[iMore Question]

is there an app that allows you to clean up your iPhone - clean out caches, check battery health etc.and all the other things you can do on a Mac.

[Tartarus]

is there an app that allows you to clean up your iPhone - clean out caches, check battery health etc.and all the other things you can do on a Mac.

I have never used one of those apps, while others swear by it.

Back when I had a lower storage device I often saw iOS take care of unnecessary caches. It cleaned them automagically.

As for battery health, that’s now incorporated in the battery settings under Settings > Battery.

[Just_Me_D]

is there an app that allows you to clean up your iPhone - clean out caches, check battery health etc.and all the other things you can do on a Mac.

There are numerous apps that do what you’re seeking. Go to the App Store, type in the word ‘clean’ in the search field and you will see numerous choices to choose from.

[Ledsteplin]

Battery Doctor works pretty good. The best way is connect the phone to iTunes on computer and restore. But that's a PITA.

[Sherry_B]

There's no reason to clear the cache. Apps sitting in there are in a suspended state and are not using any system resources. Apps that you allow to run in the background will intermittently check for updates and then re-suspend themselves. This is how the OS is designed and it runs best this way, rather than having to use more system resources to start back up again. The only time you'd really need to clear an app from the cache is if it's having some type of issue.

[Wotchered]

There's no reason to clear the cache. Apps sitting in there are in a suspended state and are not using any system resources. Apps that you allow to run in the background will intermittently check for updates and then re-suspend themselves. This is how the OS is designed and it runs best this way, rather than having to use more system resources to start back up again. The only time you'd really need to clear an app from the cache is if it's having some type of issue.

I strongly disagree with this statement and will no matter how often it is repeated. Particularly with older devices you will need to close everything you can just to keep the best speed your device can muster, it also may make a small difference to your battery. However speed of operation is the main reason. How do I know this ? because I run two old devices.

[Ledsteplin]

There's no reason to clear the cache. Apps sitting in there are in a suspended state and are not using any system resources. Apps that you allow to run in the background will intermittently check for updates and then re-suspend themselves. This is how the OS is designed and it runs best this way, rather than having to use more system resources to start back up again. The only time you'd really need to clear an app from the cache is if it's having some type of issue.

Are you talking about cache or RAM? Cache are the junk files that accumulate on the device and in apps. Using Battery Doctor deletes much of the cache on the device and in apps. I sometimes gain as much as 1 gb of my storage space with Battery Doctor. Swiping apps out of multitasking will not delete cache in those apps. It will, however, help clear RAM. But the OS does a good job of doing that as needed.

[Ledsteplin]

I strongly disagree with this statement and will no matter how often it is repeated. Particularly with older devices you will need to close everything you can just to keep the best speed your device can muster, it also may make a small difference to your battery. However speed of operation is the main reason. How do I know this ? because I run two old devices.

You're correct, in reference to RAM. While the OS does do a pretty good job of keeping RAM cleared, clearing RAM manually will help the device run smoother. But so as not to interrupt the apps, you can clear RAM with this method:
[GUIDE] How To Clear RAM On iPhone and iPad.

https://forums.imore.com/showthread.php?t=387222

[Sherry_B]

I strongly disagree with this statement and will no matter how often it is repeated.

You are free to disagree, even if you are wrong. How do I know this? Because Apple said so.

Apps that are in a suspended state aren’t actively in use, open, or taking up system resources. With Background App Refresh, suspended apps can check for updates and new content.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202070

[Quis89]

Are you talking about cache or RAM? Cache are the junk files that accumulate on the device and in apps. Using Battery Doctor deletes much of the cache on the device and in apps. I sometimes gain as much as 1 gb of my storage space with Battery Doctor. Swiping apps out of multitasking will not delete cache in those apps. It will, however, help clear RAM. But the OS does a good job of doing that as needed.

Cache isn’t junk files. Clearing cache forces the app or website to reload all its data the next time you call it up. Cache can speed up the opening of apps or accessing websites because that cache is holding consistent data that doesn’t need to be loaded again.

But I agree with Sherry. Especially if you’re using a device that’s within the last few years, you (in theory) should never need to clear your cache or RAM on an iOS device. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, you may be doing more harm than good.

[Wotchered]

You are free to disagree, even if you are wrong. How do I know this? Because Apple said so.



Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202070

Trouble is, you trust Apple,I do too but only as far as I do, not very far. They’ve been caught out before !

[Tartarus]

Trouble is, you trust Apple,I do too but only as far as I do, not very far. They’ve been caught out before !

They have been misunderstood. That’s hardly getting caught. /apple kool-aid

After using iPhones for more than 8 years now,
I can verify that leaving apps open in the task-switcher doesn’t negatively affect anything, from battery life to cache and so on.

[Sherry_B]

Trouble is, you trust Apple,I do too but only as far as I do, not very far. They’ve been caught out before !

That makes no sense. Do some research on how cache and ram are handled in the unix operating system (what iOS is based off of). The linux (what Android/AOSP is based off of) operating system handles them in the same way. The problem here is many seem to think that iOS is similar to Windows. It's just not.

[Ledsteplin]

Cache isn’t junk files. Clearing cache forces the app or website to reload all its data the next time you call it up. Cache can speed up the opening of apps or accessing websites because that cache is holding consistent data that doesn’t need to be loaded again.

But I agree with Sherry. Especially if you’re using a device that’s within the last few years, you (in theory) should never need to clear your cache or RAM on an iOS device. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, you may be doing more harm than good.

Must be a difference in semantics. I think the OP refered to junk files that cache on the device and in apps, not RAM. But I may be wrong. I don't gain storage space by clearing RAM. But I do by deleting the cached junk files.

[Sherry_B]

I do by deleting the cached junk files.

No, actually you don't. The system releases apps in cache when it no longer needs it. It's not really counted as used memory like that even though it may appear like it does. The way iOS works is rather neat that way.

If you are curious about how this works, do some Google searches for how Unix or Linux (either one) uses cache.... it'll be easier than trying to find articles about iOS. Also research flash memory.

[Garz]

If people have to clear cache to gain 1 GB of space, seems to me their storage capacity is not suitable for them. With that said, Sherry has nailed it with everything she has said.

[Ledsteplin]

No, actually you don't. The system releases apps in cache when it no longer needs it. It's not really counted as used memory like that even though it may appear like it does. The way iOS works is rather neat that way.

If you are curious about how this works, do some Google searches for how Unix or Linux (either one) uses cache.... it'll be easier than trying to find articles about iOS. Also research flash memory.

Yes, actually I do. I'm not talking about RAM.

[Ledsteplin]

If people have to clear cache to gain 1 GB of space, seems to me their storage capacity is not suitable for them. With that said, Sherry has nailed it with everything she has said.

It was when I purchased it in 2015. I lost 14 gb of storage by submitting 30 bug reports on iOS 10 beta. The software is still on my iPhone, along with other junk files taking up space. Apple told me the only way I can delete the beta software is to restore via iTunes.

[Sherry_B]

Yes, actually I do. I'm not talking about RAM.

Neither am I, and no you don't. You are not understanding how the OS handles cache. I'm familiar with Unix and Linux both, having ran them on my home machines (FreeBSD/Ubuntu) and on my web hosting server (CentOS). We currently run Ubuntu on our NAS.

I urge you to research as I said before. Not because I'm being combative, but because there is nothing wrong with learning what's true instead of what you've been mistakenly led to believe.

[Ledsteplin]

Neither am I, and no you don't. You are not understanding how the OS handles cache. I'm familiar with Unix and Linux both, having ran them on my home machines (FreeBSD/Ubuntu) and on my web hosting server (CentOS). We currently run Ubuntu on our NAS.

I urge you to research as I said before. Not because I'm being combative, but because there is nothing wrong with learning what's true instead of what you've been mistakenly led to believe.

The OS does store cached data files, usually from streaming music and videos, as well as from photo downloads. The OS manages that well as needed. But I never see it reflected in my available storage space. But when I delete junk files, I gain back sometimes as much as 1 gb or more of storage space. I know this, because I check my available storage before and after I delete the junk files. I have a lot of "other" taking up space that I can't delete, unless I restore via iTunes. But I can delete some of it. So, again, yes I do. And I have researched it. Many articles suggest using apps like Battery Doctor to delete junk files. They're usually deleted well when updating a new OS. That's why many see an increase in storage space after updating. But I haven't updated since iOS 10.1.1.

[Sherry_B]

blah blah blah

Linux is borrowing unused memory for disk caching. This makes it looks like you are low on memory, but you are not! Everything is fine!

If your applications want more memory, they just take back a chunk that the disk cache borrowed. Disk cache can always be given back to applications immediately! You are not low on ram!

https://www.linuxatemyram.com/

The above is very similar to how iOS handles cache. As I said, research cache and flash memory and how they work together. You cannot learn unless you look it up. Being incurious doesn't change the facts.

[Ledsteplin]

https://www.linuxatemyram.com/

The above is very similar to how iOS handles cache. As I said, research cache and flash memory and how they work together. You cannot learn unless you look it up. Being incurious doesn't change the facts.

We must be talking about different things. It's a FACT, I gain storage space by deleting junk files. I see no such gain with what you refer to. If I do nothing, my storage availability goes down to below 1 gb. It's happened. Not sure why you can't grasp that.

[Sherry_B]

We must be talking about different things. It's a FACT, I gain storage space by deleting junk files. I see no such gain with what you refer to. If I do nothing, my storage availability goes down to below 1 gb. It's happened. Not sure why you can't grasp that.

The facts are out there, I can't force you to believe them. The choice is obviously yours to remain in the dark.

[Ledsteplin]

The facts are out there, I can't force you to believe them. The choice is obviously yours to remain in the dark.

I get what you're saying. But you said I do not delete junk files using apps. I do. Apparently, whatever the OS does to make space is not enough. It doesn't clear all the cached junk files. If it did, I'd have no use for Battery Doctor. I can't force you to believe it, but I can show you before and after screenshots of my available storage. Not sure why you refuse to acknowledge that one can delete the cached junk files the OS doesn't clear. And I never said I was low on RAM.

[Sherry_B]

....

Until you are willing to actually do some research and a bit of reading or use a *nix operating system firsthand so you can see for yourself, there's no point in discussing it further with you.