Android Cleaner keeps your device running smoothly

Unlike iOS devices, Android lets you dig deep into the internal workings of the operating system and apps. It is possible to view the apps that are running, the amount of memory they are using, the cached data and so on. Android Cleaner is a free app that lets you view the storage and cache used by apps, to erase caches, remove apps, discover adware and more. A cleaner running Android device will use less battery, will run faster, and have fewer problems.

There are four buttons at the bottom of the screen and the first, Usage, provides an overview of the system. It shows the CPU usage, total memory for apps and the amount that is free, The total disk memory (there are no disks, but the storage works like a disk), and the amount free, the battery level and temperature. There is a button at the bottom of this  screen to get detailed hardware information like the CPU model, number of CPU cores, maximum clock speed, display resolution, and more. There is a lot of useful Wi-Fi information like the Wi-Fi connection speed, the IP address, the MAC address and so on.

 

The Cache button lists all the apps and the amount of memory they are using as a cache (recently accessed and temporarily stored data). The app list is sorted by cache size with the biggest at the top. Tapping an app displays the App info screen from Android Settings and this enables you to clear the cache if you want to free up memory. There is a Clean All button that clears every app's cache so you don't need to do them individually.

The Memory button lists the apps that are running, sorted by the amount of memory they are using. System services should be left alone of course, but others apps can be stopped to free up the memory they are using. Long pressing on an app gives you the option to add it to a white list and the app will ignore it and remove it from the list. This is useful for removing system services that shouldn't be stopped.

The Adware button is interesting and it displays apps that contain adverts and the number of ads they have. Tapping an app displays a screen that shows which ad networks it uses and suspicious privileges. For example, it shows whether an app can reveal the geographic location of the phone or tablet, whether it can access accounts, the internet, info on running apps and so on. A lot of free apps contain advertising and it is difficult to avoid mobile advertising. You could uninstall the worst offenders or upgrade them to paid versions that remove the ads.

There are lots of clean-up and optimise apps, but Android Cleaner is one of the more popular ones. There is a free (ad supported) Android Cleaner and Pro version that costs a little money, but has extra features, like the ability to detect over 60 ad networks. It does its job well, so give it a try.