Don't let digital data clog up your internet browsers.
Your iPhone is just like every other piece of technology -- it needs a little routine maintenance. And while you should definitely keep it in good physical condition, like regularly cleaning its screen, some of it should happen digitally, too. Even behemoths like the new iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max can get bogged down if you're not keeping them optimized. One of the simplest pieces of upkeep is clearing your iPhone cache every month.
Believe me, I get it. We all have a laundry list of things to remember to do each month. Pay your rent or mortgage. Give your home a deeper clean than the weekly sweep. Talk to that person you meant to talk to last month. Those little tasks add up, which makes them easy to forget. But this is such a small task, you can do it in seconds after reading this guide.
Whether you're browsing in Chrome, Safari or elsewhere on your iPhone, your cache builds up digital clutter over time. Clearing your cache gives your browser a new start, which can speed up your browsing whether you're using iOS 15 or iOS 16. (And if you're trying to get your phone to run faster, try managing your iPhone's storage.)
Think of your browser cache like a digital storage closet. Over time, an iPhone stores website data like photos and banners in that closet so it can retrieve them when you visit a site. Most of the time, this speeds up your browsing. Before too long, though, that closet starts to get cluttered, and the contents may no longer match what you need.
Eventually, your browser's cache becomes outdated and the data being retrieved no longer matches the data actually being used on the website. The result? Slower load speeds and wonky formatting.
That's why clearing your cache can help: It gives sites a fresh start in your browser and frees up some space in your storage. Note that clearing your cache will sign you out of sites you're currently logged into. Still, it's generally worth that mild inconvenience every month or so to keep things moving quickly.
Here are step-by-step guides on how to clear your cache on your iPhone based on the browser you use.
How to clear your iPhone cache in Safari
Safari is the default browser on iPhones, and you can clear your Safari cache in a few short steps. Starting with iOS 11, following this process will affect all devices signed in to your iCloud account. As a result all your devices' caches will be cleared, and you'll need to sign in to everything the next time you use them. Here's what to do.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Select Safari from the list of apps.
- Go to Advanced > Website Data.
- Scroll down and select Remove All Website Data.
- Choose Remove Now in the pop-up box.