My iPad has gotten really slow and it’s running out of space. I’ve tried deleting some apps and files but it doesn’t seem to help much. Looking for app recommendations or advice to clean up and speed up my iPad effectively.
iPad clean-up apps, huh? Honestly, Apple kinda locked down iOS, so there’s not a ton of third-party “magic” cleaners like you’ll find for Windows or Android. Most apps that claim to “clean” your iPad either just help you mass-delete old pics, screenshots, or duplicates, or they’re straight-up bloatware juice. That being said, I was super skeptical but gave the Free Clever Cleaner App a spin after my own iPad Mini was basically crawling. It actually helped find a bunch of useless files, duplicate photos, and those weird “other” caches that seem to just breed like rabbits. It’s not gonna give you a 2018 iPad Pro experience overnight, but it helped me clear almost 5GB just from lazy duplicate images and chunky message attachments.
You can grab it here if you want: boost your iPad’s speed with this handy app.
Other tips: Restart your iPad, delete podcasts and playlists you’ve forgotten about, and check Settings > General > iPad Storage to see what’s hogging space. And honestly, sometimes a good old factory reset (after backing up, obviously) is the nuclear option if nothing else works. Don’t download any sketchy “RAM booster” apps. They’re basically digital snake oil.
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Not to pile on after @boswandelaar’s point, but honestly, the world of iPad clean-up apps is about as barren as trying to find a headphone jack on these things nowadays. Apple’s got its walled garden locked tight, so most of those so-called “miracle” cleaning apps out there are either legit bloatware or mostly just designed to nudge you into paying for a subscription to delete, oh, five blurry screenshots you forgot about.
That said, the Free Clever Cleaner App’s actually worth a shot if you’re serious about reclaiming space—if only because it does more than just point out obvious junk. Stuff like duplicate photos and leftover message attachments really add up, and iOS’s native “offload unused apps” feature never seems to catch everything. Still, I’m a tad skeptical about any claim of “deep cleaning” the iPad system-wise. Don’t expect massive performance jumps unless your main culprit was just a seriously clogged camera roll or gigabytes of meme GIFs piling up since 2017.
Here’s something that people don’t mention enough: large “Other” or “System Data” blobs in iPad storage. Honestly, most cleaning apps can’t do much about them because Apple doesn’t allow that access. What made the biggest difference on my device was literally backing everything up, signing out from iCloud, erasing the iPad, and restoring from backup. Kind of a pain, but my device lost like 7GB of phantom storage nobody could otherwise touch.
Also: check your Safari downloads folder, Messages attachments, and random apps like GarageBand or iMovie—those tend to secretly hoard gigs of trash if you’ve ever touched them. I know most people overlook Safari, but cached website data and downloads can gobble up a shocking amount of storage.
One more thing, and here’s where I slightly disagree with @boswandelaar: sometimes, those “RAM boosters” do provide (temporary) speed boosts, mainly by forcing background apps to close. But it’s nothing you can’t do by restarting your iPad, and it won’t salvage ancient hardware. So yeah, digital snake oil mostly, but…a placebo effect sometimes is still an effect? Your mileage may vary.
If you want to try the Free Clever Cleaner App, check out the best iPad storage saver here: boost your iPad’s speed and storage here. It’s not pixie dust, but you might squeeze out a few extra gigs and delay the factory-reset-doomsday scenario just a bit longer.
TL;DR—No magic bullets, but a combo of mindful cleaning, maybe a decent app, and occasional nuclear reset is your best bet until Apple either loosens restrictions (LOL) or you upgrade.
Listicle Style (400 words):
Alright, iPad-slowdown survivors, let’s cut through the “legendary” iPad cleaner app field. Big shoutouts to @sterrenkijker and @boswandelaar for already highlighting the two main approaches: apps like the Free Clever Cleaner App and classic manual cleaning. But if you want more than an echo chamber of the same advice, here’s a fresh breakdown—with a side-order of honesty.
1. Third-Party Cleaners: Pros & Cons of Free Clever Cleaner App
- Pros:
- Actually good at bulk-removing duplicates, large photos, and dated message attachments. Think “Marie Kondo” for your Photos app and iMessage threads.
- Interface is straightforward—minimal taps to see what’s bloating your storage.
- Free version gets the job done for basic cleaning; not crammed with ads like other “cleaners.”
- Cons:
- Won’t touch the elephant in the room: “System Data” or “Other” files (no cleaner can, Apple’s call, not theirs).
- Some features paywalled, so deep dives = cha-ching (if you buy in).
- At the end of the day, if you want performance boosts, reclaimed space won’t make your 2016 iPad as spry as a new one.
- Risk of over-deleting—be mindful before smashing that “remove all” button.
2. Native iOS Moves That Aren’t Just App Deletion
- Offload Unused Apps: Does what it says, but sometimes offloads stuff you wanted to keep. Still, pulls some weight.
- Messages > Attachments: Scroll up in a long message thread, hit ‘Info,’ and see the gallery of forgotten memes and videos you never needed.
- Safari: Go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. It’s wild how much garbage accumulates here.
- iPad Storage Analytics: In Settings > General > iPad Storage, Apple offers suggestions that do help, just often overlooked.
3. The Deep Clean: Backup, Reset, Restore
- Tedious, yes. Risks a temporary “oops” if backup fails, but this is proven to dump several gigabytes of “phantom” files, especially if storage graphs don’t add up.
4. Do the RAM boosters work?
- Not really. Maybe for, like, ten minutes, and only if you’re hoping to clear background apps (which a reboot already does better). Honestly, placebo effect at its peak.
Quick stray from @sterrenkijker: don’t sleep on apps like FileBrowser or Documents if you’re hunting hidden, non-media huge files. Sometimes you’ve just got a sneaky old PDF or offline Netflix stash hogging gigs.
TL;DR: Use the Free Clever Cleaner App for fast gains, double-check your native Settings for dusty digital cobwebs, and if your iPad still acts like a 90s PC, a reset is the nuclear—but effective—path. No magic bullets, but these will buy your beloved device some much-needed breathing room!