A deep scan on an Android phone is a comprehensive scan of the device’s storage that thoroughly searches for deleted files, malware, and other issues. It digs deeper than a typical quick scan to recover more lost data and identify potential problems.
Doing a periodic deep scan can provide several benefits:
- Find and restore accidentally deleted photos, videos, documents, and other files (https://dumpsterapp.mobi/faq/benefits-of-deep-scan-recovery/index.html)
- Check for and remove harmful malware and spyware that a quick scan may miss
- Free up storage space by deleting unnecessary cached and temporary files
- Improve device performance by clearing clutter and fixing file system errors
- Better protect your personal data and privacy
Overall, a deep scan is a useful maintenance task to optimize your Android phone and ensure it is running safely and efficiently.
When to Do a Deep Scan
It’s recommended to do a deep scan on your Android device in a few situations:
After installing a lot of new apps recently. A deep scan will help check for any malware or suspicious activity from new apps. According to this Quora post, a quick scan just skims the surface, while a deep scan is more thorough.
Noticing slower performance or battery drain issues. A deep scan can help identify any problematic apps or files taking up resources. As mentioned on FonePaw’s website, a deep scan takes more time but is better at uncovering performance issues.
After removing a lot of apps or files. Doing a deep scan afterwards can help free up more storage space by finding leftover junk files.
If you suspect a security breach or malware infection. A quick scan may miss hidden or buried threats that a deep scan would detect.
Overall, a deep scan helps provide a fuller picture of potential issues or unwanted content on your device.
Checking for Security Threats
One of the main reasons to do a deep scan on an Android phone is to check for security threats like malware, spyware, adware, ransomware, and other malicious apps or files. A quick scan may not detect more sophisticated or hidden threats that a deep scan can uncover. As Android Authority notes, Google Play Protect offers a simple way to initiate a deep scan on Android phones:
Launch the Settings app. Go into Security & privacy. Tap on App security. Hit Google Play Protect. Select Scan. When done, the feature will let you know if your phone is secure or if it detected something malicious.
A deep scan digs deeper into your files, apps, processes, and system areas to identify anything suspicious. It can take longer than a quick scan, but is more thorough. Deep scans by security apps also update their malware definitions to catch the latest threats. Doing periodic deep scans provides peace of mind that your Android phone is free of malware, spyware, viruses, and other dangerous apps or files.
Freeing Up Storage Space
One of the benefits of performing a deep scan is that it can help free up storage space on your Android device. Over time, cached data, residual files, and other unnecessary content can build up and take up precious storage capacity. A deep scan thoroughly searches the entire file system and clears out these space-hogging files.
When you run a deep scan, it will comb through areas that a quick or normal scan does not check. This includes cached app data, browser caches, download folders, thumbnails, logs, residual files from uninstalled apps, and more. Deleting this unused content can potentially recover gigabytes of storage on your device.
For example, the Android operating system generates thumbnail previews of images and videos. While useful for quick browsing, these thumbnails can accumulate over time and use up storage unnecessarily. A deep scan identifies and removes these redundant image files to recover space.
Deep scanning also checks system files and cleanup areas that are inaccessible to the user. This allows it to clear content you wouldn’t be able to manually delete yourself through the phone’s settings. So if you are running out of storage, performing a periodic deep scan can help reclaim capacity and ensure your device runs smoothly.
Improving Performance
Doing a deep scan can help free up system resources and improve your Android phone’s performance by closing unused processes and apps running in the background. Over time, these background processes can accumulate and slow down your phone by consuming RAM, CPU, and battery resources [1]. A deep scan identifies and shuts down any unnecessary services and processes, releasing that RAM and processing power back to the system. This can make your phone feel faster and more responsive as more resources are available for the apps and services you actively use.
Some examples of processes that can be closed during a deep scan include:
- Cached app data from apps you haven’t used recently
- Background syncing and notifications for unused apps
- Unused widgets and live wallpapers
- Cached advertising data
- Temporary usage files and caches
By cleaning this type of background clutter, deep scans minimize the load on your phone’s CPU and memory. This enables your device to run faster for an improved overall user experience.
Using Device Care
Many Samsung devices come with a built-in utility called Device Care that can run deep scans to check for security threats, optimize device performance, and free up storage space. Here is how to run a deep scan using Device Care on a Samsung Android device:
Open the Device Care app which is usually located in the Samsung folder in your apps drawer. You can also access it through Settings > Battery and device care.
Tap the “Scan phone” button. This will initiate a deep scan of your entire device.
The app will first analyze your battery usage, storage, and memory. Then it will scan for malware, viruses, and security threats. This process can take several minutes.
Once completed, you will get a report showing the results of the scan. It will highlight any detected issues and provide options to optimize your device.
Device Care’s deep scan checks system files, apps, and user data for anything suspicious. It can help remove harmful apps or files and identify what may be impacting your phone’s performance. Running deep scans regularly helps keep your Samsung device safe and running smoothly.
You can customize Device Care’s scanning features and schedule regular automatic scans. Deep scanning with Device Care is an easy way to give your Samsung device a checkup.
Using Files by Google
The Files by Google app includes a useful scanning feature that can help free up storage space on your Android device by identifying large, unimportant files that can be deleted. Here’s how to run a deep scan using Files by Google:
Open the Files app and tap on the “Cleaning” tab at the bottom. Next, tap on “Deep clean” to start the scanning process. Files will analyze images, videos, audio files, and documents stored on your device. It may take several minutes for the scan to complete.
Once finished, Files will show you recommendations of files to delete, sorted by category. Review the suggestions and select any files you want to remove. Tap “Free up space” to delete the selected items. Files by Google also has a “Duplicates” section that can identify any duplicate photos, videos or documents to clear.
In addition to cleaning up files, running a deep scan in Files by Google helps improve device performance and security by removing clutter and unused apps. The scanning feature is available on Android 6.0 and above. Make sure Files is updated to the latest version to use the Deep clean tool.
For more details, check out Google’s blog post announcing the feature: https://mashable.com/article/google-files-scanner-tool-update-3-new-features
Using Antivirus Apps
One easy way to perform a deep scan on your Android device is by using a dedicated antivirus app. There are several good free options available on Google Play, such as AVG Antivirus, Avast Mobile Security, and Bitdefender Antivirus.
To run a deep scan using one of these apps, first download and install it on your Android device. Once installed, open the antivirus app and look for the option to run a full or deep scan. This is often found in the app’s settings or tools section.
Initiate the deep scan and let the app thoroughly analyze your device for any malware, viruses, or other security threats. This process can take 10-30 minutes depending on your device and how much data is stored. The antivirus will notify you if any issues are discovered during the deep scan.
Setting the antivirus app to automatically run periodic deep scans is a good way to regularly check your Android for any developing issues. Just adjust the app’s scan schedule settings to enable recurring deep scans as needed.
Automating Deep Scans
To maintain your device’s health and security, it is recommended to set up periodic deep scans. Many antivirus and security apps for Android allow you to schedule automatic scans on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
For example, in the Malwarebytes app you can enable scheduled scans and choose the frequency, scan type, and time under Settings > Scanning. According to Malwarebytes support, “Scheduled scans run automatically in the background when the device is idle, charging, and connected to unmetered WiFi.”
Similarly, Avast Mobile Security allows you to schedule regular scans under Scan Center. As per Avast’s instructions, you can tap “Automatically scan for threats” and ensure the slider at the bottom of the screen is On to schedule scans.1
With ESET Mobile Security, scheduled scans can be enabled by tapping the toggle next to “Scheduled scan” and customizing the frequency and type of scan.
Automating deep scans ensures your device gets regular maintenance checks even if you forget. Just make sure to connect to power and WiFi for the scans to run automatically.
Additional Tips
Here are some other useful tips related to deep scanning your Android device:
Check your storage settings and clear cache files first, as this can free up space without needing to delete photos or apps (source: Deep Recovery from Device (Android) – DroidKit).
Before doing a deep scan, back up important files and data in case anything gets accidentally deleted during the process (source: Best Alternative to Disk Drill for Android Data Recovery).
For maximum effectiveness, do deep scans when your device is stable and not running other resource-intensive processes.
Disable battery optimization for security and antivirus apps so deep scans can run uninterrupted.
Schedule periodic deep scans to catch issues early before they impact performance.
After finishing a deep scan, restart your device to clear memory and allow changes to take effect.
Always install app and security updates promptly, as they often include optimizations and fixes that complement deep scanning.