Most people only think about cleaning up their phone when something starts to go wrong. Android devices are smart enough that regular maintenance isn't necessary, but it's still a good idea to perform a digital tune-up every once in a while. Don't underestimate the impact of staying digitally organized---it might just keep your phone working for longer.
The trick is finding phone cleaner apps that actually live up to their promises. At best, a bad cleaner app wastes storage space; at worst, it could infect you with malware and spam you with ads. Not all Android cleaner apps are useless, however, so we're going to help you find the ones worth using.
Here are the best cleaning apps for Android phones and tablets you should try.
1. Files by Google
Google's official Android file manager has easy tools that make it the first Android junk cleaner anyone should try. Fire up the app and switch to the Clean tab at the bottom to access these options.
Here you'll see several areas that the app identifies as wasting space. These include Junk files, Duplicates, Backed up photos, and Unused apps. Select an option to look at what's taking up the most space, check what you want to remove, and confirm to have the app take care of the rest.
While you can also use the Browse tab to explore your phone's storage manually, letting the app weed out the biggest space hogs is more efficient.
As we'll see, a lot of the following apps have handy cleaning features but also cram in RAM optimizers and other nonsense you don't need. Files is a good answer to these; it's one of the best ways to clean Android with a simple, free app that isn't bloated with unnecessary extras.
2. Droid Optimizer
Droid Optimizer is one of the best-known Android cleaner tools, with over a million downloads on the Google Play Store. It's simple to use, especially for newbies, with an introduction screen that walks you through permissions and features.
It offers a "ranking system" designed to motivate you to keep your device in tip-top shape. If you don't mind having your own device shame you into better habits, Droid Optimizer is the best Android cleaner for you.
One tap is all you need to begin a phone cleanup. You'll see your stats at the top of the screen; free space and RAM show next to your "rank" score, where you receive points for your cleanup actions.
If you'd prefer to set and forget, Droid Optimizer allows you to set up regular, automated cleaning. This auto-cleanup will clean your cache, stop background apps, and delete any unnecessary files. It also comes with a "good night scheduler" to conserve energy, automatically disabling features like your Wi-Fi when it isn't active.
Droid Optimizer can also mass-delete apps---useful if you're looking to quickly make some space.
It's not the most attractive app, but it works. If you're looking for the best Android phone cleaner app and don't want to do much of the work yourself, Droid Optimizer should be on your shortlist.
3. CCleaner
The same well-known desktop app for reclaiming disk space is also available on Android. We've discussed why CCleaner isn't an essential app for Windows anymore, as it's gone downhill somewhat since Avast acquired the service. And while the Android app isn't perfect either, it's better than a lot of the other spammy cleaner apps for Android.
Indeed, CCleaner on Android is a multifunctional app that does its best to analyze and clean up stray files taking up your precious space. The main function is the cleaner feature that can wipe cache data from apps, purge empty folders, and delete various histories.
It also has an App Manager, which offers a simple interface that lets you pick multiple apps for uninstallation. Lastly, the System Info page monitors your phone's resources (CPU, RAM, device details) so you can see what's going on at a quick glance.
No root is necessary and it's free, although you can upgrade to the Pro subscription for a few extras. It may be a bit light on features, but it does the job if all you need is a quick way to reclaim your phone's storage space.
4. All-in-One Toolbox
Cleaning your phone of unnecessary files is only one part of the task. What about monitoring your battery, or your CPU temperature, or those pesky mobile ads? The appropriately named All-In-One Toolbox is here to do it all.
It's capable of cleaning temporary files on your Android device, wiping your cache, and deleting empty folders and orphaned files. It just takes one tap to analyze your device, then another tap to delete, and you're done. It's a similar process with other areas of the app as well.
The Boost function cleans your system cache and closes background apps, again with two taps. You can set this automatically with the Boost+ function if you'd prefer, but doing so requires an in-app purchase. If you're running out of juice, the Battery Saver section is another background task killer (see below for a warning on this), but it also provides your current battery statistics.
If that wasn't enough, there's also a mass app deleter, advanced file cleaning tools, and Wi-Fi analysis. As its name promises, All-In-One Toolbox tries to do it all. Like Droid Optimizer, there's also a ranking system to encourage regular use.
5. SD Maid
SD Maid claims to be "at your service" as the digital cleaner for your Android phone. It keeps the experience simple---opening up the app gives you four quick action features you can use to "tidy up" your device.
The first, CorpseFinder, searches for and erases any orphaned files or folders left over from deleting an app. SystemCleaner is another search-and-delete tool, this time looking for common files and folders that SD Maid believes it can safely delete.
If you like the sound of this, AppCleaner performs the same action for your apps. To use this feature, however, you'll need to upgrade SD Maid Pro. There's also a Databases area to help optimize any app databases in use---in our test, it cleared 40MB from Spotify this way.
There are also tools for storage analysis (to help you find and delete big files) and mass app removal if you're looking at a bigger phone tune-up.
