How Frequently Do You Wipe the Cache Partition?

[Murph5150]

I've been making it a point to, once a week, go into 'system recovery' and wipe the cache. It isn't to correct an issue that not wiping can create, but rather as maintenance to keep the phone running well.

I was curious how often the rest of you wipe the cache?

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Wayne Sanders]

I just do it here on the note3.

 

[Crashdamage]

Never. Cache files are there for a reason, mostly to speed up operation. Deleting them only wastes CPU cycles and power rebuilding them. So unless you have a specific problem related to caches, you should get the best performance by leaving caches alone.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.

 

[doogald]

Never. Cache files are there for a reason, mostly to speed up operation. Deleting them only wastes CPU cycles and power rebuilding them. So unless you have a specific problem related to caches, you should get the best performance by leaving caches alone.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.

Pretty much this for me. I have wiped cache twice, just to see what would happen. There was no difference in performance or battery life at all for me that I wouldn't see from simply restarting the phone. If your phone is giving you trouble it's a useful step before a factory reset but otherwise it just seems to be a waste of time to me.

The good news is that it doesn't hurt anything to do it, beyond the battery drain as the phone wipes cache and then rebuilds it when you could be using it for something useful.

 

[KPMcClave]

Wiping the cache partitition isn't the same as wiping the cached data in Settings > Storage.

 

[Davidoo]

Wiping the cache partitition isn't the same as wiping the cached data in Settings > Storage.

This...Exactly! I have got into the habit of wiping that partition whenever I make a change on my Turbo such as adding/removing an app. I swear by it as I have never dropped one call or had ANY of the problems others report with their Turbo. I'm an IT person and a bit "superstitious" about keeping my devices clean and running smoothly. The same thing should be done with other operating systems such as any version of Windows. I can't tell you how many time issues with Internet Explorer have been solved simply by deleting the cache.

 

[Wayne Sanders]

Wiping the cache partitition isn't the same as wiping the cached data in Settings > Storage.

Ok

I see what you are saying. So i wiped cached data, in storage, then checked my most used apps, and it did do it, across the board. If that could help anyone in the future, it saves going and clearing the cache, in individual apps.
So i stand corrected. Thanks for the info

 

[doogald]

I can't tell you how many time issues with Internet Explorer have been solved simply by deleting the cache.

But you are describing a different kind of cache - that's closer to what Wayne Sanders was suggesting, and you can still delete the browser cache from within settings of the Chrome browser on Android. What you are doing when you clear the /cache partition is wiping Dalvik cache images. They are not static dynamic* at all - each app will always have the same Dalvik cache, so wiping the cache partition just rebuilds the same cache all over again. Wiping cache is useful in the rare case that the cache was corrupted somehow - the phone shut down while running an app for the first time as the system was writing the cache files, or the app crashed, something like that.

The only Windows apps that I can think of that would have similar cache files are when you run Java apps (not applets in the browser, but full apps, such as CrashPlan or MoneyDance - the two major Java apps I can think of...), for the same reason that it happens on Android - Android apps are also almost always Java apps.

But, again, as I said earlier, it won't hurt your phone to wipe cache, so go for it if you want to.

[edit]* Ugh, I originally wrote they are not static at all, but my brain must not have been working right. I meant to say how I corrected it - they are, in fact, not dynamic, and are static. Once the cache is written, it stays until the app is updated, and then I believe the cache is written to dalvik cache in the /data partition.

 

[KPMcClave]

Ok

I see what you are saying. So i wiped cached data, in storage, then checked my most used apps, and it did do it, across the board. If that could help anyone in the future, it saves going and clearing the cache, in individual apps.
So i stand corrected. Thanks for the info

Yes, it's much easier to clean the cached data in the Settings > Storage than do each app individually. Of course, the common wisdom as has been pointed out is that we shouldnt. Modern Android now handles that better than we can, etc. I still delete the data cached every once in a while anyway. I don't disagree with the common wisdom, but I do think there are situations where apps that are used rarely don't need to be ready to fly open at the click of an icon. So, I clean those up and the next time I use them if they take longer to load, so be it. Because I clean the data cache as you descrtibed, that also means the next time I open frequently used apps they will have to rebuild that, but as I said I try not to delete the cached data too often.

As for the original question, which I neglected to answer with my first post, I wipe the cache parition around once a week or so. If the phone has been running without a reboot for a while, I'll reboot and wipe the cache partition. I make a point to do this soon when I've uninstalled apps, since my understanding is this is one of the things that can result in "leftovers" that clearing the cache partition clears out.

 

[Davidoo]

But you are describing a different kind of cache - that's closer to what Wayne Sanders was suggesting, and you can still delete the browser cache from within settings of the Chrome browser on Android. What you are doing when you clear the /cache partition is wiping Dalvik cache images. They are not static at all - each app will always have the same Dalvik cache, so wiping the cache partition just rebuilds the same cache all over again. Wiping cache is useful in the rare case that the cache was corrupted somehow - the phone shut down while running an app for the first time as the system was writing the cache files, or the app crashed, something like that.

The only Windows apps that I can think of that would have similar cache files are when you run Java apps (not applets in the browser, but full apps, such as CrashPlan or MoneyDance - the two major Java apps I can think of...), for the same reason that it happens on Android - Android apps are also almost always Java apps.

But, again, as I said earlier, it won't hurt your phone to wipe cache, so go for it if you want to.

Yes doogald, I agree that you are technically correct in that they are different types of cache. I was just trying to make the general point that sometimes things get stuck or corrupted in any type of cached data and I have seen many instances of problems being corrected by deleting this data and starting over. ....And thanks for all your good posts doogald!

Dave

 

[doogald]

I make a point to do this soon when I've uninstalled apps, since my understanding is this is one of the things that can result in "leftovers" that clearing the cache partition clears out.

While this may be true, I'm not sure I understand what it saves. It'll clear space in the /cache partition, but that's only useful for future cache files. The cache files themselves are not all that large and I 'm not sure I've ever read of a phone made in the last few years running out of space in the /cache partition anyway. I'm fairly certain that phones like the Turbo have more than enough space allocated for the /cache partition.

But, it's possible I'm missing something that's important...

 

[KPMcClave]

While this may be true, I'm not sure I understand what it saves. It'll clear space in the /cache partition, but that's only useful for future cache files. The cache files themselves are not all that large and I 'm not sure I've ever read of a phone made in the last few years running out of space in the /cache partition anyway. I'm fairly certain that phones like the Turbo have more than enough space allocated for the /cache partition.

But, it's possible I'm missing something that's important...

Directly from the Tuirbo pages at Verizon:

"If apps freeze/hang, your device crashes/resets, you can't view email attachments or website images or your data isn't syncing, wiping your cache partition may help. Our Troubleshooting Assistant can help you with other device issues if you aren't currently using the tool."

Wipe Cache Partition DROID TURBO by Motorola | Verizon Wireless

That's my understanding of the value of wiping the cache partition in Recovery, as I've seen it stated similarly elsewhere many times. In addition, I've also seen mentions of leftover files from uninstalls being a problem. It does seem to solve some folks issues when they do it, as well.

In my case, since rogue temp files can cause issues, I am taking more of a preventative approach and wiping the cache paritition before they have a chance to do so. In this case it isn't about storage space for me, it's about proactively avoiding the issues outlined in the quote from the Verizon site above.

 

[JohnS305]

Once a month. I'm on a schedule of doing it the first weekend of the month. As a matter of fact I just did it a few minutes ago.

 

[maxman1]

I'd say "occasionally" for me. I wipe it after the install/uninstall of several apps, after a system update or if I've had an app create an issue but if all is well I don't bother doing as routine maintenance.

 

[doogald]

I'd say "occasionally" for me. I wipe it after the install/uninstall of several apps, after a system update or if I've had an app create an issue but if all is well I don't bother doing as routine maintenance.

Just FYI, a Cache wipe is always done as part of a system update. You can probably skip doing it then.

 

[KPMcClave]

Just FYI, a Cache wipe is always done as part of a system update. You can probably skip doing it then.

I still get the feeling you're talking about the data cache as in Storage > Settings, not wiping the cache partition in Recovery.

 

[doogald]

I still get the feeling you're talking about the data cache as in Storage > Settings, not wiping the cache partition in Recovery.

No, I'm talking about the cache partition. You see it being rebuilt on boot after the ota is installed. Because so many system apps change, it's faster to wipe the cache partition than have each app update their cache on first run.

 

[dungoyle]

I never wipe the entire cache in the GUI in the phone. I may "clear cache" for specific application if it's causing problems; sometimes "clear data" as well if necessary. I do clear the cache partition in recovery mode about once a month.

 

[anon(5719825)]

Never. Even when upgrading the OS.

 

[doogald]

Ok, I had this completely wrong - the Dalvik cache is stored on the /data partition. I was remembering the old days when I rooted a much older phone that had limited data partition space and moved Dalvik to the cache partition, which had a ton of unused space.

/cache is used to store log files for the OS, some temp files, and OTA downloads before they are installed (which is not a problem for the Turbo these days, yuk yuk.) I still go back to that if the phone is running fine - you are getting no crashes of the OS - wiping cache is unimportant. But, again, it doesn't hurt anything, either.