Each of the mobiles, without the exception of a single one, stores the well-known cache memory inside. This type of phone storage offers us many possibilities and advantages. Possibly, you had never considered until now what its purpose is. Although, we are facing a resource by which the use of mobile phones directly affects the performance of smartphones.
We should not confuse it with the rest of the known memories, such as RAM or the internal space that all mobile devices have. This well-known memory is not a physical element that we can touch, but rather a part of the essential software for the development of all the activities that we carry out with smartphones.
In this case, the cache of the phones coexists within the internal memory , although it also has its temporary relationship with the RAM of the smartphones with the same purpose, to speed up the processes. But, so that you can get rid of doubts, we will tell you exactly what it is for and if there is any way to delete it from mobiles.
What is the phone cache for?
Cache memory is recognized in computing as a type of storage that provides us with quick access to previously stored data in less time . As we have mentioned, it is part of the main space of the devices. This means that, in smartphones, it grows according to the needs of each user.
This temporary memory lives with us from the first moment we turn on the mobile to store our accounts, preferences and changes in the terminal. Without the existence of the cache memory , the space of the phone would be reduced to RAM memory and we would have to log in daily to our favorite services or even we would have to choose the favorite language of the system.
In smartphones, the cache is divided into system and application caches , creating two different partitions. In addition, the cache is divided into each app and section of the system with a simple objective that we can find out later. More than anything, because this type of storage will be more important than we could have imagined at first.
Thanks to this accumulated memory in the smartphone, the phone does not have to repeat processes that it already knows and in this way we will be able to save resources, time and even energy in the terminal. Well, if every time, for example, we opened an app, we had to redo all the processes from scratch, the energy consumption would be much higher at all times. Therefore, it was designed in such a way that it does not have to ‘learn’ from us again and although it is not an AI, its resources will improve our user experience.
How much space does it take up in memory?
The main drawback when in doubt about how much space the cache memory can occupy on a mobile, the truth is that the answer is not simple. And it is that, basically, in practically no operating system and not even in Android, we are shown any information about this type of storage in the entire terminal. Taking into account that this memory is divided into several sections, we can try ourselves in each of the applications from the settings themselves, but we cannot know it completely. If you want to review it in each app, these are the steps we must follow:
- First of all, we must access the Settings application.
- Tap on the Applications tab.
- See all apps .
- Enter each of them and click on Storage .
- Inside, we will see a section that says Cache .
- There, it will show how much cache each application occupies.
Another way to see the terminal’s cache will be by entering Settings and directly accessing the Storage section. There, we can click on Applications, from where we can gradually see the cache memory provided by the system about the space that a specific app can occupy. Although, unfortunately, there is no way to know how much space is really occupied by the elements of the system and the cache that has been generated over time on the smartphone.
Can the cache be cleared?
The positive side is that there is no problem when it comes to clearing the cache of the smartphone . Although, the act of eliminating this type of storage leads to us losing preferences and different options that we have modified on our own. And it is that, we will be able to clear the cache of applications and the phone’s system.
In addition, it will cause us to use the system and/or applications again as if the smartphone were new, although we will not have any problem with the files that we have saved, in any case, especially when clearing the system cache , it is recommended to protect the elements important to possible data loss.
However, the fact of eliminating this type of space may be the solution to different mobile problems on different occasions. The option that mobile phones offer us to get rid of the cache memory in applications and also in the system is a common resource to solve problems. This allows us in a certain way to return the smartphone to its original state and thus avoid problems due to preferences, configuration or derivatives.
Step by step in the apps
The first thing we have to know is that it is a very quick and easy process to do on Android smartphones, but that, however, it is not feasible on iPhones. It does not matter the model, the brand or the Android customization layer that our mobile has, because the steps will be identical. To erase this memory that accumulates in smartphones we have to follow this process:
- First, we go into the Settings .
- We go to the Applications section.
- Now we enter the app in which we want to clear the cache.
- We touch on Storage and cache.
- And then click on clear cache .
The system cache
In this case, we will find that not all Android smartphones have the same options to clear the cache of applications and services separately from the system. Currently, OnePlus, OPPO and realme smartphones, among other smartphone brands, do offer us the well-known Wipe cache , which consists of the following steps:
- We turn off the mobile .
- Then we press and hold the volume down and power buttons .
- Next, we will move with the volume down and volume up keys to the Wipe data and cache or Wipe cache partition option.
- Click on this option with the power button.
- Finally, we played on Yes .
- To finish, we choose reboot and the smartphone will turn on again.
In the other cases of those smartphones that do not have these options that we have just seen, we are forced to do a hard reset that, in addition to deleting the system cache and all applications, will delete all system elements. Well, there will be no other way to remove this type of storage from the terminal system.
Is it good to delete it continuously?
Checking that the option to delete the cache is a good way to put an end to the different not so serious problems that can appear in a terminal, in addition to allowing us to free up space, we can think that then deleting the cache continuously will be our solution. Although it will not always be the best alternative as we will see.
However, we found that it is not a recommended practice since continuously deleting it will force the smartphone and ourselves to repeat processes that should be automatic. In addition, we will be making the smartphone have to demand more and more from the processor every day .
And the problem does not end there, since the system will even require more energy from the battery to calculate processes that it should already have stored. As much as we delete the cache of the mobile, it will not be the solution that we are constantly looking for, it is an alternative solution that can be given in certain cases. Therefore, it is a good idea to know what the steps to follow are if we want to eliminate it in the event that we suffer a problem in the device’s software or in a specific app.
Differences between clearing data and cache
In the process that we have carried out to clear the cache of the applications, we also come across the option to delete data, which can generate doubts . The truth is that both contents go hand in hand, since when we delete the data we are also deleting the cache or at least part of it.
The cache is, therefore, a more specific part that the application or the system needs for its operation, while the data that is stored collects, in addition to this, other aspects such as history, images or even videos. Therefore, we must be even more careful when deleting the data of the applications or system if we do not want to lose something necessary.
In any case, in order for us to know how to recognize the differences between clearing the cache and the option to clear data, we must be clear that the cache is based on temporary elements that the app stores to improve performance. Among everything that is part of the cache we find temporary images, files in reduced format such as icons or even the last thing we have seen and that will be stored temporarily until we visit the app again.
That is why, the key moment to erase this memory, would be in minor problems or to solve some other problem that is affecting the proper functioning of the system or a specific application , as we mentioned before. Like, for example, when an app keeps closing and we can’t open or use it for a while. With this quick solution we will be freeing a cache memory that may be filling the capacity of the smartphone.