Noticed your browsing experience has slowed down recently on your iPhone? Has one of your iOS apps stopped working properly or is your iPhone storage full again? Then clearing the cache might help. Read on to learn how to clear the cache of your Safari or Chrome browser plus other iPhone apps. You should also use a solution like Avira Mobile Security to regain more space on your iPhone.
What is an iPhone cache and is it a good idea to clear it?
A cache is a temporary storage area that holds data so it can be accessed more quickly later. Data that has been loaded once stays in the app or system cache so it can be retrieved more quickly the next time it’s needed. Basically, the cache serves to speed up app processes. However, clearing the cache can be helpful in some cases if you run into technical errors or issues.
The iPhone has two types of cache. There’s the system cache, which you can’t access and so can’t clear manually. Then there’s the individual iOS app caches, some of which you can clear yourself. The few iPhone apps where you can clear the cache include the browser apps such as Safari and Google Chrome. A browser app’s cache stores temporary website data such as HTML, JavaScript and CSS files, images, and graphics so webpages you visit frequently load faster.
If you spend a lot of time streaming, scrolling, or browsing, an app may become slower over time because large amounts of data have accumulated in the cache and are eating up a lot of storage space. The app cache may also contain outdated and damaged files as well as incomplete or incorrectly stored data, which can cause errors. In such cases, it’s a good idea to clear the cache.
Handy hint: Some iPhone apps categorize and store different types of data in separate caches depending on their purpose and how long they’re needed. This data helps apps run faster and more efficiently, but not all of it is located in the “traditional” cache memory. That’s why you often can’t clear this data with a single tap.
These types of data include:
- Website data, such as temporary cache files
- Browser data from in-app browsers
- Session data such as cookies
- Browsing history
- Settings saved locally on your device
How to clear the Safari cache on your iPhone
You can clear your Safari cache via your iPhone settings. It’s important to be aware when clearing the Safari cache that doing so will not only delete the history and website data but also clear all your cookies. This means that your login data stored in the browser will also be removed. However, this does not apply to login credentials stored in the iCloud keychain as well as AutoFill data, bookmarks, and favorites.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Swipe up until you see Apps, then tap that menu item.
- Continue swiping up until you get to S, then tap Safari.
- Swipe up again and tap Clear History and Website Data.
- Select the timeframe and, if necessary, additional options (like Close All Tabs).
- Tap Clear History to confirm you want to continue.
If you only want to delete the website data (and not your browsing history), proceed as follows:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Swipe up until you see Apps, then tap that menu item.
- Continue swiping up until you get to S, then tap Safari.
- Now swipe up all the way until you get to the bottom of the screen, then tap Advanced.
- Tap Website Data followed by Remove All Website Data.
- Tap Remove Now to confirm you want to continue.
Alternatively, you can also select and delete the data of individual webpages in the Website Data screen. To do that, tap the Edit button in the upper right corner.
Or:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Swipe up to General, then tap that menu item.
- Now select iPhone Storage.
- Swipe up to Safari, then tap that menu item.
- Tap Website Data followed by Remove All Website Data.
- Tap Remove Now to confirm you want to continue.
How to delete the Chrome cache on your iPhone
Unlike the Safari app, the Chrome app allows you to select which browser data you want to delete.
- Open the Chrome app on your iPhone.
- Tap More options (the icon in the bottom right corner with the three dots).
- Select History on the icon menu or swipe up until you get to Delete browsing data.
- Tap Delete browsing data.
- Select the time range and the desired browsing data (browsing history, tabs, cookies and site data, cached images and files, saved passwords, auto-fill data).
- Tap Confirm to continue.
Just to cover all the bases, there’s also another way to delete the cache. Repeat the first two steps above, but for step 3 tap Settings on the icon menu, swipe up and tap Privacy and security. Now select Delete browsing data and continue from step 5 as described above.
How to clear the cache of other iPhone apps
You can’t clear the cache through the app’s or your iPhone’s settings for many popular iOS apps, like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. And contrary to what many websites say, offloading and then reloading the app won’t usually clear its cache. Even hiding iPhone apps on the home screen won’t clear the app’s cache either.
If an app is causing problems and neither an app update nor restarting the iPhone helps, often the your only remaining option is to remove the app and reinstall it. That said, the same isn’t true of all apps. Some apps provide a “clear cache” option or similar feature in their own settings.
Here’s a list of some of them, including how you access the option:
- Spotify Settings and privacy > Data-saving and offline > Clear cache
- TikTok: Settings and privacy > Free up space > Clear cache
- Telegram Data and Storage > Storage Usage > Clear Entire Cache
- X/Twitter: Settings and privacy > Accessibility, display and languages > Data usage > Media storage > Clear media storage
Or: Data usage > Web storage > Clear web page storage or > Clear all web storage (also removes cookies)
In the Facebook app, you can at least clear your browsing data via Facebook’s in-app browser (Settings and privacy > Settings > Browser > Cookies and cache).
Free up more storage space on your iPhone
Although you might not enjoy a bump in performance or a more bug-free experience, clearing the cache on your iPhone can be helpful in many cases. Besides clearing the cache, there are many other ways you can fix performance and storage issues — like giving your iPhone a deep clean. You can also view and tune up your device’s storage and memory usage using Avira Mobile Security’s device scanner. And when it comes to finding duplicate or similar photos, you can delete them and free up more space on your iPhone using the app’s photo cleaner feature.