Clean File Manager for Android review

I have always unlocked, rooted and tired out custom software on my devices. That all changed when I got my Nexus 4 though. This has had quite an effect on the apps I use, have installed and purchased in the past. Root enabled apps are no longer required and I’m undertaking a mini quest of sorts, to use only holo themed apps.

Root Explorer has been my file manager of choice, basically since I can remember. But when I had no need for a root enabled file manager anymore, and its design had stayed the same for as long as I could remember, I thought I’d venture to see what new file managers were out there. I realise that I can use Root Explorer without root access, I just got a little tired of the way it looked.

I almost immediately found Clean File Manager (CFM), and I can’t actually see myself going back any time soon. Let me explain.

Design

Everything about this app looks and feels polished, clean and perfectly in tune with my holo OCD. This might seem trivial; however, even the app’s icon is slick, minimalist and stylish. This tells me that the team behind CFM takes pride in the way its work looks, another box checked.

Usability

The app is very simple to navigate and interact with. The bottom actions bar is perfectly implemented and contains everything I’ve need it to. One of the most convenient features for me is the “Quick Settings” tab which is easily revealed by selecting the “Tags” icon in the bottom left of the action bar, this brings up a menu from the left of screen with customisable shortcuts for your most used folder, handy.

Functionality

As I’ve said, I don’t need a root enabled file manager (although root functionality is planned for CFM as far as I can ascertain) so I merely need basic things. I need it to be able to unzip files, zip files, share files, preview music, pictures, rename folders, move files around, and perhaps to delete some unnecessary music or files. I’ve not been tripped up once while using CFM, the only thing I have noticed is that some images display a little pixelated, whereas others are perfect.

Officially listed features (according the Play Store entry)

• Holo Light and Holo Dark themes
• Intuitive left/right swiping to browse folders
• Explore your local file system, primary and secondary SD cards
• Multiple selection to operate on more than one file or folder
• Search and share files
• Application manager
• List view in the file and app explorer
• Custom bookmarks
• Optimized for both phone and tablet (HD) screens
• Support USB On-The-Go (tested on Samsung Galaxy Note II)
• Compress and extract support for Zip files
• Extract support for: Rar, Tar, Tar.gz, Tgz, Tar.bz2, Tbz
• Sorting options (per-folder sorting can be enabled from settings)
• Cut, copy, paste, delete, rename, move (for both files and folders)
• Create and delete folders (directories)
• Thumbnail for photos and application apk files
• Built-in image gallery (can be disabled from settings)

Verdict:

If you are looking for a simple, gorgeous and fully functional file manager for your Android device, I highly recommend CFM. I should tell you that by default it is ad-enabled, so you’ll see a little ad in the navigation windows. That ad can easily be removed by an in app purchase of US$1.99, and I highly recommend you do that as well. You can find more information on the app’s website, or download it from the Play Store.

Score: 9/10