How to Clear Cache on Android and iPhone

App cache is temporary data that apps store to speed up repeated operations — loading images you've already seen, remembering your preferences, or saving partial downloads. Over time, cache can grow large, become corrupted, or cause apps to behave oddly. Clearing it is a quick, safe way to free storage and resolve many common performance issues.

Clearing App Cache on Android

Android lets you clear the cache of individual apps directly from Settings. There is no single button to clear all app caches at once (manufacturers removed this in Android 6), but you can clear the apps that matter most one by one.

Clear cache for a specific app (all Android versions)

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Apps (or Application Manager on older devices)
3. Find and tap the app whose cache you want to clear (e.g., Chrome, Instagram, Spotify)
4. Tap Storage & cache (or just Storage on some devices)
5. Tap Clear cache

The cache is cleared immediately. You do not need to restart the app or the phone. Repeat this process for any other apps that are misbehaving or consuming a lot of storage.

Clear Chrome browser cache on Android

1. Open Chrome
2. Tap the three-dot menu (top-right corner)
3. Select History > Clear browsing data
4. Set the Time range to All time for a complete clear
5. Tick Cached images and files (and optionally Cookies and Browsing history)
6. Tap Clear data

Samsung: Clear all app caches at once

Samsung's One UI includes a maintenance tool that can clear cached data across all apps in one step:

1. Open Settings > Battery and device care
2. Tap Storage
3. Tap Clean now

This removes junk files and cached data across all apps. On One UI 6 (Android 14), the same screen shows exactly how much space was freed.

Clearing App Cache on iPhone (iOS)

iOS handles caching differently from Android. Apple does not provide a per-app "Clear Cache" button in Settings — instead, cache is managed automatically by the system and cleared when storage runs low. However, there are reliable ways to clear cache for specific situations.

Clear Safari browser cache

1. Open Settings
2. Scroll down and tap Safari
3. Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data
4. Tap Clear History and Data in the confirmation dialogue

This clears Safari's browsing history, cookies, and cached website data. You'll be signed out of websites, so have your passwords ready.

Clear Chrome cache on iPhone

1. Open Chrome
2. Tap the three-dot menu (bottom-right)
3. Go to History > Clear Browsing Data
4. Tick Cached Images and Files
5. Tap Clear Browsing Data at the bottom

Offload an app to clear its cache (iOS trick)

For apps that don't expose a clear cache option, iOS's "Offload App" feature is the closest equivalent. Offloading removes the app and its cache but keeps your personal data (documents, settings) associated with it.

1. Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage
2. Find and tap the app you want to offload
3. Tap Offload App
4. Tap Offload App again to confirm
5. Re-install the app from the App Store — your data will be restored

Force-restart your iPhone to flush memory

If your iPhone feels sluggish but you don't want to clear specific app data, a force-restart clears RAM and often resolves temporary slowdowns without affecting any stored data.

• iPhone 8 and later: Press and release Volume Up → press and release Volume Down → press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
• iPhone 7: Hold Volume Down and Sleep/Wake simultaneously until the Apple logo appears.
• iPhone 6s and SE (1st gen): Hold Home and Sleep/Wake simultaneously until the Apple logo appears.

Which Apps Should You Clear Cache For First?

The apps that typically accumulate the most cache are streaming and social media apps. On Android, checking Settings > Apps and sorting by storage size will immediately show you which apps are using the most space. Typical high-offenders include: Spotify (offline downloads and stream cache), Instagram (stories, videos), YouTube (buffered video), Google Maps (offline tiles), and WhatsApp (media received in chats).

On iPhone, Settings > General > iPhone Storage shows each app's total size including documents and data — this helps you identify which apps warrant an offload or reinstall.