Carrier Hub is an Android app that comes with the Sprint/T-Mobile carrier network. A lot of people are asking questions about the Carrier Hub app like what does the Carrier hub app do, is it necessary to keep the Carrier Hub app on your phone, etc.
In this article, I will explain everything about the Carrier Hub app, its purpose, its necessity and, how to disable and uninstall it.
What is the Carrier Hub App?
The Carrier Hub app is an Android app that allows you to enable features and products like Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi), Secure Wi-Fi, etc. for devices operating on the Sprint/T-Mobile network.
The Voice over Wi-Fi feature allows you to use your actual phone number to call others over Wi-Fi. VoWi-Fi calling connects your voice to your mobile carrier’s network using the Internet instead of cell towers. The Secure Wi-Fi feature provides end-to-end encryption for your Wifi call so this call cannot be tracked by the carrier network.
If you check their app description on Google Play Store, you will find that the Carrier Hub app tracks usage data on your phone and uses this data for customer-reported service concerns.
This means if your Sprint/T-Mobile carrier network is giving you problems or the Carrier Hub app is frequently crashing then they can use the usage data on your device to solve your problems.
The Google PlayStore currently has two versions of this app. The first version is the Carrier Hub by Sprint and the second version is the Carrier Hub Magenta by T-Mobile USA. Both these apps offer the same features because Sprint merged with T-Mobile on April 1, 2020.
The Carrier Hub app comes pre-installed on some Android devices using the Sprint/T-Mobile network while in other devices you get constant notifications to download the app for a better user experience.
If you get a notification asking you to install Carrier Hub, you can tap on the notification and follow the on-screen instructions to download and install it.
There have been a lot of instances where users couldn’t download the app because they got a notification “the app failed to download.” If you are getting this error you need to clear your PlayStore cache, phone cache, reboot the device, and then try installing it again.
What Permissions does the Carrier Hub App Use?
The Carrier Hub app uses the following permissions:
(1) Device & app history – Allows the app to read sensitive log data.
(2) Cellular data settings – Allows the app to change/intercept network settings and traffic.
(3) Location – Allows the app to approximate location (network-based) and precise location (GPS and network-based).
(4) Phone – Allows the app to modify phone state, read phone status and identity.
(5) Photos/Media/Files – Allows the app to read the contents of your USB storage and modify or delete the contents of your USB storage.
(6) Storage – Allows the app to read the contents of your USB storage and modify or delete the contents of your USB storage.
(7) Wi-Fi connection information – Allows the app to view Wi-Fi connections.
(8) Device ID & call information – Allows the app to read phone status and identity.
What Issues Does the Carrier Hub App Cause?
Here are the major issues caused by the Carrier App.
Call Drops – A lot of users have complained that the Carrier Hub app causes frequent call drops. They cannot make phone calls without them dropping within 3 minutes.
Text Message Problems – There have been several complaints that because of this app the users cannot send or receive text messages.
Calling Problems – Some users have complained that this app causes problems with Wifi calling, and even regular data calling.
Battery Draining – A lot of people have complained about Battery draining issues caused by the Carrier Hub app. Some users have even said that this app has 84% background power usage and consumes the battery charge very quickly.
High Mobile Data consumption – This is another frequent issue caused by the Carrier Hub app. Users have complained about an increase in mobile data consumption after installing this app.
Poor performance – There have innumerable reports about the drop in performance due to this app. Many users have complained about frequent lagging and freezing. The app frequently stops and crashes.
Random Alarms – Some people complained that the Carrier Hub app started ringing the alarm at random times.
What is the meaning of MCM Client Requests Are Processing and carrier hub app selector requests are processing?
A lot of users who installed the Carrier Hub app on their device have faced Mobile content management (MCM) client requests are processing notification and App Selector Requests are Processing notification issues.
Users with the Sprint network get the MCM Client Requests are Processing issue whereas users with T-Mobile network have an app called App Selector and it causes the App Selector Requests are Processing issues.
This notification is mostly seen after you restart your phone because after restarting your device, your phone tries to connect to the nearby cell towers for cellular reception and once the connection is complete these notifications disappear.
However, if you are in an area with poor cellular reception where the connection keeps dropping, you will constantly see the notifications appear on your phone.
If the T-mobile network is down for maintenance, you will still see the client requests are processing notifications appearing on your phone and you will not be able to use text, call, and data services. In that case, the best thing to do is to reach out to T-Mobile for further assistance.
Carrier Hub App keeps Stopping and Crashing?
A lot of users have reported that the Carrier Hub app frequently stops and crashes for no apparent reason. This can be really annoying especially when you’re using your phone for some important work. There is no real reason why this happens but the closest reason could be that the app has bugs in it.
The best way to fix this app crashing issue is by clearing the Carrier Hub app cache from your device. Here are the steps to solve this issue.
How to Clear Carrier Hub App Cache?
Step 1 – Go to Settings.
Step 2 – Tap on Apps.
Step 3 – Find the Carrier Hub app from the list and then tap on it.
Step 4 – Tap on Storage.
Step 5 – Tap on the “Clear Cache” option.
This should solve the frequent crashes problem but in case it doesn’t then you have to either force stop the app or factory reset your phone. Here are the steps for both.
How to Force Stop the Carrier Hub App?
Step 1 – Go to Settings.
Step 2 – Tap on Apps.
Step 3 – Find the Carrier Hub app from the list and then tap on it.
Step 4 – Tap on the “Force Stop” option.
How to Factory Reset your Phone?
Before you think of factory resetting your phone you should back up all your data. After backing up, you can follow the instructions below to perform Factory Reset.
Step 1 – Go to Settings.
Step 2 – Tap on General or General Management.
Step 3 – Tap on Reset.
Step 4 – Tap on Factory Data Reset.
Step 5 – Tap on the “Reset” button and you may need to enter your PIN or password.
Step 6 – Tap on Delete all and your phone will be reset.
Do You Need the Carrier Hub App?
The Carrier Hub app allows you to enable important features and products like Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi), and Secure Wi-Fi which is required to make calls over Wifi and securing the call.
If you aren’t having any problems while using the app then it’s best to keep it as it is. This is because some system apps are connected to this app and disabling it may cause issues with those system apps.
Is Carrier Hub a Virus or Spyware?
No, the Carrier Hub app is not a virus or spyware. It is a legitimate app developed by the renowned Carrier network T-mobile. This app tracks your usage data but it only uses this data to solve customer-reported service concerns like Carrier Hub app crashes, poor call quality, etc. Carrier Hub doesn’t spy on your data.
Can You Uninstall the Carrier Hub App?
As mentioned earlier, the Carrier hub app comes preinstalled on some devices and does not offer an option to uninstall the app directly, but you can either gain root access to your device or use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) to uninstall the app.
On devices where you have to manually install the Carrier Hub app, you can easily uninstall it by going to Settings > Apps > Carrier Hub > Uninstall.
How to Disable the Carrier Hub App?
Before you disable the Carrier Hub app, keep in mind that some system apps are connected to this app and if you disable it then it might cause issues with those system apps. If you are sure you want to disable this app then follow the steps below.
Step 1 – Go to Settings.
Step 2 – Tap on Apps.
Step 3 – Tap on the Ellipsis icon (three vertical dots) in the top right corner.
Step 4 – Tap on Show System Apps.
Step 5 – Find the Carrier Hub app from the list and tap on it.
Step 6 – Tap on the Disable button.
How to Uninstall the Carrier Hub App?
You can uninstall the Carrier Hub App using two methods. The first method is using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) which doesn’t require root access and the second method is using the System App Remover which requires root access.
Uninstall Carrier Hub app using ADB
ADB is a command line tool that is used to communicate with a device running on the Android OS. ADB allows you to bring up a Unix shell so you can issue commands directly on the Android device. You can use it to uninstall the Carrier Hub app permanently. You’ll need a Windows PC to use ADB.
Here are the steps to uninstall the Carrier Hub app using ADB.
Step 1 – Go to Settings > System > About phone.
Step 2 – Tap on the Build number 7 times to activate Developer Options.
Step 3 – Go back to the main Settings menu and tap on Developer Options to open it.
Step 4 – Enable USB debugging by tapping on it.
Step 5 – Download ADB on your PC.
Step 6 – Extract the ZIP file into a folder.
Step 7 – After extracting the ZIP file, open that folder.
Step 8 – Press and hold the shift button and right-click in a blank area.
Step 9 – Click on “Open Powershell window here.”
Step 10 – Enter the command adb devices
Step 11 – Connect your Android device to the PC using a USB data cable.
Step 12 – Type the command adb shell pm uninstall –user 0 com. Sprint.ms.smf.services and press Enter to run this command. Wait for a few seconds and you’ll notice the app has been deleted from your device.
Uninstall Carrier Hub App Using System App Remover
This method requires you to gain root access to your device. If you don’t know how to root your Android device then check our Android Root guide. After gaining root access follow the steps below to uninstall the Carrier Hub app.
Step 1 – Download and install the System App Remover application.
Step 2 – Launch the System App Remover application, type Carrier Hub in the Search bar, and tap on the checkbox next to it.
Step 3 – Tap on the Uninstall button to completely uninstall the app and delete its data.
How to Disallow the Carrier Hub App From Tracking Your Usage Data
Carrier Hub tracks your usage data and uses it to solve customer related problems. You can disallow the Carrier Hub from tracking usage data by following the steps below
Step 1 – Go to Settings.
Step 2 – Search for Usage Data Access in the search bar.
Step 3 – Find the Carrier Hub app from the list and tap on it.
Step 4 – If the usage access option is turned ON, then turn it OFF by tapping on the toggle button.
Conclusion
The Carrier Hub is an Android application designed for devices using the T-mobile/Sprint carrier networks. It allows you to enable services like VoWi-Fi and Secure Wi-Fi. This app has a lot of issues like frequent crashing, call problems, etc. You can disable/uninstall this app from the steps mentioned above.
