Clearing out the cache on your iPhone 13 Pro web browser is a good way to get rid of a lot of excess data, which is likely to have built up over the course of visiting many different websites every day. Whether your iPhone 13 Pro uses Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari, your browser collects and stores data every time you surf the web. This information makes up your cookies and cache, and it helps your phone speedily log in to your accounts and load frequently visited sites.
But this data eventually builds up, taking up space on your phone while also probably including cookies that are tracking your browsing history with the intention of serving personalized advertising. (I’ve been seeing ads for eyeglasses after visiting a few online stores to compare prices and styles, as well as for cruise vacations after eyeing a few possible getaways.)
That’s why clearing your cache can help: It gives sites a fresh start in your browser and frees up some space in your iPhone 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 now and then to keep things moving quickly.
Here are step-by-step guides on how to clear your cache on your iPhone 13 Pro based on the browser you use.
How to clear your iPhone 13 Pro 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.
- Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Go into Safari.
- Navigate to Advanced > Website Data.
- Scroll down and select Clear History and Website Data.
- Choose Remove Now in the pop-up box.
Then you’re set!
How to clear your iPhone 13 Pro cache in Chrome
Chrome is another popular browser for iPhone users. The overall process for clearing your Chrome cache requires a few more steps, and you’ll need to do things through the Chrome browser itself. Here’s how.
- Start the Chrome app.
- Select the three dots in the bottom right to open more options.
- Go into Settings.
- Select Privacy in the next menu.
- Then select Clear Browsing Data to open up one last menu.
- Select the intended time range at the top of the menu (anywhere from Last Hour to All Time).
- Make sure that Cookies, Site Data is selected, along with Cached Images and Files. Finally, hit Clear Browsing Data at the bottom of the screen.
How to clear your iPhone 13 Pro cache in Firefox
If you’re a Firefox devotee, don’t worry. Clearing the cache on your iPhone 13 Pro is pretty straightforward. Just follow these steps.
- Click the hamburger menu in the bottom right corner to open up options.
- Select Settings at the bottom of the menu.
- Choose Data Management in the Privacy section.
- You can select Website Data to clear data for individual sites, or select Clear Private Data at the bottom of the screen to clear data from all selected fields.
What happens when you clear the cache?
Clearing your cache removes the website data your phone stored locally to prevent having to download that data upon each new visit. The data in your cache builds over time and can end up slowing things down if it becomes too bulky. (My phone had about 150MB of data stored in Chrome when I checked.) Clearing that data gives sites a fresh start, which may fix some loading errors and speed up your browser. However, clearing your cache also signs you out of pages, so be prepared to sign in to everything again.
How often do I need to clear my cache?
Most people only need to clear their caches once every month or two. That’s generally the point when your browser will build up a cache large enough to start slowing things down. If you frequent a large number of sites, you should err on the side of clearing your cache more often.
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