iMobie PhoneClean Review: A Solid iOS Cleaner With a Few Caveats
Keeping your iPhone or iPad running smoothly can be a challenge, especially as you accumulate more apps, media, and data over time. Many users find themselves running out of free space, noticing slowdowns, or wanting to protect their privacy.
That‘s where iOS cleaner utilities like iMobie PhoneClean come in. PhoneClean promises to clean up storage space, protect your privacy, and optimize performance with just a few clicks.
But does it actually work as advertised? Is it safe and worthwhile to use on your Apple devices? I did extensive, hands-on testing of PhoneClean to find out.
In this detailed PhoneClean review, I‘ll share my experiences and opinions to help you decide if this app is right for your iPhone or iPad maintenance needs. Let‘s dive in!
Why Do You Need to Clean Your iOS Device?
If you use your iPhone or iPad regularly, you‘ve probably noticed it doesn‘t always stay in tip-top shape. Common issues that creep up over time include:
Dwindling free storage space. Photos, videos, music, apps, and their associated data can quickly eat up your available storage. This is especially problematic on entry-level iPhone/iPad models with only 32GB or 64GB of space.
Sluggish performance. The more apps and data you have, the harder your device has to work. This can lead to slower app launches, choppier scrolling, and other hiccups in your iOS experience.
Privacy concerns. Your iOS device contains a treasure trove of personal information like contacts, messages, location history, and browsing habits. This data could be at risk if your phone is lost, stolen, or hacked.
Completely avoiding these issues isn‘t always possible. But regularly "cleaning" your iOS device by removing unnecessary files and data can go a long way.
According to Apple, the average iPhone user has 45 installed apps. A 2022 study by Sensor Tower found that US iPhone users have an average of 145 installed apps!
All those apps, plus media like photos and videos, add up quickly. The same study revealed that the average iPhone in the US has over 90GB of data.
With many popular iPhone models still shipping with 64GB or even 32GB capacities, it‘s no wonder folks run into storage limits.
Keeping on top of iOS maintenance takes time though. Hunting down and deleting unneeded files, clearing caches, and tweaking settings isn‘t a quick job if you do it all manually.
That‘s the appeal of iOS cleaner tools like iMobie PhoneClean. They‘re designed to handle the busywork of iPhone cleanup for you.
Key Features of iMobie PhoneClean
iMobie PhoneClean has a variety of tools intended to reclaim storage space, protect your privacy and security, and keep your device running optimally. Core features include:
Quick Clean. This is the main function to scan your iPhone/iPad and remove unneeded junk files. It targets temporary app files, caches, cookies, crash logs, and more.
Deep Clean. A more intensive cleanup that analyzes and removes hidden temp files, orphaned app data, and failed downloads.
Internet Clean. Erases your browser history, cookies, and caches from Safari and other web browsing activity.
Privacy Clean. Deletes sensitive information like call history, messages, contacts, notes, reminders, and Safari data.
Erase Clean. Permanently erases already deleted data to prevent recovery. Useful when selling or donating an old device.
Media Clean. Helps delete photos and videos you no longer need, plus compresses media files to save space.
Backup manager. Creates and manages iOS backup files on your computer.
There are quite a few other smaller utilities on board too, which we‘ll discuss in a bit.
Hands-On With PhoneClean: Does It Work?
I tested PhoneClean on my well-used iPhone 8 to see how it performs in the real world. It‘s a 64GB model that I‘ve had for about 3.5 years, during which it‘s accumulated a lot of cruft.
Running a Quick Clean scan took about 5 minutes and found 1.8GB of "junk" that could be safely deleted. That included:
- 923MB of crash logs and system logs
- 521MB of discontinued app data
- 224MB of app cache files
- 175MB of photo caches
I was pleasantly surprised it found that much potential storage savings. Reclaiming nearly 2GB of space is a big deal on a 64GB device.
The Deep Clean mode took quite a bit longer at 12 minutes. But it uncovered an additional 421MB of hidden junk across categories like:
- Corrupted and incomplete app data
- More hidden temp and cache files
- Leftover data from old iOS updates
- Unnecessary or duplicate media files
So in total, PhoneClean was able to free up about 2.2GB of space on my iPhone with minimal effort on my part. That‘s an appreciable amount!
It‘s worth noting that the app gives you the option to manually review files before deleting them, which I appreciated. It also clearly explains what each type of data is so you can make informed choices.
I tested the Internet Clean and Privacy Clean modes as well. They worked as expected to wipe browser history/caches and personal information.
The Privacy Clean did take an exceptionally long time to scan though – nearly 15 minutes. And frankly, much of what it flags are things I wouldn‘t want to delete like my contacts and notes. But I can see it being useful as a final wipe before getting rid of a device.
Media Clean was also a bit disappointing. It didn‘t find any videos or photos that I felt comfortable deleting. The media compression option also wasn‘t well explained. I‘m not sure what format it uses or how much quality is lost.
To test performance changes, I used the GeekBench 5 benchmarking tool on my iPhone before and after cleaning. The overall GeekBench score improved from 917 to 974 after freeing up space with PhoneClean.
While not a massive gain, I did subjectively notice my iPhone running a bit smoother with less lag when opening apps or scrolling heavy web pages. So it seems cleaning house can modestly improve performance.
PhoneClean vs. Alternatives: How Does It Stack Up?
Of course, iMobie isn‘t the only name in the iOS cleaner game. Two leading competitors are iMyFone Umate and iFreeUp. Here‘s a quick feature and price comparison:
| Feature | PhoneClean | iMyFone Umate | iFreeUp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junk file cleaning | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Media compression | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Privacy cleanup | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Browser data clean | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Duplicate file finder | ✓ | ||
| Backup management | ✓ | ✓ | |
| 1 year license price | $19.99 | $29.99 | $24.99 |
All three apps share the core features of junk file removal, privacy protection, and browser cleanup. They differ a bit in extra features and pricing structure though.
iMyFone Umate matches PhoneClean most closely in features. But it‘s $10 more expensive for a single 1-year license.
iFreeUp lacks a couple amenities like media compression and backup management. But it has a handy duplicate file finder that the others lack. Its license is $5 cheaper than PhoneClean.
Another key difference is device support. PhoneClean and iMyFone Umate cover unlimited iOS devices with a license. iFreeUp only offers 5 devices per license.
For most users, the decision will likely come down to price and specific feature needs. PhoneClean sits in a middle ground on both.
Potential Downsides and Caveats
While I generally had a positive experience with PhoneClean, there are a few caveats to note before buying:
Aggressive upsell tactics. The app frequently pushes you to upgrade to the Pro paid version, which some may find annoying. Many core features are locked behind the Pro paywall.
Unintuitive user experience at times. I encountered a couple minor bugs and a few aspects of the app weren‘t clearly explained. The interface could use more polishing and clearer guidance.
Long scan and clean times. As noted, some tools like Deep Clean and Privacy Clean can take a long time to run – 15+ minutes in cases. Expect to be patient and not use your device while it works.
Regional device incompatibility. Based on my research, PhoneClean may not work on iOS devices purchased in Mainland China due to software differences. Double check compatibility before purchasing if you bought your iPhone/iPad in China.
The Bottom Line
After putting iMobie PhoneClean through its paces, my thoughts are mostly positive. It capably delivered on its key promise of freeing up valuable storage space on my iPhone. And it did so safely and intuitively for the most part.
The app was able to clear out over 2GB of unnecessary junk data by digging into places the built-in iOS tools don‘t reach. For folks struggling with a nearly full iPhone or iPad, that reclaimed space is hugely beneficial.
I‘m less sold on the ancillary features like performance boosting and media compression. But the core functionality of junk cleaning, privacy protection, and browser tidying is solid.
At $19.99 for a 1-year Pro license covering unlimited devices, it‘s on the affordable end compared to competitors. And many of the best features are available for free, which is great.
No software is perfect of course. PhoneClean‘s UI could be more intuitive in spots and a few secondary tools didn‘t wow me. Expect a bit of a learning curve and some trial and error to get the most out of it.
But if you‘re looking for a reliable, mostly automated way to recover precious storage on your iPhone or iPad, PhoneClean fits the bill well. It‘s an easy recommendation for most iOS users, especially those without the time or tech chops to clean up their devices manually.
My advice? Start with the free version and see how much mileage you get out of the no-cost tools. If your iPhone or iPad is in really rough shape, springing for the affordable Pro upgrade is likely worthwhile to get the maximum storage savings and privacy protections.
Either way, PhoneClean is a handy tool to have in your iOS maintenance toolbox. It‘s not a total magic bullet for curing an overstuffed, sluggish device – but it‘s a convenient way to keep your iPhone or iPad tidier and running in top form.