PhoneClean is a desktop utility from iMobie for cleaning and maintaining iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. It runs on Windows and macOS. The user connects the iOS device to the computer, and PhoneClean scans it for cache files, browsing traces, private records and leftover data. PhoneClean then removes what the user selects. Users can run the program in a free trial mode, while most of its cleaning modes require an activated license.
Cleaning modes on one screen
The main window of PhoneClean lists separate modes rather than one universal cleaner: Silent Clean, Quick Clean, Internet Clean, Privacy Clean, System Clean and Erase Clean. Toolbox, Restore, device information and settings follow these modes. Clicking the device name at the top switches between connected devices, and the settings page lets the user adjust what each mode handles.
Most modes share the same sequence. The user connects the device by USB, picks a mode and clicks Scan. When the scan ends, PhoneClean shows the total amount of junk found. Review Details opens the individual files, and checkboxes let the user choose what to clean and what to keep. Clean then removes the selected items, and the device must stay connected until the completion screen appears.
Junk files from apps and photos
Quick Clean is the everyday mode of PhoneClean. It looks for cache, cookie and temporary files created by apps, crash logs, download temp files, iTunes Radio caches, invalid iOS data and artwork caches. On the photo side it covers camera and filter photo caches and pictures still sitting in Recently Deleted. It also covers other photos that can be cleared once they are backed up. The user can also select large or old media files for removal.
What Quick Clean can reach depends on the iOS version. Apple blocked app access permissions from iOS 8.3 onward, so PhoneClean cleans app caches, app cookies and app temp files only on older systems.
Automatic cleaning over Wi-Fi
Silent Clean runs a reduced set of the Quick Clean categories without user interaction. The user switches Silent Clean on once while the device is connected by USB. After that, PhoneClean detects the iPhone or iPad whenever it joins the same Wi-Fi network as the computer. It cleans app caches and cookies, download temp files, crash logs, photo caches and artwork caches on its own, roughly once a day. Silent Clean belongs to the paid version, and one family subscription applies it to every iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in the household.
Safari, webmail and private records
Internet Clean deals with traces left by web browsing. It clears Safari caches, Safari cookies with their saved logins and site preferences, Safari history, browsing history and cached webmail messages with their attachments.
Privacy Clean targets personal data that should not remain on the device. It handles call history, messages and their attachments, voicemail, notes and note attachments. It also handles already deleted calls, messages, notes and contacts that remain in the device storage.
Both modes, like System Clean, start with an automatic backup of the device before analysis. The user must turn off encrypted backups first, since PhoneClean cannot read them. Internet Clean also requires the user to disable Find My iPhone temporarily. After cleaning, PhoneClean uploads the modified data and the device restarts.
System leftovers
System Clean removes accumulated iOS notifications, leftovers of deleted apps and data held by active apps. PhoneClean selects all found items by default. During review, the user unchecks what should stay before the cleanup and restart.
Wiping a device before handing it on
Erase Clean is for a device the user is selling or giving away. It permanently deletes all data on the connected iPhone or iPad, and the process cannot be reversed once it starts. PhoneClean backs up the data first, then erases the device and restarts it.
Toolbox for contacts, media and apps
The PhoneClean Toolbox holds seven tools that work on specific content rather than junk categories, acting only on the items the user selects:
- Contact Clean finds duplicate contacts, shows a preview and merges the chosen duplicates.
- Note Clean and Calendar Clean delete selected notes or calendar entries, with a select-all checkbox for bulk removal.
- Media Clean removes media junk left behind by failed iTunes syncs.
- Media Repair attempts to fix damaged media files so they can be played again.
- App Clean uninstalls apps to free space; reinstalling apps works only on devices running a system older than iOS 8.3.
- Photo Clean deletes selected photos and videos from the Camera Roll.
Restoring cleaned data
Restore works with the backups PhoneClean makes before Internet Clean, Privacy Clean and System Clean, and it also lists iTunes backups. The user selects a backup for the connected device and confirms; PhoneClean uploads the data, restarts the device and verifies the restored content.
Trial and activated versions
After a short startup countdown, PhoneClean can continue in free mode. In this mode it cannot clean internet, private or system data, permanently erase a device, use the Toolbox or restore data. Entering a license code through Upgrade to Pro activates the full program, including Silent Clean over Wi-Fi.
