iOS 16 is here and some users wonder if there are any changes to the way apps store data on their iPhones. Simply put, nothing changed in that regard and you still can’t clear the app cache on iOS 16. However, there are some alternative things you can do. Learn more below.
Table of contents:
Can you clear the cache on iOS?
If you’re coming from an Android device, it might be strange realizing that you can’t clear the app cache on iOS. The iOS works a bit differently. It doesn’t separate cache from local data (app settings, configuration, files, etc.). You can Offload Apps, delete browsing data from Safari, or reset your iPhone to factory settings to reduce the size of System Cached data.
1. Offload Apps
You can’t clear app cache on iPhones as you can on an Android but you have an option to offload apps. When you Offload an app, the app gets deleted but all the files, configuration settings, and data will stay on your device. The next time you get the app from App Store, the data will be restored. In comparison, if you delete the app, all the app data will get deleted in the process. You can still see deleted apps in App Store.
Here’s how to Offload Apps on your iPhone:
- Open Settings.
- Select General.
- Choose iPhone Storage.
- Select an app you don’t use regularly but don’t want to delete its data.
- Tap Offload App.
2. Delete browsing data from Safari
Just like any other browser, Safari stores browsing data and cache (cookies) from websites you visited. Over time, this locally-stored data might slow down Safari so we recommend clearing the browsing data from time to time. You have an option to clear the data from a particular website or wipe everything.
Here’s how to clear browsing data from Safari:
- Open Settings.
- Choose Safari.
- Select Advanced from the bottom.
- Choose Website Data.
- Select Edit and remove data for particular websites.
- Alternatively, you can tap Remove All Website Data to clear the browsing data completely.
If you don’t want sites to store data locally, you can Block All Cookies in Settings > Safari.
3. Reset your device to factory settings
Finally, you’ll notice that iOS and System Data can aggregate a lot of data over time and take up a lot of internal storage space. You can’t clear cache or data from System Data and the only way to reset this is to reset your device to factory settings. Later, you can recover your Settings from iCloud Backup, using your AppleID. Just don’t forget to back up your data before erasing everything.
Here’s how to reset your iPhone to factory settings:
- Open Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Choose Erase All Content and Settings.
- Tap Continue and follow further instructions.
- Restore your data after the iPhone reboots by signing in with your Apple ID.
Alternatively, you can use your Mac or iTunes on your Windows PC. Thank you for reading and feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions with us in the comments section below. We look forward to hearing from you.
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