How to clear a Folder (e.g. Downloads) automatically on a regular/scheduled basis?

Question

There is a folder on an Android phone that continually fills with junk.

Instead of clearing that folder manually on a regular basis, how can I setup up a way to have that folder be automatically cleared (e.g. all its contents deleted) on a regular basis (e.g. daily) to free up space?

Or is there a (free) App that does that?

It's a very simple task, but I can't seem to find a way or an App that allows one to select a specific folder (e.g. other than cache) and have it automatically clear that specific folder on a regular basis set by the user.

Answer 1

MacroDroid (free up to five macros) can do the job.

The macro would be:

• Trigger: Day/Time Trigger → select all the days and choose the time for trigger activation

• Action: File Operation → Delete → select the folder that needs to be cleared → All Files

  Edit: { There is a catch here. Unless the device is rooted, only the files at the top-level would be deleted i.e. the deletion wouldn't be recursive so any sub-directory would remain untouched.

  The only option I found to nuke recursively is to delete the top-level folder itself. So instead of choosing All Files select Folder. }

• Constraint: none

Done!

---

I prefer to use Tasker (paid; 7 day free trial) though.

• Profile: Time

  • From: choose the time for trigger
  • Repeat: 24 Hours
  • To: uncheck it

• Task: File

  • Delete Directory: choose or enter the directory's path
  • Select Recurse

  Alternatively, the action can be Code → Run Shell → Command: rm -rf <DIR_PATH>/*

  Replace <DIR_PATH> with the path of the directory, such as for DCIM folder under sdcard the whole command would be rm -rf /sdcard/DCIM/*

That should do the cleaning for every 24 hours.

Answer 2

Use free and open source software to ensure better privacy. I found Easer especially good. However, it does seem to require root permissions for this specific task.

1. Download the F-Droid store and then install Easer.

2. Once you have the app, open "Settings" from the app-drawer and tick "Use root features". Then go to "Settings" > "Activated skills" and make sure that "Run commands" and "Time" are ticked.

3. Now go to "Data" > "Event" and add a new "Time" event, specifying the time that you would like the files to be deleted.

4. Go to "Data" > "Profile" and add a new "Run commands" profile. Add the following to the command: rm -rf <DIR-PATH>/*

5. Go to "Data" > "Script" and add a script with the profile and event which were created above.

6. Go to "Outline" and press "Start" from the menu.

Voila, and enjoy!