CCleaner is a phone cleaner app that mobile users either love, dislike, or a mixture of both. The app and its roots have become a debate in the last couple of years and while they still have quite a loyal following, many often ask the question: is CCleaner safe to use?
This article will take a look at why or why not the app is safe and a couple of alternatives that you might want to consider.
What is CCleaner?
CCleaner is software that was first released for PC. Now, it’s an Android app that allows you to make the most out of your phone. It’s a cleaner app that does everything — from removing junk, clearing RAM, and keeping an eye on your system for errors. With it, phone optimization becomes easier and quicker.
Its claim to fame is to allow users to become the masters of their devices with the app. It will easily help you boost a slow phone and even free-up space to further optimize your phone. Some users love the app because it works great for them, but others don’t seem to enjoy the app as much as the next person.
Is CCleaner for Android Safe to Use?
Like many apps, there have been questions as to the safety of CCleaner. Whether you’re using it on your PC or your mobile phone, it helps to be cautious about the programs that you decide to install. Is CCleaner safe to use? Let’s look at a couple of factors that can affect the answer to the question.
Why and Why Not?
CCleaner is essentially safe to use for mobile platforms. While it’s PC version has gone downhill, for the most part, the Android version is still considered to be one of the best phone cleaner apps available in the market today. Not only does it offer full functionality, but it also has less spam than most phone cleaners.
Contrary to its PC version, the CCleaner for Android has not been subject to prejudice about having malware. As long as it’s downloaded from a legit source such as the Play Store, you can guarantee that you’re getting a safe app. It would also be safe to check your device for malware from time-to-time to make sure that it isn’t coming from a previously installed app.
On the other hand, it’s also not as safe to use because most phone cleaners will require access to your phone’s storage. Giving app permission to access and modify your storage might not be the best move to make. It also doesn’t help that CCleaner’s PC version had issues with hacking and malware in the past years.
What Are the Risks of Using CCleaner?
CCleaner has become the topic of debate in the mobile community in the past years. Some say that the app does the trick while others would prefer another app. Regardless, like every other app, there are risks to using a phone cleaner like CCleaner. Here are some of them:
A.) Malware
It’s no secret that the PC version of CCleaner is known to be a problematic case. Malware is one of the PC version’s biggest issues which led to the majority of their users uninstalling the software. Having malware is highly dangerous because it can reach and manipulate your device in a matter of minutes. While it hasn’t been reported in the Android version, it’s best to stay safe and prevent malware on your phone by staying away from the app altogether.
B.) Storage Issues
Giving the app access to your storage can be risky in many ways. CCleaner would need access to your files to do its job. While that isn’t the case here, an issue that CCleaner is known to have is that it doesn’t clean the phone’s storage for junk files and even causes errors to the device that it’s on. While some users claim that the app does its job at keeping their storage on track, others report that the app has caused more storage issues than fix them.
C.) Decreased Phone Performance
Despite being known for optimization, the CCleaner app is also known as a performance-killing app that doesn’t necessarily live up to its name of being a great phone optimization app. It can eat up your RAM, drain the battery, and even make your phone slower. While CCleaner isn’t the only app with this issue, it would be safe to avoid the app altogether especially if you don’t need it.
D.) Bugs
Some phone cleaner apps are known to tamper with the device’s CPU processes. It’s an unknown risk that comes with most phone cleaner apps. While it didn’t necessarily happen with CCleaner, some phone cleaning apps are known to give their device’s bugs that affect its performance altogether. It might also cause your phone to completely malfunction without having any means of ending it.
Is a Phone Cleaner App Necessary?
Yes and no. The necessity of having a phone cleaner app is debatable and is honestly more up to the users if they so wish to use one.
These days, most phones, even the ones on the budget range will have a pre-installed phone cleaner or an equivalent of it. This takes away the need to install another phone cleaner app since the phone is already built with one. While these apps might not come with the same functionality as other phone cleaners, it provides you with a faster way to clean your phones without having to worry about giving a third-party app access to your device.
If your phone already has a phone cleaner app, downloading one isn’t necessary. It might even affect your phone’s performance as you’re technically installing a duplicate app.
On the other hand, phones that have older OS won’t have a phone cleaner. This is when a phone cleaner app becomes necessary. They’ll need an app that will help them keep their phones in proper shape. Phones like this will be comparatively slower and will have lesser memory than newer models. That said, it wouldn’t hurt to have an app that would help optimize your phone’s performance.
If your phone doesn’t have a cleaner app and you feel that you need one, then it might be necessary for you to download one. Older phone models and OS will most likely need an app that will help boost their performance and help with storage management.
What to Look for in a Cleaner App for Android?
Before you head to the Play Store to download a cleaner app for your Android phone, there are a couple of things that you should consider before downloading an app, especially since you’re dealing with something that will have the ability to modify your phone’s processes.
When looking for the right cleaner app, consider downloading an app with the following features:
- System Protection
- Junk Manager
- App Manager
- Security and Privacy
- Malware Detector
- Phone Booster
Granted that not all apps will have all of the features, it’s still safe to consider your needs and your immediate concerns when looking for a cleaner app for your Android device.
Alternatives for CCleaner for Android
Whether you’re doubting the security of CCleaner or if you’re just looking for an alternative for CCleaner, here are three of the best cleaner apps that you can find for Android.
AVG Cleaner Pro
The AVG Cleaner Pro is an Android cleaner app filled with great features that you’ll love. It’s functional and great for those who are looking for a steadfast cleaner app that will help them in the long run. Not only does it have the basic features such as an app manager and a battery saver, but it also has a photo analyzer to help you easily remove duplicate photos and even an optimization assistant that will help clear your device’s memory in just one tap.
Norton Clean
Norton Clean, developed by Norton Labs, is a cleaner app that aims to help users reclaim their device’s storage space by providing easy solutions to cleaning junk, removing files, and optimizing memory. It’s an all-in-one app that will not only help you with the bare minimum of cleaning your phone but it will also help you manage your apps, remove bloatware, and optimize your phone so that you can use it better.
Avast Cleanup & Boost
The Avast Cleanup & Boost app is pretty similar to the other apps in this article but it has a couple of things that make it stand from the rest. Apart from its basic features of clearing files and getting rid of junk, Avast Cleanup also has provisions for cloud storage integration and safe cleaning. It also has a feature for photo optimization which will not only help you keep your best photos, but also have the option to get rid of the bad ones and any duplicates. Its cleaning adviser and battery profiles are also functional in keeping track of your phone.
The Verdict: Is CCleaner Safe?
Is CCleaner safe to use? Well, you’ll be the judge. Many users have said that the app is not worth risking the security of your device while others swear by the app’s effectiveness. Regardless, CCleaner is an Android cleaner app to consider downloading if you don’t have a cleaner app on your phone yet. While the free version does come with ads, it’s pretty much still worth using due to its functionality. You can also opt to use alternatives to CCleaner if you’re looking to be more on the safe spectrum and don’t want to risk the safety of your phone. Although most phone cleaners will have the same features, it’s just a matter of looking for the best one for you.
