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Android cache cleaning apps query

SydL

SydL

Newbie
I've been using SD Maid as my go-to cleaning app for a while now, and have been thinking of going premium. So just decided to do a last minute check to see if there were other better apps out there, that's when I came across Clean Master. I must say I was rather impressed by the UI, so here comes my question/doubt - it's free. I mean, it could be nothing, but why is it free? How is the Dev making money? Is it on ads and if it is I'd rather pay for an ad-free version, which doesn't seem to be an option. Now, I've noticed that it is one of the top apps with a huge number of downloads and this is usually a good indicator of the safety of an app, but I i couldn't help but notice a couple of red flags. Secondly, I wasn't very comfortable with the "Draw Over UI" permission, why is this required?

Speaking of which, I've been very wary about this "Draw Over UI" permission as I've heard it can be used to phish data? How much of this is true? Coz I have refused to download a lot of apps due to this one permission - some notable ones being Pocket and some Screen Dimming apps.

So when it comes to SD Maid vs Clean Master, what's your choice? Or are there more options?
 
I haven't tried Clean Master, but I do use SD Maid - and bought the Premium version to support the dev's work. I see that CM does request Full Network Access, which could be an indicator of in-app advertisements - but again, I don't know this for sure.

As for the "Draw Over UI" permission, you shouldn't really be too worried about it. That's used any time that an app wants (or needs) to have an always-on presence no matter what app is in the foreground. These overlays are often used with apps that "float" over others (like AirCalc or, in this case, to apparently provide a floating widget for quick-and-easy activation), detect gestures (for instance, Sidebar, which detects a swipe from the screen edge and provides a quick-launch bar for accessing apps), or adjust the display appearance (like Lux which can adjust display brightness or color by applying a filter effect on top of all other UI elements).
 
I haven't found an app yet that clears the cache in every app. I still check from time to time in app settings for apps that the cache has not been cleaned. I've used quite a few.
 
kmf said:
I haven't found an app yet that clears the cache in every app. I still check from time to time in app settings for apps that the cache has not been cleaned. I've used quite a few.
Click to expand...

No app needed for that. Settings > Storage > tap Cached data.

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I've used,"CleanMaster" for quite a while and found it useful.It also has a nice pop-up system reminder for leftover junk if you have removed apps.I can't remember if it had ads as I'm rooted with and root-firewall.

HTH :)
 
@codesplice...I see that this option is available for devices running 4.4. I am still on 4.1.2. Thanks.
 
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