Do System Cleaner Apps for Android Really Work?

If you’re anything like me, you probably have several different system cleaner apps installed on your phone. Some you use often, others might never see the light of day. Oftentimes, it seems, the ones that you do end up using are really only hollering at you to use them so you can click on their advertisements. Mostly that’s what it’s all about, in my opinion, advertising.

That can definitely become tiresome after awhile, knowing almost nothing is really out to benefit the end user, only to make money off of us. But there are a few out there that are highly beneficial, that are not bloated with so many ads (though there may be a few), and that can eliminate many headaches we might otherwise have to withstand.

To break it down into common features, they’re most likely to offer the following:

1. Cools the CPU: This feature is designed to shut down the apps that are hogging processing power, slowing the phone and making it overheat.
2. Frees up RAM: One of the most common and most useful features is for the app to clear recently used memory or RAM. The necessity of this becomes even more apparent when there’s only a limited amount of RAM available.
3. Cleans (deletes) the system cache and other useless files that tend to take up space and weigh a system down. This is useful especially on discounted phones with limited available space.
4. Checks for viruses and malware. Not all system cleaner apps are created equal, and this is one of those options that prove that. Very few, from what I’ve come to find out, actually take this option seriously. Android is known for being virtually free from virus headaches, (that’s not to say it’s immune, though). So this option is sometimes an afterthought for various app providers. Further, if they do offer this option, it only checks for limited types of infections. Not smart if you ask me.
5. Clears up the bandwidth being shared between multiple apps; this seems to help speed up the internet connection, and therefore the responsiveness of the phone when doing anything from switching apps to opening web pages.

So to answer the question “do system cleaner apps really work”, well, I guess it depends on the app and what your phone requires. Some of my favorites are Assistant for Android, which has 18 features to clean the ram, cache, battery, and processor. It only takes up 1MB of space but packs a punch on productivity.

Next, I like to use ES Task Manager which is part of ES File Explorer. These two combined will allow you to browse through your files and clean cache and built up junk from your phone, as well as show you what’s taking up all your space.

And finally, Comodo is good for all-around security; checking for, and eliminating known viral threats.

Also, just to be safe and keep those pesky pop-up, full-screen or banner ads from getting in your way, Malwarebytes is a great choice. It will show you which apps should go into the trashcan and therefore which ones are (for the most part) safe for consumption.

Always remember, these apps and others that have similar options are only as good at cleaning your phone as you are at telling them to clean your phone. You must remember to use them consistently or there’s no chance for them to work how you expect them to. Consistency does take practice so go ahead and download some cleaner apps and enjoy an old phone that feels like it’s right outta the box.