On some devices, the touchscreen may work in recovery, allowing you to tap the option you want to select. If so, enter your lock screen password to enter recovery mode. If this doesn’t work, the button combination may be different on your device-refer to the user documentation if necessary. To do so, power off the device, then press and hold the power and volume down button until the phone powers back on. To wipe your phone’s system cache, you will first need to restart the device in recovery mode. As with many things in Android, your mileage may vary. Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, and phones from Oppo and Honor had no such option, for example. We tested several phones, and only those by OnePlus and Alcatel allowed us to clear the cache. How to Wipe Your Phone’s System CacheĪs mentioned, some phones don’t have a system cache partition. If you are experiencing trouble on your phone and you’re out of options, you’re welcome to give this a try.

For example, sometimes, these files can become corrupted and cause issues.

While we don’t recommend clearing the system cache-especially regularly or for no reason-there are occasions where it can help.

If you wipe the cache, the system will rebuild those files the next time your phone needs them (just like with app cache). The files that are stored there allow your device to access commonly referenced information without having to rebuild it constantly. Wiping the system cache shouldn’t cause any trouble, but it’s also not likely to help much either. RELATED: Why Android No Longer Needs a Cache Partition Should You Wipe the System Cache? Clearing that cache is a great way to free up space-just keep in mind that the app will rebuild the cache as you use it, so clearing it isn’t a permanent fix if you need more space. Every app has its own cache file which is separate from the system cache file and does take up user-accessible space. For example, Spotify stores streamed music in its cache file for faster (and offline) playback. The system cache is also different from cached app data, which is data stored by apps and specific to that particular app. Files stored there don’t take up any user-accessible space-clearing your system cache won’t allow you to download any new apps, store files, or save more cat photos. If yours has a system cache, it will be on a separate partition from your primary phone storage. Many modern phones don’t even have a system cache now. Android has since moved away from that, preferring a different method for installing updates. Some time ago, in the days before Nougat, Android used a system cache to store system update files. What Is the System Cache and What Data Is Stored There?

The long dark cache