What Smart Cleaner Finds
Categories of media that typically clutter your library
Screenshots
Finds old screenshots you took for a specific moment and no longer need—confirmation codes, addresses, and temporary info.
Social App Downloads
Cleans up auto-saved media from WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and other messaging apps that save photos by default.
Screen Recordings
Identifies long screen recordings that take up massive space—often recorded once and never deleted afterward.
Saved TikToks & Reels
Finds saved videos from TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts that you've already watched and forgotten about.
The Hidden Storage Problem
How junk media silently fills up your iPhone
Most iPhone users don't realize how quickly throwaway media adds up. Every screenshot of a tracking number, every meme saved from a group chat, every screen recording of a bug you wanted to report—it all stays in your library forever unless you manually delete it.
Messaging apps are the biggest offenders. WhatsApp automatically saves every photo and video you receive. Telegram does the same. Even if you turn off auto-save, years of accumulated media often remain. A typical iPhone user has 500-2000 photos and videos from messaging apps alone—most of which they've already viewed and forgotten.
Screen recordings are particularly problematic because they're large. A 2-minute screen recording can be 50-100MB or more. If you have 10 old screen recordings you never deleted, that's potentially 1GB of wasted space from files you recorded once and never looked at again.
Average junk found in a typical iPhone library
Screenshots the average user accumulates over 2 years
Of old screenshots are never viewed again after one week
Common Types of Junk Media
Specific examples of what clutters your library
Temporary Screenshots
Screenshots of delivery tracking numbers, confirmation codes, addresses, WiFi passwords, error messages, and other temporary information. These are typically useful for a few hours or days, then become digital clutter.
- QR codes and boarding passes
- Price comparisons while shopping
- Directions and map screenshots
Messaging App Media
Photos and videos automatically saved from WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and other chat apps. Every funny video, every meme, every photo someone shares—it all gets saved to your camera roll by default.
- Memes and jokes from group chats
- Photos from family group messages
- Forwarded videos you've already watched
Old Screen Recordings
Screen recordings are useful when you make them—to show someone a bug, demonstrate something, or capture a video. But most people forget to delete them afterward, and they're surprisingly large files.
- A 2-minute recording can be 50-100MB
- Often recorded once and never viewed again
- Some users have 10+ old recordings taking up 1GB+
Saved Social Media Videos
TikToks, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts you saved because they were funny or interesting. After watching them a few times, they just sit in your library consuming storage.
- Saved TikToks and Reels with watermarks
- Videos you meant to send but never did
- Trending videos from months ago
How Smart Cleaner Works
Intelligent detection with full user control
1. Smart Detection
HEVCut analyzes your photo library to identify potential junk media. It looks for screenshots (detected by aspect ratio and metadata), messaging app downloads (identified by file patterns), screen recordings (video with no audio track or system UI), and more. All analysis happens on your device.
2. Review by Category
Junk media is organized into categories so you can review each type separately. Want to delete all old screenshots but keep your WhatsApp photos? No problem. You have full control over what gets marked for deletion and what stays.
3. Clean Up Instantly
Once you've selected what to remove, delete everything with a single tap. The app shows you exactly how much space you'll recover. Deleted items go to your Recently Deleted album for 30 days, so you can recover anything you accidentally removed.
Common Questions
QWill it accidentally delete important photos?
Smart Cleaner only suggests deletions—it never deletes automatically. You review every item before confirming. The app is designed to be conservative, so it may miss some junk rather than accidentally flag important photos. You can also exclude specific items or entire categories.
QHow does it detect screenshots?
Screenshots are detected using a combination of methods: checking the photo's metadata for screenshot identifiers, analyzing the aspect ratio (screenshots match your device's screen dimensions exactly), and looking for specific file naming patterns. This approach catches virtually all screenshots.
QCan I keep screenshots I actually need?
Yes. When reviewing screenshots, you can tap any image to exclude it from deletion. Favorited photos are never suggested for deletion. You can also filter by date to keep recent screenshots and only delete older ones that are more likely to be outdated.
QHow do I stop WhatsApp from auto-saving photos?
In WhatsApp, go to Settings, then Chats, and turn off "Save to Camera Roll." For Telegram, go to Settings, Data and Storage, and disable "Save to Gallery." This prevents future clutter, but you'll still need to clean up the media already saved to your library.
QDoes this work with iCloud Photos?
Yes. When you delete junk media, it's removed from iCloud too, freeing up space across all your devices and in your iCloud storage. This is especially helpful if you're trying to stay within your iCloud storage plan.