Over a period of time your iPhone can get clogged with junk items and unwanted cached files. Hence, the need to Clear Cache on iPhone from time to time, in order to improve its performance.
Clear Cache on iPhone or iPad
Just like any other computing device, getting rid of redundant cached files and other junk file items can give a performance and speed boost to iPhone and iPad.
This is especially true in case of older models of iPhone and iPad, on which you can see a noticeable difference in performance, once you clear Cache and get rid of unwanted memory hogging files.
On newer iPhones, clearing the Cache helps in freeing up memory, which leads to improvement in the performance of your device and helps you get more out of your device.
So, let us go ahead and take a look at the steps to Clear Safari and App Cache on your iPhone or iPad.
1. Clear Safari Cache on iPhone or iPad
Whenever you visit websites using the Safari browser on your iPhone, it invariably stores images, CSS, logos and other catchable data from those websites.
This function in Safari is designed to speed up delivery of web pages by loading resources from the browser cache, instead of downloading them all over again from the web servers.
However, the Safari Cache often gets clogged up with redundant files over a period of time, slowing down your iPhone.
Hence, follow the steps below to clear Safari Cache on iPhone or iPad and refresh your device.
1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. On the Settings screen, scroll down and tap on Safari.
3. On the next screen, scroll down and tap on Clear History and Website Data option.
4. On the pop-up that appears, tap on Clear History and Data.
This will clear all the Cached Files, including your browsing history, cookies and other browsing data, stored by Safari browser on your iPhone.
After clearing Safari Cache, you will initially notice your favourite websites loading slower than normal.
However, things will quickly get back to normal and you will notice improved performance, when you visit those website the next time.
2. Clear App Cache on iPhone or iPad
Just like Safari browser, other Apps that you use on your iPhone or iPad store Sign-in Info, Message history and other App related data on your iPhone.
In case of iOS devices, the App Cache and other App related data is labeled as “Documents and Data” and this can easily be cleared by deleting the Apps and re-installing them back on your device.
1. Open Settings > scroll down and tap on General.
2. On the next screen, tap on iPhone Storage.
4. On iPhone Storage screen, scroll down and tap on the App storing the most amount of Data on your iPhone.
5. On the next screen, tap on Delete App located at the bottom of your screen (See image below).
6. On the pop-up that appears, tap on Delete App option to delete this App and its related “Documents and Data” from your iPhone.
7. After deleting the App, open the App Store on your iPhone and download and Install the App back again on your device.
Once the App is reinstalled, check the storage space taken up by the App by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > tap on the Reinstalled App (Snapchat in this case).
As you can see, the storage space taken up by Documents and Data has reduced considerably, going down from 95.7 MB to just 49 KB on the reinstalled App.
Similarly, you can go through other Apps listed on “iPhone Storage” screen and Clear App Cache (Documents and Data) generated by other Apps on your iPhone.
Bonus Tip: Restart iPhone or iPad
One of the easiest way to clear memory on iPhone or iPad is to simply Restart your device.
This simple step has the potential to free up memory on your device by closing unnecessary processes and loops (if any).
1. Press and Hold down the Power button on your iPhone until you see “Slide to Power OFF” option appearing on the screen of your iPhone.
2. Move the sider to the right and Power OFF your iPhone.
3. Wait for your iPhone to fully Power down.
4. After 60 seconds, restart your iPhone by pressing down the Power Button.
Restarting the device from time to time is particularly helpful on older models of iPhone and iPad.