(Credit: René Ramos; Olena Zaskochenko, New Africa/Shutterstock.com)
Is your iPhone sluggish? Do web pages take forever to load? Your phone's cache may be to blame, but what are you supposed to do about it?
Cache is all the data your phone stores locally as you visit websites and use apps in order to give you search results faster. However, over time, cache can build up and slow down (or even overheat) your phone. It can be an issue after updating to a new version of the operating system; Apple just released iOS 18.6.1, so you may be dealing with this right now.
When this happens, you'll need to clear the cache, like you would for a web browser. By clearing this collection of data in your phone's browsers and apps, you give the device a fresh start and improve its performance. It’s a simple task that you should be performing once every few months to keep your phone functioning well. Here's how it's done.
Clear Browser Cache
Let’s start with browsers. First, close all those tabs that you’ve lost track of (don’t worry, it happens to us all). Instructions for each browser will vary; we outline Safari, Chrome, and Firefox below. You'll need to sign back into your online accounts once the cache is cleared.
For Safari, go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. Here, you can choose whether to clear the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history. (There's also the option to close all your tabs from this menu.)
If you're using Chrome, open the app and select More > Delete Browsing Data > Browsing Dat. Select what you want to remove. When you’re done, tap Delete Data.
Firefox users should open the app and select Settings > Privacy > Data Management. Make sure Cache is toggled on; you can also clear browsing history, cookies, online website data, tracking protection, and downloaded files. Select what you want and tap Clear Private Data at the bottom.
Clear App Cache
You can’t technically clear individual app caches on an iPhone, but offloading an app will essentially achieve the same thing. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to see what apps you use the least. Tap any apps you don’t need on your phone right now and select Offload App. The app will remain on your home screen, but you'll need to tap it to re-download before you can get back in.
About Our Experts
My title is Senior Features Writer, which is a license to write about absolutely anything if I can connect it to technology (I can). I’ve been at PCMag since 2011 and have covered the surveillance state, vaccination cards, ghost guns, voting, ISIS, art, fashion, film, design, gender bias, and more. You might have seen me on TV talking about these topics or heard me on your commute home on the radio or a podcast. Or maybe you’ve just seen my Bernie meme.Â
I strive to explain topics that you might come across in the news but not fully understand, such as NFTs and meme stocks. I’ve had the pleasure of talking tech with Jeff Goldblum, Ang Lee, and other celebrities who have brought a different perspective to it. I put great care into writing gift guides and am always touched by the notes I get from people who’ve used them to choose presents that have been well-received. Though I love that I get to write about the tech industry every day, it’s touched by gender, racial, and socioeconomic inequality and I try to bring these topics to light.Â
Outside of PCMag, I write fiction, poetry, humor, and essays on culture.
Making incomprehensible tech news easy to understand
Expanding the boundaries of topics covered in the industry
Figuring out tips and tricks in apps and on devices and letting you know about them
Putting together gift guides for everyone in your lifeÂ
All that gadgets is gold for me: my iPhone 11 Pro, my fifth-generation iPad that I use only for streaming videos and music, my iPad mini 4 that I like to take with me whenever I carry a bag that can fit it, and my MacBook Pro. Why are they all different shades of gold, though? What’s going on, Apple?Â
None of them quite live up to my two past loves: my LG Lotus LX600 phone and my Sony Walkman NW-E005 MP3 player.Â
I've never given up wired earbuds so I was ahead of all those trend pieces. I use a Mangotek Lightning-to-3.5mm headphone jack adapter to connect them to my phone.Â
I have had so many ebook readers, but I prefer paper to them all. Still, my Kindle Paperwhite is perfect for traveling or when I’m too impatient to wait for a book to be released in paperback.
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As PCMag's editor of how to content, I have to cover a wide variety of topics and also make our stories accessible to everyday users. Considering my history as a technical writer, copywriter, and all-around freelancer covering baseball, comics, and more at various outlets, I am used to making myself into an expert.
I believe tech corporations are bad, but you might as well know how to use technology in everyday life. Want more how to content delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the tips and tricks newsletter that I curate twice a week.
My job as how-to guru means I use just about every gadget under the sun, so I can figure out how everything works. I work from a Lenovo ThinkPad running Windows 11, but also have a very large Dell Inspiron 17 3000 and Apple silicon MacBook. I also have a Google Pixel 6a for personal use and use a Galaxy Z Flip 4 for additional Samsung-related testing. For iOS coverage, an iPhone 13 mini works like a charm, though it's already becoming a little long in the tooth.
My desktop situation includes a dual monitor setup with a modest Acer monitor. I also use a Logitech mouse (who can use these ThinkPad trackpads) and a Havit keyboard (my first mechanical keyboard; I love it but my wife hates it!). I'm a recent convert from wired headphones; I have Anker Soundcore Liberty Air wireless earbuds for personal use and have taken to the Sennheiser HD 450BT headphones for work.
Whenever I have a second to myself, I'm probably gaming on my Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or Xbox Series S. I also still have a bunch of classic consoles lying around as well.
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