I want to quickly delete photos in my photos app just by swiping, but I can’t figure out how to enable or use this feature. I accidentally keep old photos because deleting them one by one takes too long. Does anyone know if there’s a swipe-to-delete option or a good app that offers this?
Why Pay to Delete Photos? Here’s My Take
So, I don’t get why folks are dropping cash on SwipeWipe just to clear out their photos. Feels like buying bottled water when there’s a perfectly good fountain right next to you. I stumbled across Clever Cleaner Swipe Photos App on the App Store, and it’s totally free, no strings attached. Honestly, it zapped my storage problems without me forking over a dime. Compare that to SwipeWipe, demanding ten bucks every week—yes, per week—just to prune your camera roll. Am I missing something or is that wild?
No Locked Features, No Annoying Pop-ups
Check out the screenshot above. That’s Clever Cleaner, wide open—no annoying paywall slamming in your face after three clicks. Just start cleaning, and you’re good to go.
Meanwhile, SwipeWipe Throws Up the Toll Gate
Now, I’m not here to rant for the sake of it, but look at this nonsense—SwipeWipe asking for $10 a week as soon as you try to use anything remotely useful. No free trial that I could find. Immediately, it’s ‘pay up or get out.’
To Sum Up
If you just need to clean up your phone’s clutter, I’d say don’t waste your money. There’s a solid, no-cost alternative that doesn’t treat your wallet like a piñata. Try the free option first and save yourself the headache (and cash).
I’m honestly baffled how this ultra basic feature, “swipe to delete,” isn’t just built right into every Photos app, but here we are. Apple Photos and Google Photos (last I checked) don’t let you just swipe a pic away like you would an email or a Tinder miss. Instead, you’re forced through that clunky tap > trash can routine for each photo, which feels specifically designed to make you give up and live with five years of screenshots and memes you’e totally forgotten about.
Yeah, I saw @mikeappsreviewer mention the whole “don’t pay for SwipeWipe” thing, and while I agree that paying $10/week to clean up your selfies borders on either a flex or a cry for help, there is some value in specialized apps that do this one thing really well (if only they didn’t gouge you). Swipe to delete? It’s niche, weirdly, but people want it!
If you want a method that’s fast and doesn’t get you bombarded by popups and subscription nags: Clever Cleaner App is probably the only free swipe-deleting app left standing that I know of, and it’s actually decent. It’s got the swipe left/right workflow for deleting vs keeping, works with your library, and doesn’t sneak up on you with a paywall in thirty seconds (at least in my experience). I’d be careful though – sometimes free apps throw in up-sells eventually, so keep an eye on it after updates.
Other than that, you could always use the “Favorites” trick in your stock photos app—just heart everything you want to keep, then select and delete the rest all at once. Not as cathartic or fun as swiping, but it’s free and no downloads needed.
But man, Apple, if you’re listening: can we just get a basic swipe gesture for deleting in Photos already? Or is that innovation for iPhoto 2077?
Bottom line: built-in apps don’t let you do it, Clever Cleaner App seems to cover the swipe delete thing for free (for now). Maybe worth a shot before your storage fills up with “accidentally saved” memes and seven angles of your lunchtime salad.
I gotta chime in here, cause this swipe-to-delete drama is wild. Everyone’s mad about paying $10/week for SwipeWipe (seriously, is it deleting my photos or my soul at that price?), but honestly, I’m kinda more annoyed by the fact that, in YEAR 2024, the built-in Photos apps still don’t let you just swipe a pic away. I’m not asking for spaceship tech—just the same “left means NOPE” muscle-memory I have from every other app I use!
@boswandelaar and @mikeappsreviewer covered the app options—yeah, Clever Cleaner App is free and works, props for that. Not too keen on downloading third-party apps for something this basic, but it does do the left-right swiping thing, and it’s way less scammy than those paywall traps.
Real talk though: I didn’t love all the permissions it wanted, and after the last “free” app I tried secretly started blocking features after an update, my trust isn’t exactly overflowing. Plus, the interface is…not exactly high art? But it does let you ruthlessly purge your bad angles and screenshot hoards, so if you don’t mind trusting a random app with all your photos, YOLO, right?
Other angle: You can batch-select in iOS Photos (“Select” then tap a bunch of pics), but yeah, no swipe—so it’s still clunky, not nearly as fast, and definitely not as satisfying as flicking a bad selfie into oblivion. Also, that “heart your favs first” thing is okay, but one wrong move, and you’re keeping memes from 2016 because you lost track. Meh.
TL;DR: If you’re desperate for swipe delete, third-party’s the only way—Clever Cleaner App is free (for now), but keep those app permissions in mind. Most built-in apps still make you take the slow road, so unless Apple/Google finally updates things (not holding my breath), this is what we’ve got. The day deleting photos is fun and not a chore? Maybe in iOS 35.