Introduction: A software that provides minimal functionality at a cost of RAM and CPU cycles is considered as Bloatware. The explosion of bloatware in Android-based devices, such as smartphones and smart TVs, makes such devices deficient in terms of not only hardware-resources but also makes such devices more prone to security and privacy risks. Today’s smartphones and smart TVs are equipped with powerful CPUs and a large amount of memory, making bloatware a least significant issue for the ordinary user. However, in reality, a user is paying in terms of battery life, unwanted space, compromise on privacy and security, and eventually cognitive overload.Objectives: This paper presents a study of bloatware from security, privacy, energy, and storage perspectives. A categorization of the bloatware is proposed and some hazards of the bloatware problem for the smartphones system are identified.Methodology: Some recommendations to deal with bloatware are made and an experimental study of some bloatware effects is presented. Furthermore, an empirical study is conducted to analyze user’s perception about the pre-installed bloatware.Results: Results show that bloatware significantly contributes to depletion of battery power. Furthermore, bloatware is a serious security issue and may capture private data of a user. It also contributes to degrading a device performance. Imperceptible types of bloatware, such as in-app ads, are also discussed. Besides security and performance issues, 97% users do not like in-app ads and hence methods of ads dispatch should be adapted.Conclusion: This paper highlights overlooked issues related to bloatware in smart devices. In future, we intend to explore ways and means for minimizing the bloatware effect especially from software engineering point of view.