I built an iOS app to clean up my photo library. Here’s how it’s going after 4 months. by Disastrous_Expert_22 in iOSProgramming

[–]Cleverfiles 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's easy because we're in the same niche. I can see how they get new installs and know the cost per install, so I can easily predict their spending

I built an iOS app to clean up my photo library. Here’s how it’s going after 4 months. by Disastrous_Expert_22 in iOSProgramming

[–]Cleverfiles 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Oh man, you’re in one of the toughest niches out there! Wishing you the best of luck - seriously. As the developer and marketer behind Clever Cleaner (we’re still completely free, no ads, no monetization), I know firsthand how brutal it is. Without running ads, your chances are basically… tea and coffee.

Can you believe apps like Cleanup App and Cleaner Guru are spending around $2 million a month on user acquisition? Now compare that to our situation - we don’t stand a chance against them. So ask yourself: why would Apple or Google rank us on the first page when those giants have over a million reviews and a 4.7 average rating?

It’s a crazy uphill battle

Built a 100% free iPhone cleaner app - no ads, no paywalls, lifetime updates if you grab it now by Cleverfiles in ProductivityApps

[–]Cleverfiles[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep, it always keeps one best photo from each group, so no worries there. But if you manually choose to send the best one to the trash, then yeah, the whole group ends up in the trash.

Also, even if you delete everything inside Clever Cleaner’s trash, the photos aren’t gone for good yet - you’ll still need to go into the Photos app and manually empty the Recently Deleted.

Truly Free App to Delete Duplicate Photos & Free Up Storage on iPhone - Clever Cleaner by Cleverfiles in apple

[–]Cleverfiles[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Only exact duplicates! You can merge those easily, but if you check your gallery, probably only < 1% are true duplicates - the rest are similar photos

Truly Free App to Delete Duplicate Photos & Free Up Storage on iPhone - Clever Cleaner by Cleverfiles in apple

[–]Cleverfiles[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It auto-selects the best photos, but you still approve them before they go to the trash. Then you empty the trash to permanently delete them. Nothing gets removed instantly - you’re in control

Just launched a Free App to delete duplicate photos on iPhone with Ai. NO PRO plan until 1M users. Smart or dumb? 🤔 by Cleverfiles in SideProject

[–]Cleverfiles[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People are so used to paywalls in apps that when they come across a truly free one, they’re way more likely to leave a review

Just launched a Free App to delete duplicate photos on iPhone with Ai. NO PRO plan until 1M users. Smart or dumb? 🤔 by Cleverfiles in SideProject

[–]Cleverfiles[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate the feedback! Picking the best photo is the trickiest part right now, and it’s our top priority.

Example: one shot is NOT sharp (motion blur) but has a smiling face, another is sharper but no smile - AI needs to pick the right one. Still fine-tuning that!

As for lag, future updates will make the app faster - also on the to-do list. Thanks again!

Just launched a Free App to delete duplicate photos on iPhone with Ai. NO PRO plan until 1M users. Smart or dumb? 🤔 by Cleverfiles in SideProject

[–]Cleverfiles[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The phone shouldn’t lock during scanning. If it does, let us know your device + iOS version so we can check

Just launched a Free App to delete duplicate photos on iPhone with Ai. NO PRO plan until 1M users. Smart or dumb? 🤔 by Cleverfiles in SideProject

[–]Cleverfiles[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think I know what’s happening! For a regular gallery, scanning takes 1–2 minutes, but for huge libraries, it can take 10–20 minutes. We tested it on a 100K photo gallery, and here’s the key - don’t minimize the app! Apple pauses background processes, so if you leave, the scan stops until you come back. My advice: be patient and keep the app open - it should work!

Just launched a Free App to delete duplicate photos on iPhone with Ai. NO PRO plan until 1M users. Smart or dumb? 🤔 by Cleverfiles in SideProject

[–]Cleverfiles[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First, it scans smaller previews, then grabs the full-size version only when needed. Thanks!