Freeware Friday: System Cleanup for Android

The main screen.

aNewDomain.net — For years I’ve struggled to keep my Android phone running efficiently. I’m always testing new apps, which means a lot of installing and uninstalling. I certainly push my phone harder than most people. On top of that, I refuse to replace my phone every few months.

This all creates a veritable stew of performance slog. And there is nothing quite as annoying as a slowly-running device. In my efforts to counter the endless issue I discovered a free app. SystemCleanup from inteks is my freeware Friday pick this week.

Junk Be Gone

SystemCleanup for Android promises to clean your phone’s cache, remove old data and even freeze system applications that you would prefer to not be operating. Like most apps in this category, root access is required. Out of nearly 1,500 reviews, the vast majority giving 5-star support, SystemCleanup clearly has some pretty solid community support.

Compatibility is great with this app, too. It works as far back as Android 2.1.

The primary function of the app, the clean up, is simple and efficient. SystemCleanup will automatically check your device for cache and other files that can be cleaned. My first usage found a lot of junk, including data from old apps that had been uninstalled months ago.

A simple long-press gave me the option to clean up everything, which I did. In minutes I had recovered quite a bit of space and had a small but noticeable performance boost.

Frozen Apps

Since that first usage I’ve run the program again, but it hasn’t found nearly as much to remove. That makes sense, after all we only generate so much trash. And, if the app does its job right, there should be very little for it to find after the initial wipe.

The other functions of SystemCleanup are handy but they aren’t where the real power behind this app lies. The freeze function works well but I don’t find myself using it all that often. The app really shines in its ability to take a tedious and complicated task — cleaning up your cumulative Android junk — and simplify the process dramatically. One click and it’s all gone.

If you have an Android device and root access, I’d encourage you to try out this utility. It’s free so you have zip to lose. SystemCleanup for Android, primarily for Android version 4.2 and later, is well worth a spin.

Two thumbs up on my end.

For aNewDomain, I’m Jeremy Lesniak.

Based in Vermont, Jeremy Lesniak is managing editor at aNewDomain.net and founder of Vermont Computing and whistlekick.com. Follow him @jlesniak and email him at jeremy@anewdomain.net.