Many of us use are smartphones for our daily activities whether it is checking email, browsing social media, or playing games. What many of us don’t do is provide extra protection to our systems. Like a computer, your phone is susceptible to viruses, crashes, and files that will ultimately make your phone inefficient. I am here to tell you why you should add virus and cleaning software to your phone. Oh, and for free too.

What Are Cache Files and Why Do I Not Want To Have Them?

When you are looking things up on the internet or accidentally press that internet ad, your phone is being bombarded with cache files that are stored on your phone.  A cache file, in everyday terms, are files stored on your system to make it more efficient. Have you ever searched for  something ambiguous such as “Childcare near me” and the top result is the place you are looking for? This is because of cache files. The reason these files often slow down your system is because many cache files you will never use again. Randomly looking up a definition, an address, a news article, or even downloading an app all create cache files.

Okay, so how does smartphone cleaning software work?

Exactly how cleaning software works on your computer. The software will scan your phone for any files that you don’t want, show you what they are, and then you can decide what you want it to clean. It will ask permission to certain aspects of your phone such as your search history or contacts. It will not sell your information to the highest bidder, it is solely for the purpose of cleaning up your phone.

Scans Take So Long! I don’t have that kind of time!

If you have 2 minutes, then you have the time. Apps such as CleanMaster and Battery Doctor (Click here for Apple Version!) work together and I highly recommend. With these two apps and many others, you can not only clean your smartphone, but smart charge your phone, stop background running apps, and check the temperature of your phone. These apps create buttons right on your phone home screen for your convenience. All you have to do is press a button and BOOM! Your phone is being cleaned and more efficient in 10 seconds.

What If I Forget About It?

No fear, many cleaning apps already have that covered. With many apps, you can schedule designated times to clean your phone such as when you are sleeping, whenever your phone is charging, or even at a certain time of day. I personally have my phone cleaned while I sleep, when I charge my phone, and at 3:00pm every day (some might call me a smartphone cleaning freak).

What are the best features you have discovered?

One of my favorite features I have discovered with cleaning software involves my contacts and photo gallery.

Contacts

If my cleaning software notices that two contacts relate (For example a work number and Facebook name) the software will ask if I would like to combine the contacts into one contact. This is especially helpful when combining multiple social media contacts into one comprehensive name in my phone.

Photo Gallery

Almost the same thing with your contacts, my cleaning software will identify multiple pictures of the same subject (such as the group photo that you had to take five shots of), choose the best one, and recommend that you delete all the others. If you don’t want to, simply uncheck the ones selected to be deleted. Many of us forget to clean up our photo gallery which puts a drain on our phone in terms of battery power and efficiency!

Do you have cleaning software on your phone that you love? Do you have more questions? Did you clean your phone and were shocked with how much data it cleaned (my first cleaning was almost 2GB!)? Please leave a comment below!

-NYL