm list packages -f

adb shell dumpsys package | grep "install"

Install drivers for your smartphone model|Enable USB debugging|Connect the phone to the PC with the original cable|Check the connection with the command adb devices-->

Command result pm list packages will show all packages in the format:

package:/data/app/com.example.app-1/base.apk=com.example.app

Where:

• com.example.app — unique application identifier.
• /data/app/... —path to the APK file.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB requires caution. Do not remove system packages with pm uninstall —this can lead to device failure. Before experiments, make a backup copy due to adb backup.

4. Third-party applications for analyzing installations

If you don’t want to bother with ADB or standard methods do not provide enough information, you can use specialized utilities. They offer a user-friendly interface, additional functions (for example, searching for duplicates or malware) and often show data that is not available in the settings.

Top 3 applications for analysis:

Example of working with App Inspector:

• 📊 After installation, open the application and provide rights access to the list of applications (required!).
• 🔍 Go to the tab All applications and sort by installation date.
• 📤 Click on the three dots in the corner and select Exportto save the list to a file.

Advantages of third-party utilities:

• 🔍 More in-depth analysis (for example, SD Maid finds "garbage" from deleted applications).
• 📅 Possibility of filtering by date, size or type (system/user).
• 🛡️ Built-in virus scan (in some applications).

5. Checking through a file manager

All installed applications store their data in certain folders on the device. If you have root access or a file manager with superuser rights (for example, Root Explorer or Solid Explorer), you can manually view:

• 📁 /data/app/ — user applications (APK and data).
• 📁 /data/app-private/ — secure applications (for example, banking).
• 📁 /system/app/ and /system/priv-app/ — system apps.

How to do this:

1. Install a file manager with support root (for example, FX File Explorer).
2. Go to the root directory (/) and open the folder data.
3. View the contents app —APKs of all user applications are stored here.

⚠️ Attention: Deleting files from these folders without root access can lead to system failures. If you are not sure of your actions, use standard deletion methods through Settings → Applications.

Without root access, you can only see:

• 📂 Folders on the SD card (for example, Android/obb/ for the game cache).
• 📄 Installation logs in /data/local/tmp/ (if they are not cleared).

6. How to check settings on other people's devices (for parents or administrators)

If you need to control which applications were installed on your child’s smartphone or corporate device, you can use specialized tools. It is important to remember legal and ethical aspects: accessing someone else's device without consent may violate the law.

Legal methods:

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parental controls:

  - Applications like Google Family Link or Kaspersky Safe Kids allow you to see the installation history and block unwanted apps.

  - Requires linking the device to a family account Google.

• 🏢 MDM solutions (for companies):

  - Services like Microsoft Intune or VMware Workspace ONE give complete control over corporate smartphones.

  - Allow you to see all installed applications and prohibit installation from unknown sources.

Technical methods (only with consent owner):

• 🔧 Use ADB (as described in section 3) to export a list of packages.
• 📱 Install a monitoring application (for example, App Usage) that keeps an activity log.

⚠️ Attention: Installing spyware without the user’s knowledge is violation of the law (Article 138 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Violation of the secrecy of correspondence”). Use such tools only for legal purposes (parental controls with consent or corporate administration).

7. How to find deleted applications

If you need to restore a list of applications that were once installed but are now deleted, standard methods will not help. However, there are several workarounds: Method 1: Google Play Logs

Method 1: Google Play Logs

• Open "My Activity" page in the browser.
• In the search, enter installed the application or install app.
• Filter the results by date - even records about long-deleted apps can be saved here.

Method 2: Backups

• If you used the services backup (for example Titanium Backup or built-in function Settings → System → Backup), check the archives.
• In folder /sdcard/TitaniumBackup/ (if used Titanium Backup) APK and data of deleted applications are stored.

Method 3: Cache analysis

• Some applications leave traces in the folders:

  - /sdcard/Android/obb/ — game cache.

  - /sdcard/Android/data/ — application data (may remain even after uninstallation).

• Use a file manager to search for folders with the names of deleted apps.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions