Your phone has finite storage space that tends to fill up pretty quickly. The applications that you use regularly create temporary files in which information is stored, which are called cache. In fact, a good portion of your Android storage is taken up by cache files. Your phone uses the temporary data stored in these files to more quickly retrieve information associated with them when you open an application. For example, Spotify can create files of this class with the songs, artists or playlists that you access the most, so that you do not have to load them every time you access them. However the abundance of cache files can end up take up more space than is desirable, so let’s see how to deal with it.
How to clear the cache of Android apps
In the most recent versions of Android you have to clear the cache of each app individually, it is the great hassle of this way of doing it. In rare cases, you will have to clear the entire cache; cleaning up a few troublesome apps is usually sufficient.
To clear the cache first go to Settings> Apps and notifications:
Application menu
The next thing, on the list that will come out, is to look for a app that caches a lot of data. In this example we will use the app of Google:
Google app in the applications menu
Click on it to open its information window. There we click on Storage and cache:
Storage options
We will arrive at a window where we will see the specific space that the application occupies, and two buttons. Click on Clear cache:
Button to clear cache
And voila, this is all you need to know to clear the cache of certain applications on Android.
How to clean garbage from apps on Android
Since Android 9.0, Google removed the feature that allowed you to delete junk files from all applications. Instead, we have Files by Google which, today, is the best option to erase all junk data from Android applications, according to Google, the ones that have the most time. Is app It comes pre-installed in the terminals of the Pixel and Android One families, and if you do not have a device with these characteristics you can download it below.
To clean the garbage of the applications with Files, open the application and click on the tab Clean up:
Clean up tab in Google Files
You will see that, in the center of the screen, a button will appear with the legend Clean up:
Button to clean junk files
If you click on it, the temporary files will disappear from your phone’s memory. Additionally, with Files you can also delete duplicate files, applications that you don’t normally use, files in the Downloads folder, large files, and WhatsApp multimedia files.
How to clear the cache from the recovery
It can be done from the recovery. To access it, each manufacturer has its own method. Once you have done it you will have to use the volume buttons to move through the menu, and the power button to select an option.
In this case you will have to select Wipe cache partition, which will be in charge of erasing the entire cache of the phone and which is present both in the recoveries stock, as in the personalized ones; the method works for almost all terminals (although some models may not include this option).
Wipe cache partition option in recovery stock
As we told you on very few occasions you will need to do it, and what you will get in return is to free the internal memory of temporary files. It is worth mentioning that with this deletion, user data does not disappear; only and exclusively the temporary files that have been generated up to that moment.
Is it a good idea to use third-party apps for this task?
There are a ton of apps out there that claim they can clean all kinds of unused files and cache quickly and safely. And while they can be helpful, they are mostly not worth it for a few reasons:
- Sometimes what they claim to be able to do is not true.
- They can create background processes that affect performance.
- They are often full of advertising and shopping in-app.
The best thing you can do for now is try to avoid those apps as far as possible. Always try to abide by the methods that we give you.
Advantages of clearing the Android cache
It is convenient to clarify what can be positive for you and your terminal to clear the cache. It is worth mentioning that these files are important and not often touched, although it is sometimes useful to delete them. And doing it all this is achieved:
- In the short term, it can help you conserve free space in internal memory. Now this is just a temporary solution: new files will be created over time.
- Sometimes old cache files can get corrupted, which can result in the files apps they do not work as they should. Clearing the corrupted cache can fix the problem.
- These same old files can pose privacy and security threats. The cached web pages stored by your mobile browser can contain sensitive information, which can expose you to the theft of personal data if someone steals your mobile.
- If a browser or any other application fails to update, a cache clear can force the update.
Now this does not mean that you should clean the cache regularly. In fact, doing so can be counterproductive precisely because of its function as a “quick access” to the applications you use most frequently.
In fact, it should be remembered that Android already has a mechanism to delete files that are not used that already works quite well in itself. The only assumptions that you should consider when clearing the cache are those that fit with corrupted files, or that pose a security risk.
