Short answer: Cleanor is meant to surface photos for review before you remove them. It is not useful as a storage cleaner if it skips the review step, because the whole point is to help you make better deletion decisions rather than hide them.
When people ask whether a cleaner app deletes photos permanently, they are usually asking a broader question: will I get a clear chance to review what is being removed, or does the app behave like a blind bulk deletion tool? The safer answer depends on the review flow first.
What to check before removing anything
Make sure you understand which category you are reviewing: duplicates, similar photos, screenshots, or large videos.
Compare related items before confirming removal.
Treat the first cleanup pass as a review pass, not a speed run.
Keep anything unclear for later instead of forcing a decision under time pressure.
Why grouped review matters
Grouped review is what makes a cleaner app more trustworthy than chaotic manual scrolling. When duplicates and similar photos are shown together, it becomes easier to keep the best version and remove the low-value clutter. That is the workflow described on the Cleanor iPhone page.
What people usually ask next
Will I lose important photos? The risk drops when review stays visible and grouped before action.
Is manual cleanup safer? It can feel safer, but grouped review often reduces mistakes once the library is large.
What should I clean first? Start with clear duplicates, screenshots, and large videos before harder edge cases.
If your main concern is trust, read Is Cleanor Safe?. If your main concern is workflow, go to How Cleanor finds duplicate and similar photos.
The important safety question is not “does it delete?” It is “does it let me review clearly before I confirm removal?”