There are those among us that buy a new iPhone every year as soon as it hits the stores. There are also those among us, such as myself, who use the same iPhone until either I accidentally drop it on the concrete or bottom of the swimming pool. My iPhone 5s had more dog hair coming out of its port holes than my dog’s… But I kept it going until it wouldn’t charge. I really miss that iPhone the most. If you keep an iPhone long enough, eventually, you have to clear some unwanted space to keep the clutter out and get another few months out of your trusty device. This article will tell you how to clear your cache on the iPhone for Safari and Chrome. Most other web browsers will be very similar to Chrome.
Caching, like all technical elements, is also meant to speed up your phone’s use. Ironically, certain apps can fill up the cache of your iPhone to the point that it slows down your phone’s overall performance.
It’s not a major problem, and there are many ways to deal with it. I’ll be sharing my tips in this article. Let me first tell you about cache.
What is caching, and how does it work on iPhone devices?
Your device creates hidden files as you browse websites using a mobile browser and use apps on an almost daily basis. These hidden files are placed in temporary memory, known as a cache.
Cached data is a collection of files from the web pages you have viewed, so it doesn’t need to load everything again. This allows for faster loading speeds and provides incredible convenience to users.
It can be compared to grocery shopping. To save time and avoid going to the grocery store each time you need milk for your cereal, stack several cartons in your fridge.
As mentioned, the cache can become outdated and not match the data being used on the app/website. This can cause problems. This is when your device starts to slow down.
You can clear the cache from your iPhone in these cases using the methods below.
NOTE: Clearing your cache will log you out from the websites/apps that you are currently logged into. It’s worth it to log back in one at a time for a quicker and more efficient return.
How do I clear the Safari browser cache from an iPhone?
Safari is the default browser for iPhone. It’d be a good idea to clear its cache first. These steps will apply to all iOS 14 devices that are signed into your iCloud account. This will clear all cache on your devices. Follow these simple steps.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone
Step2: Scroll down and open Safari
Step 3: Go down to Privacy & Security section and select “Clear History and Website Data”
Step 4: A popup will appear to confirm, select ” Clear History and Data” again.
That’s it, Safari’s cache and history is now cleared.
How to Clear Chrome Browser Cache on iPhone
Google Chrome is the most popular browser overall, and it stands to reason many people use it as their default browser on their iPhones as well. Clearing the cache on Chrome and other browsers than Safari on the iPhone is done within the web browser app itself instead of in the phone settings. If you use Firefox, Opera, or others, you will need to follow similar procedures to clear the cache as well.
Step 1: Open the Chrome App and tap on the three dots at the bottom of the screen.
Step 2: The settings menu will pop up from the bottom with a set of icons at the top. Scroll left to right to the end.
Step 3: Select the “Settings” icon.
Step 4: Select “Privacy & Security”
Step 5: Select Clear Browsing Data
Step 6: On the -Clear Browsing Data- screen you can select what types of data to remove and for a specific time range.
Step 7: After making your selections select “Clear Browsing Data” at the bottom of the screen to confirm.