Phone FixClear cache and clear data: what each does
Clearing cache is harmless and often cures a misbehaving app. Clearing data resets the app to new, and can lose things. Know which is which before tapping.
The two buttons
| Clear cache | Clear storage (Clear data) | |
|---|---|---|
| Removes | Temporary files the app saved to work faster: thumbnails, downloaded pictures, page copies | Everything the app saved on the phone: login, settings, databases, downloads, and the cache |
| Afterwards | The app works as before, a little slower the first time | The app is as if freshly installed; you sign in and set it up again |
| What you may lose | Nothing | Anything not backed up or stored in the app's online account |
| Use it when | The app is slow, glitchy, showing old content, or using too much space | Clearing cache did not help and the app still crashes or misbehaves |
The app itself stays installed in both cases.
Android: how
- Settings › Apps › See all apps › choose the app.
- Tap Storage & cache (Samsung: Storage).
- Tap Clear cache. Test the app.
- Only if needed, tap Clear storage (or Clear data / Manage space) and confirm.
On the same screen, Force stop closes a stuck app completely before you reopen it.
Recent Android versions have no single button to clear every app's cache at once; the system clears caches by itself when space runs low. The Files by Google app's Clean tab removes junk files safely. A "Wipe cache partition" option in recovery mode, on phones that have it, clears system temporary files without touching your data.
iPhone: the equivalents
iOS has no cache button for most apps.
- Offload the app: Settings › General › iPhone Storage › the app › Offload App. This deletes the app but keeps its documents and data; reinstalling brings them back. It frees the app's own size and refreshes it.
- Delete and reinstall: the same screen › Delete App, then get it again from the App Store. This is the iPhone's "clear data": it removes the app's cache and local data together.
- In-app options: many apps have their own clear-cache setting (see below).
- Safari: Settings › Apps › Safari › Clear History and Website Data.
Before clearing data: check what lives only on the phone
- WhatsApp: chats are stored on the phone. Clearing its storage or deleting the app erases them unless a backup exists. Back up first: Settings › Chats › Chat backup. Then, after reinstalling, restore during set-up.
- Authenticator apps: clearing data can destroy your login codes. Export or transfer accounts first.
- Games: progress is safe only if linked to an account (Play Games, Game Center, the game's own login).
- Note, voice recorder, document and offline apps: export what matters.
- Banking and UPI apps: nothing is lost, but you will register the device again.
- Camera and Gallery: clearing the Gallery app's data does not delete photos, which are separate files, but do not use "clear data" on apps you do not understand.
Apps whose content lives in an online account (email, social media, streaming, shopping) simply need you to sign in again.
Common cases
An app keeps crashing or will not open. Force stop, clear cache, then clear storage or reinstall. See apps keep crashing.
Storage is full. Sort apps by size. Clear the cache of browsers, social media, video and music apps, which grow largest. Inside apps: Telegram › Settings › Data and Storage › Storage Usage › Clear cache; Instagram and Facebook slim down when reinstalled; Spotify, YouTube and Netflix have download and cache settings; WhatsApp › Settings › Storage and data › Manage storage deletes media selectively. See storage full.
Play Store will not download. Clear cache and storage of Google Play Store, Google Play services and Download Manager. See app store download problems.
A website looks broken or will not log in. Clear the browser's cache and cookies for that site: Chrome › three dots › Delete browsing data (choose "Cached images and files"; adding "Cookies" signs you out of websites). On iPhone Safari, as above.
The keyboard, the launcher or a system app misbehaves. Clear that app's cache (Settings › Apps › three dots › Show system). Clearing a keyboard's storage forgets learned words; clearing the launcher's storage resets the home-screen layout.
Things that are not worth doing
- Clearing cache every day. Caches exist to make apps faster and use less data. They refill at once. Clear when there is a problem or a real shortage of space.
- "Cleaner" apps. They do nothing the settings above cannot, and many are stuffed with advertisements or worse.
- Clearing data of Google Play services or system apps at random. It can reset settings across the phone. Do it only when a guide for a specific problem says so.
Will clearing cache delete my photos or chats?
No. Only temporary files are removed.
What is the difference between "Clear storage" and uninstalling?
The result is nearly the same: the app's data is gone. Clear storage keeps the app installed; uninstalling removes it too.
Why did the cache grow back in a day?
That is its job. A large cache in an app you use daily is normal.
For Android phones and iPhones. Written in November 2026 for Android 13 to 15 and iOS 17 and 18. Phone makers rename menus; use the search box in Settings if a name differs. Back up before any reset. This is an independent guide, not connected with Google, Apple, Samsung or any phone maker or operator.