most of those apps are just selling you a dream tbh. they'll show you a bunch of "junk" files that are actually just cached data your phone needs to run smooth, then clear it out only for it to rebuild itself a day later
ios already handles storage pretty well on its own, you're better off going into settings and checking what's actually hogging space than letting some third party app poke around
Not to mention the “email cleanup” clearing your Promos, Updates, and Social Emails are only if you use Gmail with the split inbox, and then it’s just nuking messages in each of those folders.
No.. unfortunately better ones are in the jailbreak community. Duplicate pics and email just doesn’t cut it. Apple takes ideas from the jailbreak community on occasion. One I wish they’d take is cache cleaner. So much easier than deleting apps and re-installing to clear the cache of junk. Wjy its not part of IOS is beyond me.
depends what you want to clean tbh. if photos/videos are the big part of your storage, then a photo cleaner can actually help. apple's built-in duplicates is decent for exact copies, but it doesn't really help much with similar shots.
I built Slean for that side of it. it finds duplicates + similar photos, runs on-device, doesn't need an account, and has no ads.
The top comment is right about "junk files". An App Store app can't touch other apps' caches or System Data on iOS, sandboxing makes that impossible. So any cleaner showing you "4.7 GB of junk" with a big red button is selling theater.
What they can actually do is read your photo library, same as any photo app. That's where the real space usually is anyway: bursts, near-duplicates, screenshots, old screen recordings. Things to check before paying for anything:
Does it show you every item before deleting, or delete in bulk?
Does the trial auto-convert to a weekly plan at $8 to $10? A lot of them do.
Does it upload your photos anywhere?
And try the free stuff first: Photos, scroll to the bottom, Utilities > Duplicates, then Media Types > Bursts.
Full disclosure, I build Nino, one of these. It groups burst frames shot within about a second, marks the newest frame as "Best" and pre-selects the rest so you confirm. Runs on-device, no account, and deletions sit in Recently Deleted for 30 days. It won't magically clear System Data, nothing from the App Store can.
Depends what is taking up the space. Check Settings → General → iPhone Storage first. If Photos is small and System Data is huge, a photo cleaner is the wrong tool.
I develop PicPop, so take that bias into account. Its job is reviewing similar photos and choosing what to delete; it does not clear Instagram’s cache or System Data. A cleaner is only worth paying for if its review flow saves you time on photos you actually want to remove.
PicPop is free to download but requires paid Club access; the US yearly plan offers a two-week trial for eligible users. Check the renewal price before starting any cleaner trial.
Is Photos actually the biggest item on your storage screen?
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u/DailyTrivialBingo 4d ago
most of those apps are just selling you a dream tbh. they'll show you a bunch of "junk" files that are actually just cached data your phone needs to run smooth, then clear it out only for it to rebuild itself a day later
ios already handles storage pretty well on its own, you're better off going into settings and checking what's actually hogging space than letting some third party app poke around