How to clear cache on Android
Caches are bits of files and data that apps save on your phone for speedy performance. So the next time you open the app, the cached data is preloaded instead of re-downloading it.
But the problem with cached data is that it accumulates over time. And when cache data accumulates, your phone gets slower. Also, your internal memory gets filled up rapidly.
Here's why you need to clear your cached data
You save a lot of space when you clear the app cache for multiple apps on your phone, especially from social media apps.
Social media apps are most guilty of storing a lot of temporary files on your phone's storage. Their junk data often take up the most storage space in the system cache. Clearing your Facebook cache, Instagram cache, Twitter cache, and YouTube cache will save you a lot of space.
You'll also see a noticeable performance improvement in your phone when you clear your cache. Load times and app switching become faster. A corrupted app cache gets deleted and fresh app cache replaces the old one.
Steps to take to clear the cache of an Android device
Here is a quick and easy process to clear the cache on your Android phone.
Launch Settings on your phone
The first step to take is to launch the Settings app on your phone. You could launch Settings from your app drawer containing all your apps. The settings icon is a gear/cog icon.
You can also launch Settings by swiping down from the top of your screen and tapping on the Settings icon.
Tap on Apps in the Settings menu
Once the Settings menu opens, scroll down to see a sub-menu called Apps. Tap on the Apps sub-menu to see a list of all your apps.
Select an app from the list of installed apps
Select the particular app you want to clear its app cache. This will show you all the app info.
Tap Storage
Clear cache
This will delete all cache data for the app.
Alternatively, you can tap Clear data. Clearing app data save more storage space than clearing app cache alone. The clear data option also helps to reset extremely buggy and slow apps.
But be warned that this will delete app data and not just app cache alone. Also, some apps will require you to sign in again. You might also lose your in-game progression and saved games for certain mobile games. The Clear data option should primarily be used as a last resort. So, take your time and be sure of what you are doing before clearing data for any app.
The Android system will warn you when you tap the clear app data option.
Tap on OK to ignore the warning and proceed.
Whenever you reopen the app, a new set of app data will be recreated on your device storage. The newly stored data will almost always be smaller than the previous data files.
How to clear Android cache for older Android phones
Deleting all app cached data is very easy if you use an old Android phone (Android 7.0 and earlier). You can delete the cached data for all installed apps with just a few taps. You don't need to select apps one by one. The older versions of Android used to clear all app cache on your phone in one go.
First, you need to go to Settings. Afterward, tap Device, then Storage. Following that, tap Cached data. You will be asked to confirm that you want to delete cached data for all apps. Click on OK to confirm that, and you are done.
How to clear browser cache and browsing history for your Android browser
Android browsers store a lot of site data to load websites very quickly. But these site data get bulky and unnecessary as time goes on. When the browser cache builds up on your Android device, it causes a slow browsing experience.
Follow these steps to clear your Android phone's browsing data and browser cache. The steps below are for the Google Chrome app, as it is the most widely used mobile browser on Android.
Launch the Chrome browser on your Android phone.
Tap on the three vertical dots at the top right corner of the screen.
Tap on history on the menu that pops up.
Select Clear browsing data at the top of the screen.
Select a time range and deletion option
You can select between the last hour, 24 hours, 7 days, 4 weeks, and all-time data. You can untick whatever item that you do not wish to delete.
Tap Clear data.
That's all. You just deleted your browser cache and browsing data.
This method works perfectly for deleting the Google Chrome cache and browsing data. You'll need to use the first method for other apps.
FAQ
Yes, you should clear your Android cache after some months to save space and improve your phone's performance.
Go to your device's Settings, select Apps, tap the app of choice, select Storage, and then tap Clear cache.
Not anymore. But it was possible to clear the entire Android cache on old Android phones (Android 7.0 and older).
Yes, clearing Android cache data deletes some cached images and files from your phone. But the app downloads the files again whenever you need them.
Not really. When you clear cached data, your phone only deletes temporary files such as temporary pictures. So, important data like your personal pictures aren't deleted. Clearing app cache isn't the same as when you clear storage.
No, clearing cache does not delete passwords and any vital information stored on your phone. But when clearing browsing data, you have an option to delete saved passwords if you wish to.
No, clearing app cache does not delete messages on your Android phone.
Your phone becomes faster, and you get an increase in your storage space when you clear cache data for all your apps.
Read our article on How to clear cache on iPhone and why you should do it.
The post How to clear cache on Android appeared first on BGR.
Today's Top Deals
Trending Right Now:
- This new Netflix docuseries that premieres tomorrow is going to be so insane
- Major bread recall: 37 different breads were recalled – here’s the full list
- iPhone 14 leaks: Colorful new phone cases show off Apple’s redesign
How to clear cache on Android originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 6 Sep 2022 at 20:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.