Over time, your Android device may start to slow down a bit. We have experienced this on a number of occasions and it can be very frustrating. Luckily, if you’re experiencing slow performance on your smartphone or tablet, you can take common steps to troubleshoot and sometimes fix the problem. Just restarting your device can solve a lot of problems.
Another popular way to boost performance or at least free up more storage space on Android phones is to clear cached data of apps. And clear Chrome cached data for websites you visit.
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Below, we’ll walk you through both processes, in no time at all. The hardest part is figuring out where to look — and this guide will show you exactly where to go.
As with any guide that teaches you how to do something on an Android device, the steps for you may be slightly different from what we outline below due to different device manufacturers and custom software running on Android. But the gist of the process covered here and this summary should be similar enough to get you, at least, pointing in the right direction. And, while we’re talking about this topic, here it is how to clear cache on iPhone if you are an Apple user.
How to clear app cached data
What you need: The only thing you need for this process is an Android device. Just remember that the Android version you’re using and the make/model of your device can dictate where the cached data settings are found.
The fastest way to see all installed apps on your Android phone or tablet is to open the Settings app and look through the main list for Warehouse; touch it. On the next screen, find and tap the icon application select. A phone number, such as Moto G 5G, ignore the Storage option and list Apps directly in the Settings app. If you’re having trouble finding the Apps list, use the search bar at the top of the Settings app to find it.
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When viewing the Apps list, to easily see which apps are using the most memory on your device, tap the three-dot icon in the top right corner and select Sort by size.
Select any application from the list. Note that we specified to select an app and not a system service, such as Android System Intelligence, as we received mixed results when clearing the app or system service cache. So we only recommend clearing the app’s cache.
When you open an app, you can see the app size, user data, cache size, and total space it takes up. At the top of the page, you’ll have two options: Clear storage and Clear cache.
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Click Clear cache to clear the cached cache for that app. Make sure not to tap Clear storage as that will reset the app and you’ll have to set it all up again. However, you can clear the cache without any negative consequences.
Keep going through the list, see which apps are taking up a lot of space, and clear the cache of each app. Or, if you really want to be thorough, you can go through and clear the cache of every app on your phone. But we recommend starting with the top culprit, such as the Facebook app.
How to Clear Chrome’s Cache
Open the Chrome app on your Android phone or tablet, then tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner. Next, choose History > Clear access data.
The following screen will show you a list of options; you can select the data you want to remove from Chrome and choose a time frame for where you want to delete the data. Each data option has a brief description of what it means and what kind of impact it will have on your experience.
For example, deleting cookies and site data will log you out of some (in our experience all) websites. Deleting cached images and files can make Chrome take longer the next time it has to load images for a site you frequently visit.
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Select and select the data you want to delete, the time period and touch the icon Delete data button at the bottom of the screen.
Frequently asked questions
What is cached data?
When you clear cached data, either for an app or from Chrome, you’re really just deleting the various files and information the app has downloaded. For an app like Facebook, cached data can be profile pictures, photos, videos and the like that your phone stores information to speed up scrolling through your timeline.
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While these cached files and data help with the overall experience, they are unnecessary and can often become cumbersome, taking up too much storage space.
How often should I clear my Android device’s cache?
Which depends. If you see a lot of performance issues, then you should do something on the list of troubleshooting steps. If not, maybe every quarter or twice a year. The answer really depends on how well your phone or tablet is running.
Did I only gain storage by clearing the cache?
Are not. In fact, one of the first troubleshooting steps we take when we encounter any weird bugs or problems in our apps is to clear the cache. Usually, cached files are corrupted or outdated and forcing the app to regenerate the cache fixes the problem. Clearing cache is a win-win.
