Cached files and other files, such as History files, are designed to speed up an app and take up more storage space than you might think, or perhaps a specific app is having issues with cached data and can’t refresh with live data. In that case, you’ll need to clear your iPhone’s memory, caches, and unwanted data. In this article, we will show you how to clear the cache on your iPhone or iPad. You can also use the steps below to remove unwanted data such as cookies and junk files to make your iPhone/iPad run faster than ever.
How to Clear iPhone and iPad Cache
The steps below clear all Safari cookies and web data cached on your device, but AutoFill information remains unchanged. It’s worth noting that when you clear Safari browsing history on a device running iOS 11 or higher, the same logs are cleared on any other devices that are signed in to the same iCloud account.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and scroll down the list to Safari.
- Scroll down to the Privacy & Security section and select the blue Clear History and Website Data option at the bottom of the menu. (Note that if there is no history to clear or if parental controls are enabled for websites, this option may be grayed out.)
- To confirm, tap Clear History and Data in the popup pane.
How to Clear iPhone Cache for Third-Party Apps
The method for clearing the cache used by third-party apps on your iPhone varies depending on the app. Slack, for example, has a cache reset option in the main Settings app (Settings -> Slack -> Reset cache on next launch), whereas individual WhatsApp conversations can be controlled from within the chat app (Settings -> Data and Storage Usage -> Storage Usage).
If you suspect an app is unnecessarily storing data on your iPhone but can’t find an equivalent option to clear its cache, the best option is to check the iOS iPhone Storage screen.
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app.
- Select General.
- Select iPhone Storage.
- A list of all the apps (including stock apps) on your iOS device will be displayed, with the largest apps appearing first. Select an app from the list that is taking up too much space.
- On this screen, you’ll see two uninstall options. Tap Offload App to unload the app while retaining any documents and data (these will be restored if you later reinstall the app), or tap Delete App to remove the app and all associated data from your device.
It’s worthwhile to scroll down the iPhone Storage list and look at the Last Used: date beneath the title of each app. If you haven’t opened an app in weeks or months, or if it says Never Used, consider uninstalling it.
If you download a lot of apps that are frequently left unused, consider enabling the iPhone Storage menu recommendation to automatically Offload Unused Apps when you’re running low on storage. If you uninstall a purchased app and then decide you want to use it again (and it’s still available in the App Store), simply follow the steps below.
How to Reinstall Deleted Apps
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the App Store app.
- If it isn’t already selected, tap the Today tab.
- To access the account settings screen, tap your circular profile photo at the top-right of the Today screen.
- Select Purchased.
- Select My Purchases.
- Tap the Not on this iPhone tab in the Purchased screen.
- Scroll through the list of purchased apps until you find the one you want to re-download and install, and then tap the cloud download icon next to it.
As of now, iOS does not provide an easy way to clear the cache in apps. For example, you may want to keep an app but delete its documents and data from time to time. Hopefully, Apple will include an equivalent option in a future version of iOS, but until then, the methods described above are your best bets for cleaning up the cruft on your iPhone.