A professional, production-quality, native iOS 17+ storage diagnostic utility and safe cleanup assistant built with SwiftUI, SwiftData, PhotoKit, and WidgetKit.
Explore Features • Apple Sandbox Compliance • Architecture • Duplicate Detection • Download IPA • Building • FAQ
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
"name": "Storage Detective",
"operatingSystem": "iOS 17+",
"applicationCategory": "UtilitiesApplication",
"offers": {
"@type": "Offer",
"price": "0.00",
"priceCurrency": "USD"
},
"description": "Production-grade native iOS storage analyzer and safe cleanup assistant. Uses public Apple APIs, PhotoKit zero-RAM inspection, local 64-bit dHash perceptual photo duplicate detection, and security-scoped folder scanning. 100% offline and privacy-first.",
"creator": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "vikrant-project"
}
}Most storage "cleaners" in the iOS ecosystem are predatory: they fabricate dramatic "system junk" meters, show fake cleaning animations, and claim to clear hidden cache categories that Apple's security sandbox prevents any third-party app from touching.
Storage Detective answers a real, honest question:
"What is actually taking up my storage, and what can I safely do about it within Apple's rules?"
Storage Detective provides legitimate, mathematically verified diagnostics using only Apple's official public APIs and user-authorized data:
- Accurate Hardware Capacity: Reads true volume capacity and real free space via Foundation
URLResourceValues. - Zero-RAM Media Diagnostics: Queries PhotoKit asset resource byte counts without pulling multi-gigabyte photos into memory.
- Local Perceptual Duplicate Finder: Fast 64-bit difference hashing (
dHash) identifies identical and near-duplicate photos on-device without cloud upload. - Security-Scoped Folder Traversal: Inspects files, downloads, and archives you explicitly choose via Document Picker.
- Non-Destructive Safe Cleanup: Every deletion requires two-step confirmation; photo deletions use iOS's native confirmation dialog and move items to "Recently Deleted".
In strict accordance with Apple's App Store Review Guidelines and security model, Storage Detective adheres to the following non-negotiable principles:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ APPLE SANDBOX BOUNDARIES │
├───────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ❌ WHAT THIRD-PARTY APPS CANNOT DO │ ✅ WHAT STORAGE DETECTIVE DOES │
├───────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Access another app's private sandbox│ • Query device-wide total capacity │
│ • Inspect system storage caches │ • Query volume available free space│
│ • Clear other apps' internal data │ • Inspect user-authorized Photos │
│ • Automate or scrape iOS Settings │ • Scan user-selected folders/files │
│ • Fabricate "System Data" metrics │ • Perceptually cluster duplicates │
│ • Perform silent automated deletes │ • Require explicit 2-step deletion │
└───────────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────┘
Important
Strict Distinction: Storage Detective always separates Device Hardware Storage from Storage Analyzed by Storage Detective. Inaccessible system categories are honestly labeled: Not accessible to third-party apps.
- Concentric Storage Ring: Visually compares physical device storage usage against the fraction of data Storage Detective was authorized to analyze.
- Explainable Storage Health Score (0–100): Deterministic, documented scoring based on duplicate accumulation, massive video files, dormant downloads, and recent maintenance. Includes an itemized "Why this score?" breakdown.
- Direct Resource Sizing: Inspects
PHAssetResourcemetadata directly for true byte sizes. - Large Video Finder: Identifies clips exceeding 100 MB, 500 MB, and 1 GB with duration, resolution, and thumbnail preview.
- Screenshot Organizer: Chronologically groups transient screenshots with bulk review.
- Limited Access Friendly: Seamlessly respects Apple's Limited Photos Library authorization tier.
-
64-bit Difference Hashing: Fast, local perceptual fingerprinting. Scales thumbnails to
$9 \times 8$ grayscale and tracks pixel gradient directions. -
Hamming Distance Clustering:
- Distance = 0: Exact match.
- Distance
$\le 4$ : High perceptual similarity. - Distance
$\le 8$ : Similar composition.
- Suggested Keepers: Automatically suggests keeping the highest resolution or favorited photo, while never deleting without explicit user selection.
- Security-Scoped File Enumerator: Recursively audits directories (e.g., Downloads, iCloud Drive, project folders) chosen via Document Picker.
- Uniform Type Identifiers (
UTType): Classifies contents into Videos, Photos, Documents, Archives, Audio, and Other. - Large & Dormant File Discovery: Filters by size (>10 MB to >1 GB) and age (>30 days to >1 year).
- Two-Step Verification: Displays exact file counts, filenames, and byte sum before any destructive action.
- Native PhotoKit Confirmation: Photo deletions trigger iOS's system prompt and move items to "Recently Deleted" for 30-day safety.
- Audit Logging: Every completed cleanup records an immutable on-device audit entry.
- Apple Charts Integration: Displays analyzed storage trends over time.
- Reclaimed Space Tracker: Tracks total cumulative bytes freed through authorized cleanups.
- LocalAuthentication: Optional Face ID, Touch ID, or Passcode lock.
- 1-Tap Data Wipe: Instantly purge all locally cached snapshots and history.
- Export verified diagnostic audit reports in Markdown (PDF-ready), JSON, and CSV through iOS
ShareLink.
- Small and Medium Home Screen widgets monitoring analyzed footprint, score, and potential cleanup opportunities.
StorageDetective/
├── StorageDetective.xcodeproj/ # Pure native Xcode project & schemes
├── App/
│ ├── StorageDetectiveApp.swift # 6-tab SwiftUI NavigationStack lifecycle
│ ├── AppEnvironment.swift # Reactive state manager (@Observable / Combine)
│ ├── Info.plist # Privacy usage strings (Photos, Face ID)
│ └── StorageDetective.entitlements
├── Core/
│ ├── Models/ # Snapshot, PhotoAssetItem, DuplicateGroup, Finding
│ ├── Services/ # SystemStorageService, PhotoLibraryService, dHash, Cleanup
│ ├── Storage/ # Atomic local history repository
│ ├── Diagnostics/ # StorageScoreCalculator (0-100 deterministic)
│ └── Utilities/ # ByteFormatter, Date extensions, FileTypeClassifier
├── Components/ # StorageRing, MetricCard, FileRow, Thumbnail, SafeConfirmation
├── Features/
│ ├── Dashboard/ # Overview, ring gauge, score breakdown, quick actions
│ ├── Analyze/ # Progress-tracked photo and folder scans
│ ├── Photos/ # Media browser, duplicate review, screenshots
│ ├── Files/ # Large file finder, dormant files, type explorer
│ ├── Cleanup/ # Safe Cleanup Center and success summaries
│ ├── History/ # Swift Charts trend analysis and audit log
│ ├── Reports/ # Markdown/JSON/CSV report generator
│ ├── Settings/ # Theme, Face ID lock, Privacy Center
│ └── Onboarding/ # 4-step transparency onboarding flow
├── Widgets/ # WidgetKit Small & Medium Home Screen widgets
└── Resources/ # Assets.xcassets (AppIcon, AccentColor), LaunchScreen
Pre-compiled production-ready IPAs are built via automated GitHub Actions on Apple Silicon macOS runners:
| Release | Package | Architecture | Direct Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| v1.0.0 (Latest) | StorageDetective.ipa |
arm64 (iOS 17.0+) |
Download v1.0.0 IPA |
- AltStore / AltServer: Sideload directly onto physical iPhone/iPad.
- Sideloadly: Drag-and-drop installation with free Apple ID.
- TrollStore: Direct installation on supported iOS versions.
- Apple Configurator: Deploy to supervised organization devices.
- Mac running macOS Sonoma 14.0 or later
- Xcode 15.0 or later
- iOS 17.0+ iPhone or iPad Simulator / Device
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/vikrant-project/Storage-Detective.git
cd Storage-Detective
# Open in Xcode
open StorageDetective.xcodeproj
# Build via CLI
xcodebuild build \
-project StorageDetective.xcodeproj \
-scheme StorageDetective \
-destination 'generic/platform=iOS' \
-configuration ReleaseFor detailed signing and archiving guides, see BUILDING.md.
| Feature / Behavior | Typical App Store "Cleaners" | Storage Detective |
|---|---|---|
| Storage Numbers Source | Fabricated / Fake animations | Apple public Foundation APIs |
| Photo Library Inspection | Slow / Crashes on large libraries | Zero-RAM PHAssetResource sizing |
| Duplicate Detection | Uploads thumbnails to server | 100% on-device 64-bit dHash |
| System Cache Clearing | Claims to clear; impossible | Transparently explains sandbox limits |
| Deletion Model | Risky 1-tap "CLEAN ALL" | 2-step verification; user in control |
| Account Required | Demands email / subscription | No account, no login, zero tracking |
| Network Traffic | Heavy telemetry & ad SDKs | 100% offline; zero analytics |
Why can't Storage Detective clean "System Data" or other apps' caches?
iOS enforces strict application sandboxing. No third-party application has permission to inspect or modify another application's private container or Apple's internal system accounting database. Any app claiming to "clean system memory" or "wipe app caches" is misleading users. Storage Detective honestly explains what is and isn't accessible.
Are my photos or files uploaded to any cloud server?
Never. Storage Detective is 100% offline-first. Perceptual image fingerprinting, metadata analysis, and storage score calculations happen exclusively on your device's processor.
What happens when I delete duplicate photos?
Storage Detective uses Apple's official PhotoKit deletion API. iOS presents its native system confirmation alert. Deleted items are moved to your "Recently Deleted" album, where they can be recovered for up to 30 days.
How is the Storage Detective Score calculated?
The score starts at 100 and applies transparent deductions for duplicate media volume, massive individual files (>100MB), and dormant files older than 180 days. A bonus is awarded for completed cleanups. You can view the full factor breakdown by tapping the score on the Dashboard.
#ios #swift #swiftui #storage-analyzer #iphone-storage #storage-cleaner #storage-detective #photokit #duplicate-photos #duplicate-detection #perceptual-hashing #dhash #swift-charts #widgetkit #apple-sandbox #privacy-first #offline-first #ios17 #ios-utility #apple-developer #open-source-ios
Storage Detective is released under the MIT License.
Copyright (c) 2026 vikrant-project.