How to Clear the Cache on Your iPhone and Unlock Peak Performance

Knowing how to clear cache on apps on iPhone can boost your device’s performance and free up some much-needed storage space. There are many reasons why your iPhone may be lagging or sluggish, but clearing the app or browser cache can resolve a wide variety of issues.  We’ll take you through what a cache is, why you should care, and all the steps for clearing it on your iPhone. 

What is a Cache? The Silent Speedster of Computing

The applications on your phone will store frequently accessed data, files, etc. This way, the data does not need to be reloaded every time you open your frequently used apps. This means faster access for you, making your user experience more seamless and fluid. However, as useful as the storing of cache data can be — it can also cause some issues along the way. 

How is Clearing Your iPhone Cache Helpful?

Loading times on your iPhone can be greatly reduced thanks to cached data. Normally, this makes using apps and accessing websites a breeze. Except when it doesn’t….

Every so often, this cached data can cause issues. Especially if the data becomes corrupted, or there’s simply too much of it. In this case, it can actually slow down your iPhone’s loading times or cause crashes. If the data is expired or is out-of-date, the site might not load correctly (or at all). 

App or browser cache issues can cause a handful of problems. Here are some reasons why clearing your cache occasionally is a good idea: 

• Apps perform better: After clearing the cache, the freshly downloaded data can improve performance and make accessing the app faster.
• Correct glitches: Getting rid of stored data may clear out problematic or corrupted files in the process. You’ll probably run across the suggestion to clear your system’s cache in tons of troubleshooting guides, for this reason. It can be an extremely effective way to get rid of persistent bugs and glitches.
• Clears up your iPhone storage: If you don’t clear your caches very often, this data stacks up over time and takes up a lot of storage space that you probably need for more important things. Clearing your cache gives you more storage and also frees up that space for other resources, improving your phone’s performance too. 
• Improves privacy: Because the cached data may sometimes have sensitive or personal information (such as private documents, login information, or images) removing this stored cache can keep this data out of the wrong hands, especially if your smartphone is stolen. 
• Up-to-date content: If your iPhone is using previously cached information from a browser or app, it may be outdated. Periodically clearing your stored data ensures you have the most up-to-date data versions. 
• Clears up authentication problems: Stored login credentials, authentication tokens and other such data can become corrupted or problematic. Clearing the cache refreshes these tokens and can help with login issues. 

How to Clear Cache on Apps on iPhones

Learning how to clear cache on iPhones is pretty simple. There are a few different methods and techniques to try, but the process is always fairly straightforward.

Clearing the Cache for Specific Apps on Your iPhone

Sometimes, it’s best to start small. If you want to clear the cache for just one app at a time, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings (the gearbox icon).
2. Go to General.
3. Tap iPhone Storage.
4. Scroll to find the individual app you want.
5. There will be a few options listed, but head to the Offload App and Delete App section. The Offload app will not remove all the data, but it will clear up some of the cache. This helps with increasing storage space. To keep using the app, you’ll have to reinstall it. Deleting the app completely will remove all the data and cache. If you choose to reinstall the app after deletion, none of your data will have been saved. Be sure you decide on the best option for you, as deleting the app may be more extreme than some users want.

6. If you pick Offload App, a window will appear. Tap Offload App to confirm this action. Deleting the app will also require confirmation.

Some specific applications may have the ability to clear the cache by accessing the app’s settings. If your app has a “clear-cache” option, simply select it and restart the app. This should clear its data. It is important to note that doing this may mean that you need to log in again.

Clear All of Your iPhone App Caches

There is no actual method to clear all the caches for all the apps on your iPhone simultaneously. However, you can choose to Offload Unused Apps, which will clear the caches on apps you don’t often use. This process frees up memory, but it retains the app data, restoring this data when you reinstall the app (as long as it’s still available from the App store). Here’s how to clear cache on iPhone apps:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Scroll down to find Apps.
3. Find the App Store and tap.

4. Scroll down to find Offload Unused Apps and toggle the option to on.

Keep in mind, some users have lost access to apps this way, when the corresponding app disappeared from the app store. This method is heavily reliant on that app being available for reinstallation in the future. If you’re worried about this, it may be preferable to clear the cache on individual apps, using the method outlined above. 

How to Clear Browser Caches on iPhones

Browsers are some of the most frequently used apps on iPhones. As a result, clearing the cache for apps, such as Safari, can be an effective way to speed up your device and avoid bugs. Simply follow these steps to clear your Safari history, cache, and cookies all at once. Not using Safari? Don’t worry, the process is similar on all browsers. Find out just how similar, by swiping through our clearing the cache on Chrome guide. 

The process can be summarized as follows:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Scroll down to Apps.
3. Find Safari and tap.
4. Select Clear History and Website Data. This won’t alter your autofill info. If the button is grayed out — this means that there is no data to clear. 

To keep your browsing history but only clear your cache and cookies: 

1. Go to Settings.
2. Go to Apps.
3. Tap Safari.
4. Scroll down to find Advanced.
5. Tap Website Data.

6. Choose Remove All Website Data.

Final Thoughts on Transforming Your iPhone with a Clean Cache

Understanding how to clear cache on apps on iPhone can elevate your device’s performance and unlock valuable storage space. It can even help you to avoid bugs and glitches and keep your device in tip-top shape. 

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to clearing your stored data, but the methods we have outlined above will help you to tackle various cache-related issues. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Would content blockers help to reduce the cache on my iPhone?

To an extent, yes. Content blockers are extensions and third-party apps that help block certain unwanted content from loading when you’re browsing on your phone. Common examples include pop-ups, ads, trackers, cookies, and other similar content. They won’t keep your iPhone from accumulating cached data (that’s not necessarily a bad thing either), but they can help reduce unwanted cached data. This makes it easier to manage your cache and helps to minimize unnecessary data storage. 

How do you clear a cache on an iPad?

iPad cache clearing is similar to the process for iPhones. However, there are some differences to consider. There is no specific option to clear data and cache files, but you can delete and reinstall the application, which will clear the cache. Here’s how: 

1. Go to Settings.
2. Go to General.
3. Choose iPad Storage.
4. Find the App you want to delete and tap Delete app.
5. You can then go to the Apple Store and re-download the previously removed app.

To clear the iPad’s browser cache, you simply: 

1. Go to Settings.
2. Choose Safari (or other browser of choice).
3. Choose Advanced.
4. Choose Website Data.
5. Choose Remove all website data. Do remember to note that if the option is grayed out, it means there is no web data available to clear.

What is the difference between a cache and a cookie?

Because they are often addressed together in troubleshooting methods, it’s easy to get cookies and caches confused. Here’s a quick overview of each: 

• Caches: Caches store data from sites or apps to reduce loading times. Examples of this data include JavaScript, CSS, login tokens, images, etc. The next time you go to the site or app, this information is loaded from the cache, which is much quicker than doing it all over again.
• Cookies: Small amounts of data that, stored from websites on your iPhone or other device. This ensures that things like your login details, shopping cart items, settings, and other unique information is saved automatically. This keeps you from having to re-enter this information every time you visit the site. 

The main difference is that caches save some data from apps or sites for faster loading, whereas cookies save particular details, such as login information. 

How often should I clear the cache on my iPhone? 

Ultimately, how often you clear your cache is up to you. However, doing this occasionally will help your phone run better and take up less storage, too. Many experts recommend doing it at least once a month. Consider doing it more frequently if you have a lot of storage already used on your device from other things. If you have a lot of storage on your phone, you may be able to stretch this out for longer. However, because overloaded caches can cause multiple issues, it is typically a good idea just to do it fairly regularly. Furthermore, restarting your phone sporadically is important because it can clear temporary caches that may also cause issues.