Should i empty cache

Go to the Settings menu on your device. Tap Storage. Tap "Storage" in your Android's settings. Tap Internal Storage under Device Storage. Tap "Internal storage. Tap Cached data. Tap "Cached data. Tap OK when a dialog box appears asking if you're sure you want to clear all app cache. Tap "OK" to clear app cache. App data, like account information, can be deleted from the same menu - proceed with caution if you decide to do so.

Note: Phones without SD card storage will not be given a choice to select between internal storage or SD card as shown in the above screenshots. You may find it helpful to clear cache periodically, but a regular cache clearing schedule isn't required. If you find you're routinely clearing cache to free up space, you may consider removing unused apps or archiving stored video and photos in the cloud. Installing a high volume microSD card is another option to address phone storage needs.

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Some contend that Android itself should handle app cache all on its own, and that interfering with default caching behavior is just asking for trouble.

But the truth is far, far murkier. Some apps don't use cache space responsibly, others outright break when they use too much cached data, and some can even crash or refuse to work entirely after an update — a problem you might be able to remedy by clearing said cache. Blanket statements, then, aren't really helpful here.

But we can discuss what app cache is, why it matters, and why you might want to clear it on your Android smartphone. Caching, as it's known in the computing world, lets applications like browsers, games, and streaming services store temporary files deemed relevant to make the load times and overall experience faster.

YouTube, Spotify, Google News, and plenty of other apps save information as cache data. This can be video thumbnails, search history, or snippets of video stored temporarily to minimize the redundancy of having to ask the user for input or pull up information from the internet frequently.

Caching can save a lot of time, as internet quality and speeds aren't the same everywhere. But ironically, when apps are offloading a lot of data onto your phone, that ultimately slows it down, especially when there's a minimal amount of storage to spare.

While we often mention clearing cache and data in the same breath, they're two distinct actions on Android. When using the Spotify app, for example, it holds on to information like the artists you viewed outside of your library, album art browsed, and search history as cache. When the app cache is cleared, all of the mentioned data is cleared. Then, the application stores more vital information like user settings, databases, and login information as data. More drastically, when you clear the data, both cache and data are removed.

Clearing data is the equivalent of starting an app as a clean slate as if you've just installed it for the first time. The primary reason for someone to clear application cache would be to free up storage, which might have an impact on the phone's performance.

But clearing data is a much more dramatic step which is generally reserved for when an app is buggy or fails to start. It could be a result of an app update gone wrong resulting in corruption of previous cache files, untested server-side changes, misbehaving software, or a new OS update to Android.

Cookies also keep track of which site you're logged in to—which is why, if you clear your cookies, you'll need to log back in to all of your accounts. Clearing your cache doesn't affect any of this. Related, but not exactly the same: you can visit the cached version of many websites through Google search. Instead of bringing you to the live website, it'll show you the page the last time Google's robots visited it.

Here's how —along with lots of other Google search tricks. In general, I recommend not clearing your cache unless you have a specific reason to. The files in the cache allow the websites you visit most often to load faster, which is a good thing. Your browser will periodically delete old files, so it's not like the cache is going to keep growing forever.

Sure, the cache is taking up room on your hard drive, and some people find that annoying. But the reason you have a hard drive is so you can store things on it, and a cache that speeds up your web browsing feels like a valid use of your hard drive's space. Hero image Photo by One zone Studio on Unsplash. Justin Pot is a staff writer at Zapier based in Hillsboro, Oregon. He loves technology, people, and nature, not necessarily in that order.

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