Should I Clear My Cache? Yes, You Should, Here’s Why

Your browsers will take a fresh look at websites if you clear your cache every month thus make it faster.

You've heard the term cache before, but you're not sure what it means in the context of the Web. Caching, in common parlance, means storing something and it’s usually in secret in the hope that it will be useful later. Except for program and website assets, a browser or Web cache does exactly that. When you visit a website, your browser saves fragments of the page to your computer's hard drive. Your browser will save the following assets such as Images, HTML, CSS, Javascript etc.

The website determines what to cache and for how long. Some assets are removed from your machine in a matter of days, whereas others may stay in your cache for up to a year or more. Many people become concerned when they learn that websites are storing assets on their machines without their knowledge or permission. After all, we put a lot of faith in Web developers, hoping that they won't install anything harmful or malicious on our devices.

Your phone is an amazing little computer that fits in your pocket, connects to the internet, and allows you to browse the web at high speeds. However, even the most recent phones, such as the iPhone 14 Pro and Red Magic 8 Pro, may become sluggish over time. By clearing your cache once a month, you can keep your phone's browsers as fast as possible.

Whether you use Chrome, Safari, or any other phone Android or iPhone browser, your cache accumulates digital clutter over time. Clearing your cache restarts the browser, which can speed up your web browsing and its lead to better browsing experience. Your browser cache functions as a digital shortcut, storing website data so that your browser can get a head start the next time you visit that page. In the short term, this helps to accelerate the process. However, over time, the data stored in your cache may become out of date and no longer match what the site requires. Pages will load slower and the formatting may be incorrect if this occurs. That is why clearing your cache can be beneficial: It gives websites a fresh start in your browser and frees up some storage space.

Website cookies also works in similar way, except that they store information about user data rather than data from the website. Clearing your cookies allows you to reset your preferences, which may improve your browsing experience. But please keep in mind that clearing your cookies will log you out of websites, requiring you to log in again and reset any preferences and permission. However, the initial investment of time can lead to a more pleasant experience in the long run, and it can be a useful fix if you've recently changed settings that aren't being applied properly.

Here are step-by-step instructions for clearing your cache on your browser cache depending on the browser you use:

How to clear your phone cache in Chrome Android:

Chrome is popular browser for both Android and iPhone users. The overall process for clearing your Chrome cache is easy and you'll need to do things through the Chrome browser itself. Here's how.

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Chrome app Chrome.
2. At the top right, tap More More.
3. Tap History and then Clear browsing data.
4. At the top, choose a time range. To delete everything, select All time.
5. Next to "Cookies and site data" and "Cached images and files," check the boxes.
6. Tap Clear data.
7. How to clear your phone cache in Chrome Android:

How to clear your phone cache in Firefox Android:

Clearing cache on Firefox browser is pretty easy and straightforward.

1. Tap the menu button. 
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Delete browsing data.
4. Select the types of data you want to delete:

• Open Tabs
• Browsing history and site data
• Cookies
• Cached images and files
• Site permissions, then tap Delete browsing data.

How to clear your iPhone cache in Safari:

The default browser on iPhones is Safari, and you can clear your Safari cache in a few simple steps. Beginning with iOS 11, this procedure will affect all devices associated with your iCloud account. As a result, the caches on all of your devices will be cleared, and you'll have to sign in to everything the next time you use it. Here's what you should do.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Select Safari from the list of apps.
3. Go to Clear History and Website Data.
4. Choose Clear History and Data in the pop-up box.

Then you're set! You don’t need to install any additional software to clean cache or cookies in your browser, the browser itself can handle that much. But installing any third-party software can help you clean your phone thoroughly and not just browser’s data, also your phone’s data. Of course, there’s always will be benefit and drawback from it, but if you’re just another user nor a developer the benefit usually outweighs the disadvantages.