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SD Maid - System cleaning tool – A Man Needs a Maid
Tested version: 0.9.7.2
Latest version: 2.0.2.3
Requires Android: from 1.6
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Summary
SD Maid - System cleaning tool is an omnipotent and multi-functional tool when it comes to system maintenance: it features a file manager / explorer, susses out so-called corpses and acts as an app cleaner. All in all the app boasts nine different functions. Why do the work yourself when you can get a maid to do it for you? Just ask Neil Young, he knows what I’m talking about!
But how efficient is the SD Maid? Find out more in today’s review.
Features & Use
Test device
-HTC Desire with 2.3.7 (Root and Custom ROM)
First off, please note that SD Maid - System cleaning tool can only be used its full functionality with root rights. This means that if your phone is not rooted, and you have to no intention of rooting it, this app is probably not ideal for you.
Here’s a quick overview of the app’s functions, the tabs to which are hidden in the tab bar at the top of the display.
Start: The first tab reveals brief system details, such as the root status and the storage capacity of the internal and external memories.
Explorer: The second tab harbours more options, in fact – as the tab name might suggest – this is where you’ll find the full fledged file explorer. Granted, the explorer isn’t what I would call the height of chic-ness and design, but it does what it’s meant to do, and does it well. Files and folders can be copied, cut, inserted, renamed and sent. Even the rights can be changed. There’s no ‘open as’ function, however, which is a shame as that’s what’s needed in order to open or edit systems files.
Search: A very thorough search tool that fine combs the entire system, i.e. the internal and external SD card. Searches can be filtered to show only files that contain key words, and said files can also be copied or moved.
Corpse finder: The next function bears a somewhat curious name, though I’m sure you’ve guessed that the SD Maid won’t be sniffing out any human bodies, but rather locating so-called corpse files. Even with smart systems such as Android it can happen that deleted files leave folders and files behind on the SD card, creating quite a chaos. This is where the SD Maid comes in: the app will sort the mess out for you. All you need do is hit ‘Clean’ and the deed is done. That said, the function is not able to locate all folders (in my case it only found 7), but that’s still better than not doing any cleaning out at all.
System-cleaner: This tab also looks for useless files lurking in the crevices of your Android device. Log files, cache or gallery thumbnails qualify as what's termed as being ‘useless’, though my jury’s out on whether it’s a good idea to simply deleted log files and/or thumbnails—it strikes me that they might be needed again at some point…
App-cleaner: Another Cleaner? Oh yeah! This one can eliminate superfluous cache files from other apps—at least, that’s what we are told in the Help section. Please note that this function is for pro version users only.
Doubles: Redundancy can be useful in informatics, but not in the case of the relatively small system storage capacity of a smartphone. Thus, it’s best to locate and delete any files that exist more than once. The app does this by checking the file name, the size and finally the checksum (this is to ensure that only files that exist more than once get deleted). The actual file deletion is only accessible to pro version users.
Optimize DBs: The SQL order ‘VACUUM’ decreases the size of databases, making more storage available.
The final tab harbours several functions:
• Delete Market search history
• Display files that have been changed within the last x minutes
• List top 50 largest files
All three functions work like a charm, though I found the ‘top 50 biggest files’ to be the most useful.
If you haven’t quite had your fill of useful functionality, check out the settings where you will find configuration options for the tabs and a few settings for the file explorer, to list but a few.
The Help section, located in the main menu, can also prove to be useful; it goes into a lot of detail and explains the different functions thoroughly.
Bottom line:
SD Maid - System cleaning tool has a lot to offer for users looking to do some storage space spring cleaning—that is, provided the Android device has been rooted. It’s a useful app on the whole, especially for users who often find themselves in a bit of a pinch when it comes to storage space.
The scope of the app's functionality is impressive–its weakness is clearly its speed and UI...
Screen & Controls
Controls are simple, and if every you get stuck you can consult the Help section.
What can one say about the SD Maid - System cleaning tool design? It’s not gonna blow your mind, but it does the trick.
Users have complained about typos within the app texts in the past—let’s hope they’ve all been sorted out, or will be in the near future.
Speed & Stability
The app’s stability is all right—SD Maid - System cleaning tool lagged once when the system cleaner scan was running. The speed of the scans leaves something to be desired, but I suppose one’s expectations shouldn’t be too high, seeing how many files have to be scanned.
Price/Performance Ratio
SD Maid - System cleaning tool can be downloaded for free, but please note that not all functions can be accessed. Check out the pro version (which costs 1,50€ ) if you want to access the app’s full scope of functionality.
Comparable Apps
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Why is the uninstaller of Android worse than Windows ? Whenever I uninstall an app, it always leaves behind folders created by the app.
Yes, the developer may want to keep the folder just in case the user decides to reinstall. Hence all previous settings are maintained. But shouldn't we be given the choice to have a clean uninstall? If anyone knows how to do it, please help.
I wonder if any files or folders are left behind on the phone system or internal storage when an app is uninstalled.
Danny, I understand your frustration, and I believe a lot of Android users are annoyed about excess data clogging up storage space -- but that's where apps such as the SD Maid come in handy ; )