Author Topic: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)  (Read 40141 times)

Kostya Vasilyev

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It came to my attention that this app:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cleanmaster.mguard

deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures) and also some other important stuff from the memory card or large built-in memory partition that acts like one.

Please add the following directory to this "clean master" app's "exclude list":

<sdcard>/Android/data/org.kman.AquaMail/

These directories are per-application (based on package names), and are specifically intended for storing application data.

Messing with other apps' data directories is just plain wrong.

But I guess that's how you get to 100M - 500M downloads and an IPO. Phone *boost*, CPU *cooler*, oh my!


« Last Edit: October 02, 2014, 02:39:35 am by Kostya Vasilyev, Aqua Mail »
Creating debug logs for diagnostics: https://www.aqua-mail.com/troubleshooting/

The official FAQ: https://www.aqua-mail.com/faq/

Лог-файлы для диагностики: https://www.aqua-mail.com/ru/troubleshooting/

Вопросы и ответы: https://www.aqua-mail.com/ru/faq/

Thomas

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2014, 03:20:54 am »
I know this app, it  is a crap. Deletes a lot of important stuff, backups etc. I am using SD Maid , payed with root access.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.thedarken.sdm

Kostya Vasilyev

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2014, 09:31:11 pm »
This just started happening -- got two reports from users, and there will probably be comments and low ratings on Play...

But hey, the developer is "a leading mobile internet company", and they just raised $168 Million in an IPO, so life is good!
Creating debug logs for diagnostics: https://www.aqua-mail.com/troubleshooting/

The official FAQ: https://www.aqua-mail.com/faq/

Лог-файлы для диагностики: https://www.aqua-mail.com/ru/troubleshooting/

Вопросы и ответы: https://www.aqua-mail.com/ru/faq/

StR

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2014, 01:18:29 am »
I don't have any personal stakes in that app, but I've been using it for a while (more than 6 months) and so far, it has not caused any problems.
I don't know how it is with the newer versions (I've never updated it from 4.0.1), - but in my version, there are two separate "file cleaning" procedures: one that is "safe", i.e. cleaning apps cache, temp files, etc, and the other, - "advanced" that is clearly marked as potentially dangerous.
Occasionally, I look at the latter one, but almost never (if ever) find anything I'd delete, but the former one is useful: I frequently use that just before updating apps via Google Play Store, so that I have sufficient storage (internal memory) for that.

I agree that some of what the app is doing is superfluous, and killing apps to free up RAM is a short-lived "remedy". Hence, the effect of the app is over-hyped. But even that app killing can be handy every so often.

In short, I have more gripe about other, much more popular apps.

Just my 2 cents...

Kostya Vasilyev

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2014, 09:25:16 pm »
Not sure any warning about the unsafety of "advanced" -- even in large red neon letters -- will keep people from clicking "Advanced".

ADVANCED!!!

Looks great, doesn't it?

Maybe that's what happened to the two users who reported the issue to me -- maybe even the "safe" cleaning method can be too much. Don't know.

From my point of view, it's yet another case of "The latest AquaMail update killed my dog, slept with my wife, and burned down my house", which really turns out some other app's doing.
Creating debug logs for diagnostics: https://www.aqua-mail.com/troubleshooting/

The official FAQ: https://www.aqua-mail.com/faq/

Лог-файлы для диагностики: https://www.aqua-mail.com/ru/troubleshooting/

Вопросы и ответы: https://www.aqua-mail.com/ru/faq/

pyler

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2014, 09:46:59 pm »
Did you try to contact developers and ask them to put AquaMail to blacklist for cleaning or something like that?
Do you want to use the latest AquaMail version?
Try AquaMail Updater!

Kostya Vasilyev

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2014, 10:17:22 pm »
Oh please.

They're not supposed to ever touch anything under /Android/data/package_name for *any* app. And I'm sure they know it.

I had a "great" experience talking to LastPass developers already -- "yeah, something's wrong <shrug>".
Creating debug logs for diagnostics: https://www.aqua-mail.com/troubleshooting/

The official FAQ: https://www.aqua-mail.com/faq/

Лог-файлы для диагностики: https://www.aqua-mail.com/ru/troubleshooting/

Вопросы и ответы: https://www.aqua-mail.com/ru/faq/

crashdamage

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #7 on: August 26, 2015, 01:33:40 am »
Been meaning to post this for a while...not a bug report but relevant to this subject.
Clean Master is a horrible, evil app!  Some additional information on Clean Master and Cheetah Mobile in general:

Simply unbelievable.  What better way to scam user information than a cleaner app, which by definition to do it's job must be granted permission to access about everything? 
http://androidforums.com/threads/cache-cleaner.923369/#post-7001396
http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?p=4435166
http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=530007

How could Samsung be so stupid?
http://androidforums.com/index.php?posts/6934991

SD Maid is a far better, more effective cleaner, for those who feel the need for such things.  Unlike other so-called cleaners, SD Maid only does what it should do - clear out junk files, clean up databases, etc.  It does not try to do things it shouldn't. There's no RAM cleaner/optimizer, no cache cleaner automatically deleting useful cache files.  It does not run in the background, only when used. No nag ads. Just a powerful set of useful tools for doing useful things.  And no privacy problems.  I have no connection to SD Maid, just offering a better alternative.

Edit: Added a link I failed to include originally.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2015, 05:08:16 pm by crashdamage »
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pyler

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #8 on: August 26, 2015, 08:43:20 am »
Clean Master is total BS,  but sadly, OEMs preinstalls it. Just wait and see whether there is no backdoor like recently in preinstalled TeamViewer apps.

I like SD Maid too, but I don't use it, I clean my phone myself.
Do you want to use the latest AquaMail version?
Try AquaMail Updater!

Kostya Vasilyev

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #9 on: August 26, 2015, 10:40:46 pm »
I was horrified to find CM preinstalled on a brand new ASUS phone (the top of the line model, too).

And my Samsung S6 appears to have "technology from CleanMaster".

Wish I knew how to:

- Dupe users
- Screw up other developers
- Make $$$ hundreds of millions

Creating debug logs for diagnostics: https://www.aqua-mail.com/troubleshooting/

The official FAQ: https://www.aqua-mail.com/faq/

Лог-файлы для диагностики: https://www.aqua-mail.com/ru/troubleshooting/

Вопросы и ответы: https://www.aqua-mail.com/ru/faq/

StR

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #10 on: August 27, 2015, 05:39:01 am »
Been meaning to post this for a while...not a bug report but relevant to this subject.
Clean Master is a horrible, evil app!  Some additional information on Clean Master and Cheetah Mobile in general:

Simply unbelievable.  What better way to scam user information than a cleaner app, which by definition to do it's job must be granted permission to access about everything? 
http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?p=4435166
http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=530007

How could Samsung be so stupid?
http://androidforums.com/index.php?posts/6934991

SD Maid is a far better, more effective cleaner, for those who feel the need for such things.  Unlike other so-called cleaners, SD Maid only does what it should do - clear out junk files, clean up databases, etc.  It does not try to do things it shouldn't. There's no RAM cleaner/optimizer, no cache cleaner automatically deleting useful cache files.  It does not run in the background, only when used. No nag ads. Just a powerful set of useful tools for doing useful things.  And no privacy problems.  I have no connection to SD Maid, just offering a better alternative.

First of all, - as a disclaimer, - I am very conservative in installing (and updating) apps on my phone, looking at the permissions and critically reading the comments and other information I can find about an app before installing it.

@crashdamage:
I appreciate the links you provided, and I carefully read the material behind them, including some of the most representative materials linked from there.
My overall impression is that only very few posts actually contain information; most of the posts are just emotional bashing (and preaching to the quire). As one of the posters wrote (paraphrasing), science is not democracy: scientific truth is not decided by voting. And, unfortunately, quite a few posts are committing various logical fallacies (see below). However, the posts that provide supporting evidence indeed help making your own conclusion.

Here is my summary of my personal conclusions on the subject [at this point]:
1. None (most?) of the task killers, battery savers should be trusted blindly.
(I have known this before. This is just a common sense.)
2. Many (most?) of the things that [most of] these apps claim they do is not what is reasonable for most (many?) devices.
3. The side effects of these actions (in 2. above) can occasionally look or sometimes even be positive (albeit, it is not the best or the most elegant solution).
4. There is functionality of some of these tools that in my view can be positive. And I cannot find any fact that would indicate the opposite (I am not even talking about a solid proof). [see an example below]
5. What information is actually being collected by the companies behind the apps is still unknown but just suspected.


Personally, - I do not need Battery Doctor. But there is functionality of CleanMaster (and I have an old one, 4.0.1) that I find useful, and hasn't been really contested (see 4. above): cache cleaning and removal of various temporary files (image previews, etc.). Android (at least 4.x version that I've seen) does not do much of "housekeeping" work of that type, and doesn't offer any convenient way. (Yes, you can clean the cache by rebooting and going through the recovery, but is it really needed every time I need to update a behemoth app?
I am not 100% happy with CleanMaster, but I don't see anything better. I need it in order to be able to update large apps.
And I am open for suggestions. I only briefly looked at the SD Maid today. You wrote that it doesn't clean apps' cache? The help webpage says that it does (http://sdmaid.darken.eu/help/
Does it retain the list of which apps' cache should and shouldn't be cleaned?

I also found and considering "App Cache Cleaner - 1Tap Clean" by INFOLIFE LLC.


---------------------------

In case it would be helpful to some people here, here are just a few examples of typical logical fallacies and problems with the arguments used in the quoted forums:
1. Appeal to Authority (http://www.logicalfallacies.info/relevance/appeals/appeal-to-authority/).
E.g. "Android developers know better" -- We've seen quite a few examples on this forum, that sometimes it is quite the opposite. Besides, even if Android developers did "The Right Thing (tm)" all the time, what manufacturers and service providers do on top of that can offset the efforts of the OS developers. Do Android developers do a complete regression testing with all flavors of the LockedWare?

2. Some statements suffer from the so-called survivorship bias (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias). Devices of the well qualified people conducting experiments are usually different from the "mass" devices: These devices are tuned, often working on a different ROM, or at least rooted; frequently high-specs devices. They are different from the run-of-the-mill, small-RAM, locked, unrooted devices with plenty of bloatware. So what is not any help for the former, could provide some relieve to the latter (albeit not the best one).

3. "The developers are from China". It is popular to make a scarecrow out of China and Chinese "hackers" these days. But the same sentiment could be used against "Russian hackers".

4.
Quote
DO NOT use any task killers, RAM memory optimizers/boosters, battery savers/repairers, cache cleaners, antivirus, etc etc. None of that stuff is necessary.
Blatantly dismissing everything (including antiviruses) is at least arrogant.
That reminds me how at some point some arrogant Mac users were saying that viruses cannot happen on Mac.

I just reread the forum from which I took that quote and realized that it was written by you, @crashdamage. Sorry, - but you are inconsistent: In the posting here, you wrote:
Quote
SD Maid is a far better, more effective cleaner...
Eh?

pyler

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #11 on: August 27, 2015, 11:22:28 am »
Settings - Storage - click on Cache. Now you can delete cache.
Do you want to use the latest AquaMail version?
Try AquaMail Updater!

StR

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #12 on: August 27, 2015, 03:42:53 pm »
Settings - Storage - click on Cache. Now you can delete cache.

Thank you. I knew about that. But half an hour each time? That's impractical!

crashdamage

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #13 on: August 27, 2015, 06:50:20 pm »
Let's take this point by point...

@crashdamage:
I appreciate the links you provided, and I carefully read the material behind them, including some of the most representative materials linked from there.
My overall impression is that only very few posts actually contain information; most of the posts are just emotional bashing (and preaching to the quire). As one of the posters wrote (paraphrasing), science is not democracy: scientific truth is not decided by voting. And, unfortunately, quite a few posts are committing various logical fallacies (see below). However, the posts that provide supporting evidence indeed help making your own conclusion.
The things I accuse Cheetah Mobile of - and which they admit to some of in links provided (Note: I missed including a link which has the quotes admitting  some activities.  That link has been added.) - can and should generate an emotional response.  It ticks me off!  It ticked off others posting in the linked forum threads.  Of course there was emotional bashing! 

I refuse to feel guilty for getting angry about software which does a poor job at its intended purpose.  Kostya Vasilyev's post which opened this thread is a good example of a serious failure by Cleaner Master.  A simple Google search will find plenty of other examples.

I refuse to feel guilty for getting angry about software that surreptitiously collects user data and uploads that data to remote servers without the users knowledge.  It doesn't matter where the servers are located.  The location was not the point.  In this case it happens the developers and servers are in China and I gave that informtion.  If the servers were in Arizona, I would have said the same thing and but I probably would have added that there should be a law about such behavior in the U.S. 

You assume mistrust on my part because of nationality, because I mentioned that Cheetah mobile is Chinese.  But it seems you are making assumptions about me, apparently because I'm American.  Using your assumptions about me, I should be wary of using AquaMail because of its Russian origins and the history of the u.S. and Russia. 

Note that I consider AquaMail to be not only one of the best apps of any type for Android, but also one of the most trustworthy and secure.  I've made my feelings about AquaMail's security policies clear in this post and in another link provided in the post:

http://androidforums.com/index.php?posts/7052096

To me, the fact that Kostya Vasilyev is Russian is neither a positive nor a negative, it just is.  Good, honest software might come from anywhere.  So might bad, dishonest software.  I have no grudge against Chinese developers per se, just sloppy or dishonest ones from anywhere.

I'm sure Mr. Vasilyev does not mistrust me simply because I'm American.  But I'm also sure that the fact I'm American wouldn't stop him from calling me out for inappropriate posts or incorrect information. I

Quote
Here is my summary of my personal conclusions on the subject [at this point]:
1. None (most?) of the task killers, battery savers should be trusted blindly.
(I have known this before. This is just a common sense.)
Agreed.

Quote
2. Many (most?) of the things that [most of] these apps claim they do is not what is reasonable for most (many?) devices.
Agreed.

Quote
3. The side effects of these actions (in 2. above) can occasionally look or sometimes even be positive (albeit, it is not the best or the most elegant solution).
Side effects?  Such as?  Are you saying there are sometimes fortuitous 'accidents' from using lousy software written with disregard to how Android functions?  Such as task killers, RAM optimizers, cache cleaners, battery savers', etc.

Quote
4. There is functionality of some of these tools that in my view can be positive. And I cannot find any fact that would indicate the opposite (I am not even talking about a solid proof). [see an example below]
What useful functionality is there in any of the software groups I listed above?  You may want to read through this thread before answering.  You may have seen it, but look again before you reply.  This single thread contains plenty of bashing, yes, but also a lot of factual information.

http://androidforums.com/index.php?posts/6857986

Quote
5. What information is actually being collected by the companies behind the apps is still unknown but just suspected.
What matters is that information is sent back at all.  Exactly what and how much information is sent only defines the severity of the offense.

Quote
Personally, - I do not need Battery Doctor. But there is functionality of CleanMaster (and I have an old one, 4.0.1) that I find useful, and hasn't been really contested (see 4. above):
???  See Kostya's opening post.  Do a Google search.  It has been contested plenty.

Quote
cache cleaning and removal of various temporary files (image previews, etc.). Android (at least 4.x version that I've seen) does not do much of "housekeeping" work of that type, and doesn't offer any convenient way. (Yes, you can clean the cache by rebooting and going through the recovery, but is it really needed every time I need to update a behemoth app?
Cache cleaning is rarely needed.  As I've stated many times, cache files are there for a reason, to speed up the system.  Best performance is achieved by leaving cache files alone to do their job.  Deleting cache files only wastes power and CPU cycles rebuilding them.  That cache files become 'corrupted' is a mostly a myth.  Clearing caches does have it's place but it's rare that we actually need to go there.  Some simple research on cache files will back that statement up.  Feel free to do so.  Not my job to do it for you.

Quote
I am not 100% happy with CleanMaster, but I don't see anything better. I need it in order to be able to update large apps.
And I am open for suggestions. I only briefly looked at the SD Maid today. You wrote that it doesn't clean apps' cache? The help webpage says that it does (http://sdmaid.darken.eu/help/[/url
Does it retain the list of which apps' cache should and shouldn't be cleaned?
I also found and considering "App Cache Cleaner - 1Tap Clean" by INFOLIFE LLC
SD Maid offers an option to clear cache files and to select only certain caches for deletion.
It keeps a record of files modified over a specified timeframe. 
SD Maid offers far better granulation than Clean Master.  You can choose exatly what you want SD Maid to do.  It is a powerful set of tools.  Such tools should be configurable and selectable.  It will do only what you tell it to do and has a liimited scope of operation, as it should.  It does not run in the background, only when used. 

Clean Master and other Cheetah Mobile software does run in the background and is notorious for throwing up nag ads and scary-sounding false alarms.  Another problem with Clean Master is that it tries to be a Swiss Army knife of Android fixit software.  Antivirus, cleaner, RAM optimizer, battery saver, etc etc - you name a problem and Clean master claims to fix it.  This pretty much insures it may try a lot of things but do nothing well. 
You said it yourself: "2. Many (most?) of the things that [most of] these apps claim they do is not what is reasonable for most (many?) devices."

Quote
In case it would be helpful to some people here, here are just a few examples of typical logical fallacies and problems with the arguments used in the quoted forums:
1. Appeal to Authority (http://www.logicalfallacies.info/relevance/appeals/appeal-to-authority/).
E.g. "Android developers know better" -- We've seen quite a few examples on this forum, that sometimes it is quite the opposite. Besides, even if Android developers did "The Right Thing (tm)" all the time, what manufacturers and service providers do on top of that can offset the efforts of the OS developers. Do Android developers do a complete regression testing with all flavors of the LockedWare?
Developers are human.  They make mistakes.  People have opinions.  I don't understand why you incluuded this.  Is your point that we should only listen to absolute, definitive experts on a given subject, disregarding all others?  And how and who decides who those definitive experts are?

Quote
2. Some statements suffer from the so-called survivorship bias (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias). Devices of the well qualified people conducting experiments are usually different from the "mass" devices: These devices are tuned, often working on a different ROM, or at least rooted; frequently high-specs devices. They are different from the run-of-the-mill, small-RAM, locked, unrooted devices with plenty of bloatware. So what is not any help for the former, could provide some relieve to the latter (albeit not the best one).
This has nothing to do with anything in this thread as far as I can tell.  Let me know if I'm wrong.

Quote
3. "The developers are from China". It is popular to make a scarecrow out of China and Chinese "hackers" these days. But the same sentiment could be used against "Russian hackers".
I addressed this earlier.

Quote
4.
Quote
DO NOT use any task killers, RAM memory optimizers/boosters, battery savers/repairers, cache cleaners, antivirus, etc etc. None of that stuff is necessary.
Blatantly dismissing everything (including antiviruses) is at least arrogant.
That reminds me how at some point some arrogant Mac users were saying that viruses cannot happen on Mac.
Think what you like, but I challenge you to show that to be basically incorrect.  Oh, arguements can always be made, and believers will point out there's special circumstances like when a process is running amok and must be killed, or a systen upgrade benefits from clearing the cache partition, which is true.  But as a general rule of thumb, the statement holds up.  None of such apps is really necessary and their use is often counterproductive or worse.  Read the information in the links.

Quote
I just reread the forum from which I took that quote and realized that it was written by you, @crashdamage. Sorry, - but you are inconsistent: In the posting here, you wrote:
Quote
SD Maid is a far better, more effective cleaner...
Eh?
Some of it was by me.  Most of the linked information was not.  I basically just tried to bring information together.  Couldn't resist adding my opinions of course, same as you are adding yours.
SD Maid IS a far better piece of software.  Honest and effective at what it is designed to do.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2015, 07:16:20 pm by crashdamage »
Android since v1.0.  Linux since 2001.

StR

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Re: Clean Master deletes Aqua's inline images (in signatures, for example)
« Reply #14 on: August 28, 2015, 05:36:04 am »
@crashdamage:
I am not going to go into a lengthy discussion about Clean Master and other mentioned apps here. This is a wrong venue for that, IMHO.
My original intent was to provide a more balanced evaluation of those apps. So, that people who read your (emotionally charged) post can have non-binary (as in 0|1, black|white) look at the issue.

So, with this followup message, I only want to clarify a few points.

First, - all my comments that were not explicitly referring to you by the username were not about you. Those were about all different people in different forums referenced by you and therein. I see that you took them upon yourself. It was not my intent. More over, I didn't even care who wrote particular statements/posts, - I evaluated them on the merit of the arguments without any relation to whoever wrote them.

The only exception was the very last paragraph where I referred to you specifically. - It was only when I finished my posting and was rereading it before submitting that realized that the second to the last quote was yours. That's when I noticed the apparent self-contradiction between your two statements and pointed it out.

And again,
@crashdamage:
I appreciate the [compilation of the] links you provided ...


Quote
3. The side effects of these actions (in 2. above) can occasionally look or sometimes even be positive (albeit, it is not the best or the most elegant solution).
Side effects?  Such as?  Are you saying there are sometimes fortuitous 'accidents' from using lousy software written with disregard to how Android functions?  Such as task killers, RAM optimizers, cache cleaners, battery savers', etc.

Here is an example of what I mean by a side effect.
While Clean Master claims that it frees RAM (which in most cases doesn't make sense to do), it actually kills some apps. By doing that, it frees the CPU in case one or more apps (running in the background) is in the state where it is unnecessarily consuming CPU cycles, slowing down, and it does it before Android own tools get to do that. So, that does feel as a quick relieve from the sluggishness.
It is quite possible that if the user waited for a bit longer, Android would have taken care of it itself, but then, (and because the system is not tuned for the arbitrary combination of the resources and apps installed) in the mean time, you'd have to suffer. So, the relief can be helpful even if it is not an elegant behavior.
It is similar to how I sometimes have to kill Firefox or Thunderbird on my Windows system when it accumulates something (memory leaks?) and becomes non-responsive. Yes, I have to restart it (and FF is nice about restoring the windows), but then it runs much faster.

Unfortunately, so far, I haven't found an easily accessible analog of Task Manager in Windows or ps + kill in Unix to use on a non-rooted Android.


Quote
4. There is functionality of some of these tools that in my view can be positive. And I cannot find any fact that would indicate the opposite (I am not even talking about a solid proof). [see an example below]
What useful functionality is there in any of the software groups I listed above?  You may want to read through this thread before answering.  You may have seen it, but look again before you reply.  This single thread contains plenty of bashing, yes, but also a lot of factual information.

http://androidforums.com/index.php?posts/6857986
I had read this very carefully, possibly with even more attention to detail then you did.
The specific example is the cache cleaning that I discuss below.

Quote
Personally, - I do not need Battery Doctor. But there is functionality of CleanMaster (and I have an old one, 4.0.1) that I find useful, and hasn't been really contested (see 4. above):
???  See Kostya's opening post.  Do a Google search.  It has been contested plenty.

Quote
cache cleaning and removal of various temporary files (image previews, etc.). Android (at least 4.x version that I've seen) does not do much of "housekeeping" work of that type, and doesn't offer any convenient way. (Yes, you can clean the cache by rebooting and going through the recovery, but is it really needed every time I need to update a behemoth app?
Cache cleaning is rarely needed.  As I've stated many times, cache files are there for a reason, to speed up the system.  Best performance is achieved by leaving cache files alone to do their job.  Deleting cache files only wastes power and CPU cycles rebuilding them.  That cache files become 'corrupted' is a mostly a myth.  Clearing caches does have it's place but it's rare that we actually need to go there.  Some simple research on cache files will back that statement up.  Feel free to do so.  Not my job to do it for you.

You are changing the focus. Nobody says that the cache is not useful.
But there are situations when you'd benefit from cleaning it nevertheless.

Let me describe it in a different way:
You don't have any fact that demonstrates that cleaning cache in judiciously chosen apps does any harm.
Yes, it removes the benefit of the cache that allows speeding up of the process initial response (start-up). But that's it.

But cleaning cache gives a benefit of freeing up enough space (often as much as 50-100 MB!) to update behemoth apps on a non-rooted device with a relatively small internal storage.
If I don't have enough space to update an app, those extra CPU cycles aren't going to save me.

And it is not "rarely needed", as you wrote above. Some apps (TripAdvisor, my bank's, one of the airline's) do not allow me to use un-updated app (the behavior with which I do not agree in most cases), and they have frequent updates: TripAdvisor has them every two weeks.
You don't need it, - that's fine. But claiming that cleaning cache is universally useless, and even evil, -- is WRONG!


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5. What information is actually being collected by the companies behind the apps is still unknown but just suspected.
What matters is that information is sent back at all.  Exactly what and how much information is sent only defines the severity of the offense.
While I would agree with you from the philosophical point of view, the reality we live in is different. That is very unfortunate, and I disagree with that, but we cannot overcome it completely.   If you don't want any information collected, disconnect from the internet, cut your credit cards, stop using all store discount cards. Basically, - go Amish way.

Google, your phone service provider (VZW, AT&T, ...) - all collect and send information about you. Have you stopped using them?

So, there is a fine line that everybody chooses for her-/him-self. For me, that should be an educated decision based on the information, not emotions or fads.


SD Maid offers an option to clear cache files and to select only certain caches for deletion. ...
You can choose exatly what you want SD Maid to do.
...
 It does not run in the background, only when used.

From Google Play for SD Maid:
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This app has access to:
<...>
Other
    run at startup
Isn't that running in the background? It starts before I even need it. That's not what I'd like. Is there an option in the app to disable autorun on startup?

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    view network connections
    full network access
Why a cleaning app needs access to network?
The answer is simple: for downloading ads and/or sending its data "back home".
How do you know it doesn't do the latter?

Clean Master and other Cheetah Mobile software  <...> is notorious for throwing up nag ads and scary-sounding false alarms.
I've read about it, but the version on my phone doesn't do that.



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In case it would be helpful to some people here, here are just a few examples of typical logical fallacies and problems with the arguments used in the quoted forums:
1. Appeal to Authority (http://www.logicalfallacies.info/relevance/appeals/appeal-to-authority/).
E.g. "Android developers know better" -- We've seen quite a few examples on this forum, that sometimes it is quite the opposite. Besides, even if Android developers did "The Right Thing (tm)" all the time, what manufacturers and service providers do on top of that can offset the efforts of the OS developers. Do Android developers do a complete regression testing with all flavors of the LockedWare?
Developers are human.  They make mistakes.  People have opinions.  I don't understand why you incluuded this.  Is your point that we should only listen to absolute, definitive experts on a given subject, disregarding all others?  And how and who decides who those definitive experts are?
No, my point is that saying that Android developers are the only experts, and they've achieved a system that is working correctly on all possible devices, and that nobody can improve anything on top of that, -- is a wrong argument.
No more, no less.

This type of a logical fallacy called an "Appeal to Authority" (see the link to the website on logical fallacies provided above).



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2. Some statements suffer from the so-called survivorship bias (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias). Devices of the well qualified people conducting experiments are usually different from the "mass" devices: These devices are tuned, often working on a different ROM, or at least rooted; frequently high-specs devices. They are different from the run-of-the-mill, small-RAM, locked, unrooted devices with plenty of bloatware. So what is not any help for the former, could provide some relieve to the latter (albeit not the best one).
This has nothing to do with anything in this thread as far as I can tell.  Let me know if I'm wrong.
Again, I am talking about ALL the threads on android forums referenced by you and some referenced therein.



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4.
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DO NOT use any task killers, RAM memory optimizers/boosters, battery savers/repairers, cache cleaners, antivirus, etc etc. None of that stuff is necessary.
<..>
I just reread the forum from which I took that quote and realized that it was written by you, @crashdamage. Sorry, - but you are inconsistent: In the posting here, you wrote:
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SD Maid is a far better, more effective cleaner...
Eh?
Some of it was by me.  Most of the linked information was not.  I basically just tried to bring information together.  Couldn't resist adding my opinions of course, same as you are adding yours.
SD Maid IS a far better piece of software.  Honest and effective at what it is designed to do.

Both statements were yours: The absolute and non-negotiable "DO NOT use any task killers, ... cleaners ..." and  "... SD Maid is a far better, more effective cleaner". You don't see the internal contradiction?



Alright, I've learned what I could on the subject (unless additional facts are provided). Other forum readers can make their choices for themselves the way they want - rational, emotional, or even irrational. That's a personal choice.