What's different about deleting photos on Android
Since Android 11, a regular app can't delete photos without asking: Android shows its own prompt and you confirm. Depending on how the app does it, deleted photos go to your gallery's trash, where they stay for 30 days in case you change your mind, or they're removed right away. It's worth knowing which one your app does.
If you back up to Google Photos, keep in mind that these apps work with the photos on your phone: the copy already in the cloud is managed from Google Photos.
What to look for before you pick one
- A chance to review before deleting. A built-in trash or a review at the end of each month saves you from mistakes when you're going fast.
- The real price. On Play, the listing shows the in-app purchase range: if it goes up to $40 or $50, expect weekly or pricey yearly plans. Look for a one-time purchase or a fair yearly plan.
- Ads. Google Play shows «Contains ads» under the app's name. In something you use in short bursts, an ad every few photos breaks the flow.
- Privacy. Check the listing's Data safety section: what the app collects and whether it shares it with third parties.
- Where to start. With thousands of photos it helps to go by month, by album or by a specific day, or by type of photo (screenshots, blurry, similar).
Quick comparison
| App | Review before deleting | Price on Google Play | Ads | US rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criba | Yes, built-in trash and undo | Free for 100 photos a day; Pro yearly or lifetime, no weekly plan | No | New |
| Swipewipe | Undo and a review at the end of each month | In-app purchases from $1.99 to $39.99 | Yes | 4.6 |
| Sponge | Not stated on the listing | One-time $3.49 | No | 4.7 |
| Slidebox | Undo and a review before applying | In-app purchases from $0.99 to $49.99 | No | 4.5 |
| Swipe & Delete | Undo | In-app purchases from $1.99 to $39.99 | Yes | 4.1 |
| Favvy | Review before deleting | In-app purchases from $5.99 to $59.99 | No | 3.6 |
The apps, one by one
Criba
Swipe right to keep, left to delete and up to mark a favorite. Discarded photos wait in a built-in trash where you can review and restore them; when you confirm, they go to your gallery's trash for 30 days. So you don't have to start with your oldest photo, you can go by month, on a calendar, on a map or by album, watch «On This Day» as stories, or jump to what Criba finds on your phone: documents and receipts, blurry, duplicate and similar photos. No accounts, no ads and no servers: the analysis happens on the device. Requires Android 11 or later.
Swipewipe
One of the most downloaded. It serves your photos month by month, with a review of what you keep and delete before you finish, and it has «On This Day», a widget and streaks. It has ads and in-app purchases.
Sponge
The best rated of the group and the only one with a low one-time price. It sorts by month or album, has a shuffle mode and lets you move photos to folders as you swipe. Its listing doesn't say whether you can review discarded photos before deleting them.
Slidebox
The veteran of the genre: one gesture deletes, favorites or files the photo into an album, so it's for organizing and not just deleting. You can undo and review the changes before applying them, and it supports SD cards.
Swipe & Delete
Simple and built around month by month: left to delete, right to keep, instant undo and progress for each month. It has ads.
Favvy
Besides swiping, it looks for duplicate, similar and blurry photos, and it has «On This Day» and a shuffle mode. It lets you review before deleting. Its plans go from $5.99 to $59.99.
What about without installing anything?
Google Photos and each brand's gallery app don't have a swipe mode, but they do let you select several photos by dragging your finger and search for screenshots. For a few photos that's enough; to go through years of photos, a swipe app is much faster. If you use an iPhone, see the swipe-to-delete photo apps for iPhone.
FAQ
What's the app that deletes photos like Tinder on Android?
There are several: Swipewipe, Sponge, Slidebox, Swipe & Delete, Favvy and Criba all work that way on Android. You swipe right to keep a photo and left to delete it.
Can I recover photos deleted with these apps?
It depends on the app. If it uses the system trash, like Criba, photos stay in your gallery's trash for 30 days. If it deletes them directly, Android asks you to confirm and there's no going back.
Is there a free one without ads?
Criba lets you go through 100 photos a day for free, with no ads and every feature. Sponge has no ads and costs $3.49 once. Swipewipe and Swipe & Delete are free but show ads.