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Getting started 4
What does iPhone Cleaner actually do?
It analyses your photo library on the device and sorts what it finds into eight categories — duplicates, similar photos and bursts, screenshots, screen recordings, videos, Live Photos, large files and everything else. For each one it shows how much storage is involved, so you can decide category by category rather than trusting a single "junk" number.
Alongside the photo library it also compresses photos and videos, cleans a connected Gmail inbox, merges duplicate contacts, manages old device backups, and stores private photos in a Face ID vault.
Which iPhones and iOS versions are supported?
iPhone Cleaner requires iOS 17.6 or later. It runs on every iPhone that can install that version. Photo analysis is faster on newer devices, but the results are identical.
How long does the first scan take?
It depends on library size. A few thousand photos usually finish in under a minute; libraries of tens of thousands take considerably longer, because every image is analysed on the device rather than on a server. Later scans are much faster — only what changed is re-analysed.
If your photos are stored in iCloud with Optimise iPhone Storage turned on, each one has to download before it can be analysed, so the first scan is limited by your connection speed.
What languages is the app available in?
Eighteen: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. The app follows your iOS language automatically, including the Home Screen widget.
Photos & storage 7
How do I recover photos I deleted with iPhone Cleaner?
Open the iOS Photos app → Albums → scroll to the bottom → Recently Deleted. Deleted items stay there for 30 days. Select what you want back and tap Recover.
iPhone Cleaner never permanently erases anything itself. Every deletion goes through the standard iOS route, so the 30-day safety net always applies.
How does duplicate detection work?
Two signals are combined. First, file metadata — size, dimensions, creation date. Second, the visual content of the image itself, reduced to a compact feature print computed on the device with Apple's Vision framework.
Photos matching on both are grouped as duplicates, and one copy in every group is marked as the original to keep. Deleting a duplicate group never leaves you with zero copies of the image.
What counts as a "similar" photo?
Similar photos are separate files that look alike rather than being identical — burst sequences, three attempts at the same portrait, the same view from a step to the left. Because they aren't the same file, the app can't safely pick a winner for you. It groups them and pre-selects a suggestion, and you confirm or change it.
Will it delete anything automatically?
No. Selection is always yours to change, and deletion needs two confirmations: one in the app and one in the system prompt iOS raises itself. The app cannot bypass that second prompt — no app can.
What happens if my photos are in iCloud?
Deleting a photo that syncs with iCloud Photos removes it from iCloud and from every other device signed in to the same Apple Account — this is how iCloud Photos works for every app, not something specific to iPhone Cleaner. It also goes to Recently Deleted, so the 30-day recovery window still applies everywhere.
If you want a copy kept independently, export it before deleting.
How does swipe to clean work?
Your library is split by month. Open a month and you get one photo at a time: swipe right to keep it, left to send it to the bin. Nothing is deleted while you swipe — the bin collects everything, and you review the whole set and confirm before anything leaves the device.
How much space will I get back?
There's no honest average — it depends on how you use your camera. The app shows the exact figure for your library before you delete anything, and the scan is free, so you can find out at no cost. Libraries with a lot of burst shooting, screenshots and 4K video have the most to recover.
Compression 3
Does compression make my photos look worse?
Compression re-encodes photos to HEIF and videos to HEVC — formats that store the same image in a smaller file. Three levels are available:
- High Quality — visually indistinguishable on a phone screen, smallest saving.
- Balanced — the default; a noticeable saving with no visible difference in normal viewing.
- Max Savings — the largest saving, with quality loss you may see if you zoom in or print.
Dates, location and other metadata are preserved at every level.
Can I undo compression?
Not from within the app — the original is replaced once you confirm, and the smaller file is what remains. The original does go to Recently Deleted as part of the replacement, so you have the usual 30 days to retrieve it from the iOS Photos app if you change your mind.
If a photo matters enough that you'd want the original back, export a copy before compressing it.
Can I compress photos stored in iCloud?
Yes. Items stored in iCloud are downloaded, compressed, and the smaller version syncs back. This uses data, so do it on Wi-Fi.
Email cleaner 4
Which email providers are supported?
Gmail, through Google Sign-In. Other providers aren't supported yet.
Are deleted emails gone for good?
No. Messages the app removes are moved to Gmail's Trash, where Google keeps them for 30 days before permanent deletion. Restore anything you want from Gmail during that window.
Can the developer read my email?
No. Sign-in uses Google's OAuth flow, so your password is never seen by the app. The access token is stored in the iOS Keychain on your device. Message content is processed on the device to group messages by sender and find newsletters — it is never stored on a server or forwarded anywhere.
You can revoke the app's access at any time from your Google Account permissions page.
How does unsubscribing work?
Newsletters carry a standard unsubscribe header. The app reads it and sends the unsubscribe request for you, so you don't have to open each message and hunt for the link at the bottom. Some senders take a few days to stop, and a handful ignore the standard entirely — those need to be blocked in Gmail instead.
Contacts & backups 4
How are duplicate contacts identified?
The app looks for entries sharing a name, a phone number or an email address. Every match is shown for you to preview before anything happens — matching is a suggestion, never an action.
Will merging lose any details?
No. Merging combines the fields from every matched entry into a single contact, so numbers, emails and addresses from all the copies are kept. Where two entries disagree on the same field, both values are retained.
Should I back up my contacts first?
Yes, before a first merge. The Backups screen inside the Contacts tab exports a copy of your address book that you can restore from later. It takes a few seconds and means a merge you don't like is reversible.
What does the backup manager delete?
Old iPhone and iCloud backups that are still occupying your iCloud storage — typically backups from devices you no longer own. It does not touch the photos or files those backups contain elsewhere. Removing a backup only means you can't restore a new device from that particular snapshot.
Private vault 3
How does the private vault work?
Moving a photo into the vault removes it from your photo library and stores it in the app's own protected storage, unlocked with Face ID. It stops appearing in Photos, in search, and in shared albums.
How do I get photos back out of the vault?
Open the Vault tab, unlock with Face ID, select the items and choose Move Out. They return to your photo library with their original dates.
Are vault photos backed up?
No — and this is deliberate. Vault contents live only on the device and are excluded from iCloud and iTunes backups, which is what makes them private. Move anything you want to keep out of the vault before erasing, selling or replacing the phone, or it will be lost with the device.
Subscriptions & billing 5
How do I cancel my subscription?
Subscriptions are billed by Apple, not by the developer, so they're cancelled in iOS Settings:
- Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Select iPhone Cleaner and tap Cancel Subscription.
Cancel at least 24 hours before the renewal date to avoid the next charge. Access continues until the end of the period you already paid for.
What does Pro cost?
$7.99 per week (with a 3-day free trial), $9.99 per month, or $49.99 per year. Prices are in US dollars and vary by region — the App Store shows your local price before you confirm. Downloading and scanning are free, so you see what's recoverable before paying.
I paid but Pro is still locked.
Open Settings inside the app and tap Restore Purchases. Check the device is signed in to the same Apple Account that made the purchase — this is the usual cause on a shared or replaced device.
If it still doesn't unlock, email admin@royalmiri.com with your Apple receipt and it'll be sorted manually.
How do I request a refund?
Refunds are handled by Apple, not the developer. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in with your Apple Account, find the purchase and choose Request a refund. Apple decides the outcome.
Will I be charged during the free trial?
No. The 3-day trial is free, and the first charge happens when it ends. Cancel any time before the last 24 hours of the trial and nothing is charged.
Privacy & permissions 4
Does any of my data leave the phone?
Photos, contacts and email content: no. All analysis runs on the device using Apple's Vision and Photos frameworks. There's no account to create and no library sync, so there's nowhere for the app to send them.
Full detail is in the privacy policy.
Why does it need full Photos access instead of limited?
Finding duplicates means comparing every photo against every other photo. Limited access only exposes the specific images you hand-picked, so the app would be comparing a handful of photos against each other and would miss essentially everything.
Change it any time in Settings → Privacy & Security → Photos → iPhone Cleaner.
When is each permission requested?
Only when you open the feature that needs it. Photos access is requested the first time you scan, Contacts access the first time you open the Contacts tab, Face ID the first time you use the vault, and Google Sign-In the first time you connect Gmail. Skipping one only disables that feature.
How do I delete my data?
Deleting the app removes everything it stored, including the vault and any cached scan results. To revoke Gmail access separately, visit your Google Account permissions page. Move vault photos back to your library first — they're deleted with the app.
Troubleshooting 5
The scan is stuck or won't finish.
Try these in order:
- Keep the app in the foreground with the phone plugged in for the first scan.
- If iCloud Photos is set to Optimise iPhone Storage, each photo downloads before it can be analysed — connect to Wi-Fi and allow more time.
- Force-quit and reopen. Progress is saved, so it resumes rather than starting over.
- Check Photos access is set to Full Access in iOS Settings.
If it still won't complete, email admin@royalmiri.com with your iPhone model, iOS version and roughly how many photos you have.
I deleted photos but my storage didn't change.
Deleted photos sit in Recently Deleted for 30 days and still occupy space until that album is emptied. To reclaim it immediately: Photos → Albums → Recently Deleted → Select → Delete All.
iOS can also take a few minutes to recalculate the storage figure in Settings.
It's not finding duplicates I know I have.
Check that Photos access is Full Access rather than limited. Also let the scan finish completely — categories fill in as the analysis progresses, so a partial scan shows partial results.
Photos that look identical but were edited, resized or re-saved by another app are genuinely different files, so they're grouped under Similar rather than Duplicates.
Gmail won't connect.
Sign out of the account in the app and connect again. If your account uses two-factor authentication, complete the prompt on your other device. Google Workspace accounts managed by an employer or school may block third-party access entirely — that's set by the account administrator and can't be changed from the app.
The app crashes or behaves strangely.
Update to the latest version from the App Store, then restart the phone. If it persists, delete and reinstall — but move anything out of the private vault first, because vault contents are stored only on the device and are removed with the app.
Still stuck?
Email us with your iPhone model, iOS version and what you were doing when it went wrong. Replies usually arrive within one business day.