If you’ve tried repairing minor phone performance issues before, you’ve probably received the advice to clear your cache.
Clearing the browser cache on your phone can make your internet run smoother, and it also fixes some formatting issues. But you can also clear your app cache, which can improve the ways your apps function. It can also solve problems with your iOS, so this is a good first step to take if your phone has serious issues that make it difficult to use.
But what is a cache exactly?
Caches – Why Do You Need Them?
A cache is where your device stores data that can make future processes easier. It’s unnecessary to generate the same data every time you use an app. Instead, your iPhone retrieves it from your cache.
Using caches saves time, and it also prevents your phone from downloading the same items over and over again. But it also takes over quite a lot of storage space, and it can impede your phone’s performance in small ways. If one of your apps starts causing serious issues, there’s a chance that your cache contains harmful data.
If you’re an iPhone 8/8+ user, here’s what you can do to clear your caches.
Clearing Out Your Chrome and Safari Cache
Research from 2016 showed that Safari was by far the most popular browser among iPhone users. To clear out your Safari cache, do this:
Go into Settings
Select Safari
Tap on “Clear History and Website Data”
This won’t affect your autofills.
In the case of Chrome, you have to go through the app rather than Settings. Follow these steps to empty your Chrome cache:
Open the Chrome App
Tap on More (Look for the three dots icon in the top right corner)
Select History
Check “Cached Images and Files” -You can also delete your cookies, which means that some of the websites you use will revert back to their original form instead of being customized to fit your preferences.
Select “Clear Browsing Data”
Clearing App Caches on the iPhone 8 or 8+
Your browser caches determine your online experience. But if your iPhone is buggy, you might need to get rid of all the app caches as well.
To get rid of unnecessary data generated by your apps, follow these steps:
Open Settings
Tap on iPhone Storage
Now, you can browse a list of all your apps, along with the amount of data contained in their caches. If you have issues with your iPhone’s storage constraints, delete the caches that take up the most space. In particular, you might want to get rid of the Documents and Data cache, which tends to inflate over time.
If your iPhone has performance issues, you want to delete the most recent app caches instead. Something you installed lately might be the source of your problem.
When app cache data gets deleted, the way your app functions shouldn’t be affected. The app will simply re-download everything you need the next time you use it.
A Final Word
There is another, more convenient way to clear your app and browser cache. You can look into cache-clearing apps such as PhoneClean. These apps can easily empty all your caches at the same time, and they generally take care of your cookies and junk files as well.
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