Browsing different websites and using internal apps on your iPhone tends to generate data called “cache” which is stored directly in the internal memory. While this data helps in reducing tasks of loading app or website resources from scratch, sometimes it can be a bottleneck for your storage, especially on iPhones with such low storage capacity. than 64GB. That said, to avoid running into performance issues, you can easily get rid of cached data on the iPhone and enjoy more storage space for apps and media files. Here is a quick guide on how to clear app and browser cache on your iPhone.

What is a Cache?

A cache is the storage of website and app data such as files and media on your local storage. This is done in order to prevent the program from searching or rendering resources from scratch, which can otherwise be time consuming and increase wait times for the user. But sometimes cache can act as a burden on low storage devices after some time and can lead to performance issues. That’s why you might want to get rid of your iPhone cache for smooth and fast operations.

How to Clear App Cache on iPhone

There are several methods to delete app cache on iPhone. Here’s how they work:

Deleting temporary app data

Some apps on iOS allow you to clear the cache of the settings apps themselves with the click of a button. But for this to take effect, the particular app needs to be launched at least once in order to clear its cache.

• Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone
• Scroll through the settings and find the app whose cache you want to clear
• Select the app and scroll down the page again
• Now here you will find a toggle named “Clear temporary data on next boot”
• Turn it on and launch that particular app from the home screen to get rid of its cache

Alternatively, you can also search for the app name in the settings itself to avoid the hassle of scrolling through the settings app.

Via the unload option

Another way to get rid of some of the cache and free up space on your iPhone is to use the offload option on some supported apps. This option isn’t exactly an alternative to deleting the app’s cache, but rather deletes the app and gets rid of the temporary and hidden storage space occupied by the app. Also, all user data and documents such as media files are not deleted using this option but rather stored in an archive. That said, here is the procedure for using the offload option.

• Go to the “Settings” app on your iOS device
• Scroll down to “General” settings
• Now tap on the “iPhone Storage” option
• Here you will find a long list of third-party apps. Select the one whose cache you want to clear
• Once the app storage page is open, here you will find an option called “Offload app”.
• Tap on it and confirm the prompt to offload the app from your iPhone

Having done this, you will gain storage space. You can now go ahead and reinstall this app from the app store and start fresh. All data will be restored after installation is complete.

How to Clear Browser Cache on iPhone

Over time, the browser cache can end up taking up too much of your internal memory. Deleting this cache can give you valuable storage space for more apps and media files. Here’s how to clear the cache of the different browsers available on iOS.

Safari

Clearing cache on Apple’s built-in browser can be done through the settings app, just like other apps on iOS. Here is the step by step process.

• Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone
• Scroll down the page and find “Safari”
• Now, on this page, there will be an option “Clear history and website data”. Select it
• Confirm the prompt that appears next and you’re done!

Note that, as the option suggests, all of your browser history as well as cache and cookies will also be deleted. However, the autofill data will remain in place.

Google Chrome

Clearing cache on Google Chrome for iPhone is a bit different from Safari. As a third-party application, we may use application settings to delete cache, cookies, and browser history. The process is as follows.

• Go to the Google Chrome app on your iOS device
• Next, tap on the “3 dots” menu present in the lower right corner
• Now, from the options appearing there, tap on “History”
• Here you can select the time range of the data to delete. Once done, there would be an option called “Clear browsing data” at the bottom. Select it.
• Confirm the prompt and all your cached data, media and files will be deleted

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is another popular browser on iOS. As a third-party app, clearing website cache can be done through various options. Here is the step by step guide.

• Open Microsoft Edge on your iPhone
• Tap the “3 dots” menu in the lower right corner
• Now select the “Settings” option
• Then tap on the “Privacy” option
• In the privacy settings, select the highest option called “Clear browsing data
• Now check the “cache” option along with other types of data you want to remove from the Edge browser such as history, cookies, and saved passwords.
• Finally, tap the “Clear browsing data” button at the bottom
• It will ask you for a confirmation prompt, so select the “Erase” option
• With this all your cache and other data will be deleted from the browser

That’s all. By following the above-mentioned steps to clear cache on iPhone, you can free up overloaded storage space and make your device run smoother and faster.