What happens if you clear the cache on Android. Is it possible to clear cached data? Cache for games on Android

Cache operation scheme

A cache is a specially allocated small area of ​​memory with a larger exchange rate data than the traditional one. He exists in view inconsistencies between the computing power of processors and the speed of reading information from standard memory storage devices.

Progress required increasing volumes for data storage, while their processing speed has lagged since the dawn of computers. It is because of this that such a “bridge” was developed. The process of entering information into the cache memory is called " caching" Actually, that’s why it’s important to do it in a timely manner. cleanse– to maintain reading efficiency.

Caching in browsers


Browser caching algorithm

Often, when talking about caching, many people remember cache-files in browsers. And it’s not surprising, since cleaning them is one of the main tips that users are given when errors occur.

Are accumulating they, along with the number of sites visited - from them, part of the information is loaded into the cache memory, thereby two goals: speed up total loading time and decrease load on network traffic. When you re-enter the site, it happens examination on the relevance of data between the server and client. It is up to the creator of the web page to decide what should be saved and what not.

Cache in Windows

On Windows operating systems, cache files take up a fair amount of space. Are saved various temporary files created after running or changing a program, preview images and musical compositions, restore points OS.

Controls this process, the so-called cash manager, which periodically gets rid of from irrelevant resources. Moreover, it is precisely this frequency that is the key factor. effective work: if files are deleted too often, the system will waste time reading them again, and if too rarely, there will simply be no room left for new information.

Cache on Android

On smartphones with the Android operating system, the situation looks similar, with one significant “but” - the amount of memory provided much lower than on a personal computer. In addition, after launching programs, they are stored in a tray list, from where they can then be recreated. expand, with all saved changes made in the last session.

Unfortunately, the OS does not do a very good job of cleaning up unnecessary files, which is why applications may not work if used for a long time. incorrect, and the performance of the phone itself is significantly will decrease. To prevent this, it is recommended to use third-party programs, which perform cleaning, for example, Clean Master.

Data caching is the placement of information in a special place. Allows you to quickly access saved pictures and web pages. One easy example to understand is a browser that saves pages visited by a user for quick access later.

The space specifically allocated for this area is much smaller than that of the information storage.

Cached data is information that is saved on a computer or phone (including Android) after it has been opened and viewed. This could be photos, music, gaming applications, etc.

Information in the memory buffer of gaming applications includes textures, video, audio, and game settings. During the process of caching music, it is saved to the device’s storage device so that it does not consume traffic in the future and plays faster, regardless of Internet speed.

Upon subsequent logins to the computer where the pictures were viewed, certain pages are opened, their thumbnails saved in a specially designated folder allow open faster the same photographs or pages on the Internet.

In the phone, this data represents information about completed levels of mobile games, settings for various programs. These are cached files that the phone saves for the user to use next time. didn't reconfigure your mobile device.

Over time, the buffer eats up a large amount of memory as data gradually accumulates and most often is not automatically cleared. Therefore, occasional manual cleaning is recommended.

On phones with the Android operating system, in order to perform cleaning, you need to go to settings, find the item “ Applications", select a specific application whose size occupies a large amount of space and run the cleaning.

On Samsung, starting with the Android lollipop operating system, a special tab called “ Cached data" This function independently collects information about the filling of the device’s memory buffer, and the user can easily find it in “ Settings" - go to the point " Memory" and click on it. On the screen, among the other items, the “Cached Data” tab will be located.

In addition to this function, Samsung phones have another additional option for working with the memory buffer - this is smart manager. It allows you to quickly clear clogged memory.

How to use cache

“Hidden” (from the French “casher” - to hide) data is used to make work easier server hosting, downloading games and applications. They are formed on the user’s computer at the time of opening - cached files are formed in a hidden temporary folder. They are stored there until the user again requests a page or game that he has already opened.

Such files are saved not only for relieving the load on servers, this is also done so that the user does not wait for a picture or a site that he has already viewed once to open; the download occurs from temporary files, which speeds up several times opening.

There are several other concepts that are similar in meaning:


It is worth noting that the larger the storage, the more information the computer can process.

In hard drives on a personal computer, the presence of a shared cache almost imperceptibly, since the memory is several times larger than the size of the buffered information. However, it also needs to be cleaned using special programs.

Cached data on a mobile phone can very quickly fill up the built-in storage of a smartphone, so it is advisable to constantly clean it.

Is it possible to clear cached data?

Information from the buffer it is recommended to remove. Since it affects the speed of mobile devices as it fills. As a result, there may be frequent errors and crashes one or another program. Therefore, if problems arise in the operation of the device, clear the cache first.

It is worth noting that cleaning can delete logins, passwords and saved data of applications and games, so it is not advisable to clean constantly used applications and games.

Cache- a fast-access intermediate buffer containing information that is most likely to be requested. Accessing data in a cache is faster than retrieving source data from slower memory or a remote source, but its capacity is significantly limited compared to source data storage. Wikipedia

How to clear cache on Android 4 and older

Every Android smartphone has an application manager, which can be accessed through the settings menu. Usually it is in the top level, although it all depends on the phone. Here's how to access it and clear the cache:

Step 1. Open the Settings menu» either using the notification panel (drop-down list) or using the “Settings” icon.

Step 2. Go to the "Applications" tab. It may be called “All applications” (in Xiaomi smartphones) or application manager in pure Android smartphones.

Step 3. After this select application.

Step 4. Here you will see a list of various information about this application, including “Permissions”, “Memory Usage”, etc. These are all clickable items. You need select "Storage".

Step 5. Here you will see buttons Clear cache and Erase data.

Step 6. Done!

When to clear cache or data...

So, when should you manually clear an app's cache? Most likely you will never need to do this. But if the application starts to slow down or become glitchy, clear the cache.

Every user of a mobile device running the Android operating system knows that caching exists. However, not everyone understands what a cache is and how to effectively clear and free its memory. In fact, managing the cache in the Android operating system is easy, so there are more than enough opportunities to use the device.

Cache: main types

On any Android mobile phone, there are three types of cache memory, each of which has a specific section of the operating system.

  1. Dalvik cache. This cache belongs to the Dalvik virtual machine register, which is initially present in the operating system code and is responsible for the functions of all programs.
  2. System application cache. In this case, the information can be found in the /cache section. The main task is to manage various functions of the operating system. It is not recommended to clear the system application cache, as otherwise the mobile phone will not be able to function fully.
  3. User application cache. Information in this case can be stored in the internal memory of the smartphone or on a memory card (it all depends on the user’s settings). In this case, the cleaning process will be completely safe for the user.

Knowing what the cache is in an Android phone, you can successfully and safely carry out the cleaning procedure.

The easiest ways

It is important to highlight the three easiest ways to clear memory to improve Android functionality.

  1. The easiest way - . However, any custom settings will be lost.
  2. It is advisable to delete the following data: SMS, email messages, unused programs, downloaded songs, images. All these files require a lot of space, but often remain unclaimed.
  3. Another important step is deleting audio and video files. You can first transfer information to another storage source: memory card, cloud storage.
  4. It is recommended to clear the browser cache regularly, because temporary files are not required by the operating system and the user. Easy way: Menu – History – Clear browser history.
  5. Cleaning an individual application: Notifications - Settings - More details - Application data. This way will allow you to delete all unnecessary information in the shortest possible time.

Promptly deleting cache from Android guarantees maximum smartphone performance.

What is cache? What is it for? How to clean it and why is it necessary? Such questions are often asked by novice users of smartphones and tablets running the Android operating system. Let's look at these questions.

What is cache in Android?

A cache is a special place in the internal memory of the device in which temporary files of games and applications are located. This can be audio and video files, application data, images, scripts, etc.

The cache in Android is needed to reduce data access time and, accordingly, increase the speed of applications, as well as to reduce the load on RAM. The caching algorithm in Android OS works in such a way that the most frequently used data is stored in cache memory, from where it can be retrieved more quickly the next time it is accessed. The main purpose of the cache is to speed up the system.

To make the caching algorithm clear, we will give a simple example at the everyday level. Imagine a library in which a librarian lends books to readers. Books are stored in the hall, from where the employee takes out the requested publications. Some books are in great demand, while others are in little demand. To cut down on work, the librarian begins to store popular books next to him so as not to have to go to the library again and speed up customer service. In this example, the library is the internal memory of the device, the books are the data, the reader is the application requesting data for processing, the librarian is the memory controller servicing the requests, and the shelf with popular books next to the librarian is the cache.

Why do you need to clear the cache?

Based on the above, we can see that caching applications is a useful process, but the cache sometimes needs to be cleared. The main reasons for this action are the expansion of memory for data and incorrect operation of the application. With active and prolonged use of applications, their cache grows, and if the device has a shortage of internal memory, then cleaning it will to some extent help resolve this issue.

Clearing the data of a faulty application can help get rid of its incorrect operation. After all, it also happens that erroneous data is stored in the cache, which leads to a malfunction of the application. You need to understand that clearing the cache is not deleting a program, but only deleting temporary files.

The cache can be cleared in two ways: using the standard application manager and special programs, so-called cleaners.

Cleaning using the Application Manager is somewhat inconvenient and is more suitable to clear the data of a specific application.


Cleaning using special applications is the fastest and most convenient way. The official store has a large number of applications for cleaning junk files on Android. One of the mandatory functions in such programs is clearing the cache. The most popular among them are Clean Master and CCleaner.