We sacrificed our Pixel 8 Pro to see how far the tentacles of these apps that promise to clean the phone extend. Are they a help? Do they really make the phone faster? And what about its operation in the background? Do they advertise a lot? We will try to answer these questions and many others.
Anyone might think that an application designed to clean the phone will end up being useful to whoever installs it, but the truth is that it is not obligatory: most of those who call themselves “cleaners” they end up dirtying the phone. And yes, in the end they clean it, but personal data: our advice is not to use these applications. Do you want to keep your Android in magazine-perfect condition? Perform manual cleaning, it’s much more efficient (and you’ll have full control).
The most popular cleaners
Just search for “cleaner” on Google Play, or “cleaner”, to see that there are dozens of applications that promise to clean the trash from our mobile phone for make it faster, safer and consume less battery. We chose the most popular and most downloaded ones to find out if they really deliver on their promises, as well as to find out what trade-offs there are when installing these apps.
For the test we opted for:
CCleaner, Cleaner, AVG Cleaner, Cleaner VPN Cleanup and Ora Clean & Maestro, Antivirus. They all have over a million downloads individually (CCleaner is over 100 million), they offer cleaning as the main attraction, they have more integrated features (some apps even free VPNs), and they all agree on:
- They include advertisements and in-app purchases.
- They abuse permissions to get as much data as possible.
- They hide subscriptions in an attempt to trick the user into subscribing without them realizing it.
- They bombard you with advertisements at every opportunity.
Let’s see how each app behaves in day-to-day use and how it performed on our test phone, a Google Pixel 8 Pro.
CCleaner
After the introduction with the (impressive) advantages of the application, CCleaner sneaks into the premium subscription with a very difficult to leave screen: you must click on the return arrow; moment when the application takes the opportunity to sneak in a full-screen advertisement. We started well.
Permissions are essential in these applications, in principle logically: access to all files to manage them seems more or less correct to us, CCleaner requesting access to usage data is a little more doubtful, but ok. Notifications are common and the only one that we, users, can refuse. If we accept notifications, we will start seeing advertisements in the notification area.
It’s not that CCleaner is too aggressive. And, with controlled use, it can even be useful. However, it doesn’t do anything that we can’t do manually on our Android.
Cleaner
It’s no secret that this app builds on the popularity of the first, but the two are different. In developer terms, because most intentions are maintained.
Without finishing the opening, Cleaner already displays an advertisement in full screen, it is a constant of the experience. Basic usage information, clean buttons that clear cache or installed apps, check for duplicate files and secure app lock. These two functions are very delicate, since Cleaner asks permission to overlap other apps, which could help it capture our touches on the screen. Be very careful when allowing this permission, in this app and elsewhere.
AVG cleaner
A well-known antivirus that transfers part of its experience to Android, promising to get more space thanks to its cleaning tool. We installed it to check how it works and the first thing it asks for is a subscription to get started. We backtracked and another huge subscription window appeared. We didn’t get off to a good start.
AVG Cleaner has a much cleaner interface than the rest of the apps on this list, as it has a scan button, some information about how the phone is working and nothing else. Yesí requests access to all files and usage log, two logical and necessary authorizations for the function it performs. Access to notifications is the only one we can ignore.
It’s not that AVG Cleaner does anything that we can’t perform with a few manual steps, but the truth is that it doesn’t seem like such a disposable application to us. Its analysis shows the phone’s status, application caches and data, old files as well as the largest ones. Even if For more in-depth cleaning you need to subscribe. At least it doesn’t overuse ads, mini point for AVG Cleaner.
VPN Cleanup
Things get complicated because this app not only promises to clean the phone, but it also includes a VPN. All free, with the risks that this type of software entails: you must be very careful with all the data that passes through the Cleaner VPN Cleanup servers.
In addition to being a cleaner and a VPN, the application completes the trio of functions with an antivirus. Even enable file sharing with your computer
At the level of basic use, it is not a totally discouraged application either. Even no subscription, has only one purchase option that permanently eliminates advertisements for 1.19 dollars. It can be useful for basic and automatic cleaning, beyond that we do not recommend it.
Ora Clean & Maestro, Antivirus
We end our tour of the best-known cleaners on Google Play by installing Ora Clean & Maestro, Antivirus, a cleaner that also promises to be alerted of any threats that attempt to penetrate your mobile. This does nothing against full-screen ads.
It is not particularly aggressive with advertising, it includes many tools with which to carry out different processes with just one click (it does not ask for too many permissions beyond those that seem logical to us), allows you to analyze data such as network or battery (requires a little trickier access) and uses Trustlook as its antivirus engine, like many other cleaning applications.
It’s not a bad collection of features, although Ora Clean & Maestro, Antivirus accesses too much information to suggest its use. And this can become unbearable, since Each time you switch from one tool to another, a full-screen ad usually appears. This advertising can be removed forever with a purchase of 26.99 dollars. Or cheaper subscriptions, of course.
Our recommendation: the cleaners don’t do anything you can’t do manually
It is true that they make our lives easier with their one-touch actions, but, in exchange, they access too many files, photos, videos and other elements that we need to protect on our phones. Since manually cleaning an Android is not that complicated, we advise you not to install this type of applications and learn to do the job yourself. Not only will you get better cleaning, but you’ll also know that your data hasn’t been uploaded anywhere.
Cover image | Ivan Linares
In Xataka Android | These apps are every Android fan’s dream: free, ad-free and open source
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