How to clear your Android phone cache (and give it a serious speed boost)

Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers.

Google released Android 16 back in June to Pixel devices and select OEMs, bringing performance improvements, new Material You changes, and more upgrades. If you want to try this update but are hesitant because you've noticed your Android phone or tablet already feels too sluggish, clearing app and browser caches can give it a fresh boost and free up some storage space.

Also: The best Android phones to buy in 2025

Over time, cached data can accumulate, become corrupted, or simply get outdated, which may slow down your device. Restarting your phone often helps, but a targeted cache-clear is a quick way to boost responsiveness without upgrading hardware.

In this guide, I'll show you how to clear cached data on Android. If you're an Apple user ...