Cleaner Apps on Android 7+ - Useful, Useless, or Potentially Harmful?

[consultant1027]

Google Software Engineers have made improvements to the operating system over time to the point I believe the necessity and usefulness of these utilities is questionable especially if you are on Android 7 or later. Many people post their experiences with these apps without acknowledging their operating system version which could be significantly different than many other users.

This article "Android Apps You Should Remove Immediately" on Adroid Pit (you can Google it) recommends you get rid of these types of apps.

But there are lots of other articles, forum posts, article comments (mostly older) that swear by these apps.

Maybe out of the dozens of functions in these apps there's one or two useful ones on Android 7 (although my LG G6 already comes with a Smart Cleaner app) Has anyone done any serious testing to see if each function makes a difference and can rule out other causes for seeing an improvement in phone performance? Or are most people's experience based on a "guftfeel?"

Are the majority of Android 7 users using these apps basically blindly using them because they feel good to use and aren't actually getting the significant benefit they think they are getting? Could many of them, especially the ones that may "try to do too much" actually be hampering your Android 7+ phone more than helping it?

 

[belodion]

I don't use third-party cleaner apps myself because I see no need, and some may be counterproductive. The LG Smart Clean app that you refer to does not have to be used, but only suggests cleaning procedures from time to time, which may be genuinely helpful to some users.

 

[anon(238680)]

Are the majority of Android 7 users using these apps basically blindly using them because they feel good to use and aren't actually getting the significant benefit they think they are getting? Could many of them, especially the ones that may "try to do too much" actually be hampering your Android 7+ phone more than helping it?

Totally subjective and therefore meaningless. There is no need for "cleaners" on android phones other than what is included in the OS to clear storage cache and other minor housekeeping.

 

[consultant1027]

Totally subjective and therefore meaningless. There is no need for "cleaners" on android phones other than what is included in the OS to clear storage cache and other minor housekeeping.

Maybe the more interesting question then becomes, why would fairly recent articles on a reputable website still be claiming these types of apps are good? Is the Author just ignorant and didn't do their research? Are they getting paid off by some of the app makers? Are they just trying to write about topics of interest to get traffic to the site even if they are posting inaccurate information?

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/708-android-optimization-apps.html

 

[chanchan05]

Maybe the more interesting question then becomes, why would fairly recent articles on a reputable website still be claiming these types of apps are good? Is the Author just ignorant and didn't do their research? Are they getting paid off by some of the app makers? Are they just trying to write about topics of interest to get traffic to the site even if they are posting inaccurate information?

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/708-android-optimization-apps.html

There's a disclaimer on the top of the page that although the site reviews independently, some apps pay them if you open the link from their site.

 

[anon(238680)]

I will reiterate my comment: Totally subjective and therefore meaningless. You may contemplate the questions you asked; they have no relevance to my use of a real world phone.

 

[Rukbat]

People who don't understand the inner workings of Android may "see" some benefits when they run those apps, but that's called "confirmation bias". You installed the app (and maybe paid for it", so you want it to work, so you "see" it working.

What people don't notice is that a lot of the apps that these "cleaner" apps remove from RAM, suddenly appear back in RAM even though you didn't use them.

So no, cleaner apps are written for one of two reasons - the company just wants to sell an app or they really don't understand how Android works.

And it's not just with recent versions of Android. Here's what one of Google's software engineers said back in April 2010. It was the same back then as it is now.

These "clean unused apps from RAM" apps waste time (by slowing your phone down) and battery (by running, clearing an app from RAM, and by Android having to load the app back into RAM). Always have and probably always will. Read the Design Considerations in the article to see why Android has always been designed this way.

 

[hallux]

As with some of the others responding, I'm in the camp of "let Android handle it". I went to a baseball game with a co-worker, he had SOMETHING on his phone that had ads on the lock screen and he was constantly killing apps. I cringed every time he unlocked his phone (multiple swipes, etc) and then was killing apps.

As posted by others, RAM clearing apps and battery savers can actually be detrimental to the overall performance of the phone, both in speed and battery life. Not to mention the ad payload that comes with some of them. I've been using Android since Donut (I think, got the original Motorola Droid shortly after release) and I don't think I've ever had an app like these on my devices for any significant period of time.