An application cache is the data stored temporarily on our device whenever we use an application.
With every website visited or application opened comes a bartering of information on the device.
The user can enjoy the content in exchange for information about their device, location, browser, time spent on a page, and other user behaviors.
Cached data are scripts, images, files, and other multimedia files stored on our device after we visit a website or open an application for a period of time.
The cache files allow the website or application to load faster when revisiting it next time.
However, these cache files will be rebuilt the next time you visit the website or use the application.
Applications like YouTube, Google News, and Spotify save information as cache data.
These cache data include search history, video thumbnails, or snippets of video stored temporarily on the device to minimize the redundancy of asking the user to pull up information from the Internet frequently.
Why Cache Data Exists
The main reason cached data exists is to minimize the time users need to pull up from the internet.
Whenever we visit a website or use an app for the first time, cache files are stored on our laptops, smartphones, or tablets.
The cache data stored consists of some on-page elements of the app or website that will make it load faster next time.
Is Cached Data Important?
Since the cached data is considered a temporary file stored on the device, this implies that it is not really important.
However, its existence on the device can help improve the user’s experience. Caches enable on-page elements like videos, images, and text that ultimately slow our phone down to be loaded quickly.
Cached data helps quicken the process of loading an application or website. Although this data is helpful to our devices, it can take up storage space and may even get corrupted over time.
Should I Clear My Cache?
You should have a reason for clearing the cache data on our devices. We will eventually revisit the websites or reopen the applications, and the cache data will be restored, and the cycle will continue.
However, if you discover that our device memory is being drained from the cached data stored on it, we should probably clear it.
Also, when websites are not loaded with the latest data on our devices, you should probably clear the cached data.
After all, the cached data doesn’t affect the performance of the application or website; it just means the cache files on it will have to be restored the next time you open it.
In addition, clearing the cache data on our device isn’t a solid method of freeing up storage space because it will appear again after we use the application or revisit the website that created it.
How to Clear Cached Data?
When websites that we visit are not loaded with the latest data on our devices, such as smartphones, laptops, or tablets, it could be a result of the cached data stored on them.
The following are the steps to clear cached data on our devices:
1. How to Clear Cached Data on a PC?
- Open your browser on your PC, Firefox, Chrome, or Microsoft Edge.
- Press CTRL+SHIFT+DEL on your keyboard, and a new tab will open. The new tab will show a list of options to select from, such as history, temporary services, temporary internet, etc.
- Then, you can select Clear Now or continue to wipe out the cached data.
2. How to Clear Cached Data on Android Devices?
- Go to Settings on your phone or tablet by pulling down the notification shade and tapping on the gear icon on the top.
- Look for storage and click on it
- Now tap on Cached Data
- Then, a pop-up screen will show a screen asking for confirmation
- Tap on OK to completely remove all cached data from the system.
To clear app cache data for a specific application on Android:
- Go to Settings on your device
- Then search for applications and click on it
- Here, you will find all the apps on your system; tap on the app for which you want to clear the data
- Then tap on Clear Cache to wipe the cache data for the specific app only
3. How to Clear the Cached Data on iOS Devices?
- Go to Settings >> General >> iPhone Storage
- Then scroll down to Search for the application that you want to clear the Cache data ( Apple will list applications from the highest usage of memory to lowest )
- Offload the individual app to free up some temporary space on your device.
Lastly, once we clear our phone cache data, we will notice that your apps may take slightly longer to open.
This is happening because it needs time to recreate the cache files again.
We will find that the second time you use the same apps, they will open faster.
