On browsers like Chrome, you will see the cookies option when you browse a website on the internet. These cookie data are saved in the file cache of your Chrome app memory storage. Not only does the app have caches, but other apps that are non-browsers also have these caches.
The purpose of these cookies is to retrieve account information on a website. But there are some situations where we need to clear these cookies. For instance, when we need to keep our account on a website private and when we need to troubleshoot our Android device.
To clear cookies on an Android Chrome app, you follow two significant steps. First, you remove your Chrome browsing history from the Chrome menu option. Secondly, you go to the Chrome settings and select “Cookies and site data” and “Cached images and files”. From here, you choose the websites you want to clear their cookies.
Kindly follow the step-by-step process of clearing cookies on Android, as given in the remaining parts of this article.
How To Clear Cookies on Android
All apps on your Android device keep caches. While browser apps — such as Chrome, Firefox, and others — control stores and cookies.
Below, you will find the ways to clear caches and cookies on both browsing and non-browsing apps.
Method #1: Via the Chrome App
Here is how to clear the cache on the Chrome app.
- Open the Chrome app on your Android.
- Go to the top right corner and tap the more icon.
- Select “History” and clear your browsing data. You have the option to customize it and choose a specific time you want to clear your browsing history. You can also remove all browsing history by selecting “All time”.
- In your settings, go to “Cookies and site data” and “Cached images and files”. Check the boxes there.
- Click “Clear data”.
Firefox, Internet Explorer, and other browsers have similar app settings to the Chrome app. Hence, you should also go to the site settings of these apps to delete cookies there. Alternatively, you can visit the browser’s help page for instructions.
Method #2: Using the App Info Shortcut
Android phones have an app information shortcut that allows you to quickly access all the app settings.
To use the app info shortcut to clear cookies and cache files on your Android, you should follow these steps.
- Long-press the Chrome app icon on your home or app screen.
- Select “App info”.
- Click “Storage”.
- Click “Clear Cache” or “Manage Storage”.
If you click “Clear cache”, it will temporarily remove saved data on your Chrome app. However, selecting “Manage storage” will present you with three options, as shown below.
Tapping “FREE UP SPACE” clears unimportant data and won’t affect your browsing histories.
If you click “MANAGE”, you can customize which websites and web pages you want to clear their cookies and cache files. However, you will lose your previously saved settings on the website and have to sign in again.
Clicking “CLEAR ALL DATA” will erase all your files in the Chrome app — for example, cookies, caches, login credentials, bookmarks, Chrome settings, and browsing histories.
Apart from browsing apps like the Chrome app, you can also use the app info shortcut to clear cache files in non-browsing apps.
Method #3: Using the File Manager and Phone Cleaner Apps
File manager and phone cleaner apps regularly scan your phone and suggest clearing trashed files, caches, and other unimportant data.
We have found the best File manager apps and Phone cleaner apps for Androids are Files by Google and Phone Master.
What Happens After You Clear Cookies and Caches?
Deleting apps cache and cookies clears your app settings and logs you off your account.
If you were previously not logged in to your Chrome browser account using your Google account, you would lose your browsing history.
Also, after clearing your caches, the site loads slowly because your device has no pre-saved details about the website you visited.
How Do Caches and Cookies Work?
Cookies are small-sized storage files of websites you visit that are saved on your device. Cookies make browsing faster as they save previously entered information on the site.
The caches can save parts of the website page and images, ensuring you can browse faster when you return to the site.
What Is the Purpose of Cookies for Browsers?
The following are the benefits and purposes of cookies stored on your browser.
- Cookies help a website recognize your device, making it load faster and more efficiently.
- Cookies help advertisers to know the type of information an internet user browses. Hence, advertisers can send you tailored adverts that are in preference to your needs.
- Caches and cookies help to conserve network usage, thereby saving your network bandwidth.
- With caches and cookies, some parts of a website’s data, such as images, are already saved on your device. Hence, you would only use less network data to browse the site again.
- Caches and cookies prevent regular signing to a website. When you save passwords on your mobile browsers, your sign-in credentials and other website information are stored on the cached file. If you don’t keep them on your Google account, clearing these cached files requires that you sign in again to your Google account.
How To Browse Privately
There are different ways to browse privately, and clearing caches and cookies are one of them. When you delete your cache and cookies from web browsing apps and social media apps, you essentially wipe out all your account information stored on the app.
Anybody who wants to browse with such an app will have to log in anew, and they wouldn’t be able to see your past browsing activities. Clearing your caches and cookies is safe when you want to prevent others from knowing your browsing activities, histories, and other credentials.
Other ways to browse privately include using anonymous browser tabs such as incognito and VPNs.
Conclusion
Cookies are saved on our Android phones as they help us browse faster and log in easily. However, as they are great, they could also be detrimental to our online safety.
Apart from this disadvantage, when the amount of cookie data stored on our Android is much, it can cause our device to perform slowly. Hence we need to clear the cookies stored on our Android device.
Following the methods and steps in this article will successfully guide you to clear caches, files, and cookies on any Android device.
