Here's How You Can Keep a Check On Junk Files In Android (2024)

Smartphones have become such an indispensable part of our lives that we just can’t think of spending much time without them. Let’s face it over a period of constant use, a lot of unnecessary files start to accumulate in your Android device. In more common lingo, they are also referred to as Junk files.

What Are Junk Files on Android?

These include cache files arising from both external and internal applications, temporary files, call logs, residual files, outdated folders and the list goes on and on. It is indeed necessary to get rid of junk files on an Android phone because these junk files can cause a lot of harm to your Android device.

So, in this blog, we’ll take in an in-depth purview of what junk files on Android are? What harm they can cause to your Android phone and how you can get rid of them? So, read on!

How To Clean Junk Files On Phone?

We’ll discuss some of the steps you can take to purge junk from an Android device later but first, let’s have a look at an easy and safer way to remove unnecessary Junk from an Android device.

The Best And The Most Effective Way To Clean Junk On Android- Use A Junk File Cleaner App

You might ask, why use a junk file cleaner app to get rid of junk on Android?

If you try to clean or even track such junk files, you may accidentally stumble upon a right file and then mistakenly delete it. God forbid if it’s a crucial system file. A junk file cleaner app intelligently takes care of all the junk files that may be causing harm to your device.

We have already tested and reviewed some of the best Android cleaner apps, Smart Phone Cleaner is undoubtedly the best app you can find. For cleaning junk on Android, it has a dedicated cleaner that scans your Android device for temporary files, external cache, .apk files, outdated folders and even any larger unnecessary files which are hard to notice. As you can see from the screenshot, the app has found around 650.48 MB of space taken up by junk files that can easily be optimized.

Smart Phone Cleaner even lets you click on each of the above elements so that you can double-check the item /s before deleting it.

Once you are sure and have checked to mark the right items, the junk can be cleared by tapping on the Clear Now button.

Not just junk files on Android, the app scans your phone for duplicate videos, photos, music files and documents, and even helps you preserve battery by letting you disable all those aspects which might be consuming your phone’s battery and there are several other features as well.

Other Ways To Clean Junk Files On Android

The below-mentioned methods are practices which are more or less harmless and can be adhered to regularly.

1. Uninstall All Those Apps That You Don’t Need

It’s as simple as that. If there are apps that you can do without or that have just been sitting on your phone for no reason at all, it’s time to remove them. There are several different ways you can uninstall Android apps. For instance, you can follow the path mentioned below –

Settings > Apps > App Name > Uninstall

You can even take assistance from some of the best app uninstallers for Android, which uninstall the app entirely behind no traces or files associated with the app.

2. Manually Clean Cache

You can do at an app-level or use your device’s inbuilt Device care module (the name and settings may differ).

(i) At The App Level

To clean the cache of a particular app, the steps are more or less the same as uninstalling an app with a step or two more to add –

Settings > Apps > App Name > Storage > Clear Cache

(ii) Using Your Android Device Inbuilt Cleaner

Majority of Android smartphones these days come with inbuilt device care or cache cleaners. In a Samsung device, you can reach device care by likely following the path below –

Settings > Device Care > Optimize Now

3. Restart Your Device

A quick restart once in a while is an excellent way to purge all that junk which your device has been accumulating. This practice kills any opened apps and fragments of closed apps. In the process, it clears your RAM.

Why Should You Keep A Check on Junk Files In Android?

You might be wondering how junk files can damage your Android phone?

1. Junk Files Take A Toll On Your Phone’s Performance

Immaterial of how powerful the hardware configuration of your Android smartphone is, if you let junk files pile up, they will degrade the overall performance of your device. The response time of your Android phone will take a backseat.

2. You’ll See A Gradual Dip In Your Device’s Memory

Ever wondered why your device’s memory looks stuffed despite not loading it with many images, documents, videos, etc. It’s because of these junk files that a lot of space is taken up.

3. No Surprise That You Start Witnessing Crashes

Picture this; you try to open an app; it works fine for a while and then crashes. Why did that happen?

The culprit behind these crashes could be the junk files. When the system storage gets filled with temp data and other junk arising out of web browsing sessions and frequent opening and closing of apps, the system storage runs out of space and causes issues such as crashing.

In The End

If you adore your Android smartphone and want it to last long, we’d recommend that you periodically check your Android phone for junk and clean it. If the blog has helped you do upvote it.