How To Clean Android Phone’s Cookies and Cache

Your Android phone’s web browser can remove a lot of extra data that may have accumulated after visiting numerous websites by clearing up the cookies and cache. Earlier in a post, we discussed how to clear the iPhone cache and cookies. Whether you use Firefox, Google Chrome, or Samsung Internet on your phone to visit the web, your browser collects and saves data each time you do so. Your phone uses the information in your cookies and cache to log you into your accounts and load frequently visited websites quickly.

But over time, this information accumulates, taking up space on your phone and possibly containing cookies that follow your surfing history to deliver targeted advertising. To keep your web browser sleek, efficient, and, ideally, storing as few tracking cookies as possible, it doesn’t harm to periodically delete this data.

On Android, the procedures vary slightly depending on the model of phone and web browser app you’re using, so below we’ll go over how to clear this data for the Google Chrome browser (which is frequently the default for many Android phones, such as the Google Pixel line), Samsung’s Internet browser (which is frequently the default on the Galaxy phone series), and Mozilla’s Firefox browser.

If you have a few Apple devices to clean out as well, you can also look at our separate instructions on how to clear the cache on an iPhone web browser.

Google Chrome

By first touching the More icon in the top-right corner of the browser, denoted by a column of three dots, then hitting History, and finally tapping Clear browsing data, you may clear your cookies and cache from inside the Android version of Google Chrome. You can also do this by selecting Privacy and Security from the Chrome Settings menu, followed by Clear browsing data.

Chrome also has Basic and Advanced settings for deleting cookies, site data, cached pictures, and downloaded files. Using the Time range drop-down, you may choose to erase all of the data or just a portion of it, ranging from the previous 24 hours to the previous four weeks. By selecting Advanced, you can also erase Autofill form data, Saved passwords, and Site settings.

Tap the blue Clear data button after making your selection. If Chrome determines that some websites are “essential” to you, you can see an additional prompt, and you’ll have the chance to confirm before clearing. If you don’t see the prompt, Chrome will start clearing as you requested right away.

Samsung Internet

You can delete the cache and cookies from your Samsung Internet browser in two distinct ways. You have two options for clearing: either use the Settings app on your phone or the browser itself.

When using the Samsung Internet browser app, hit the Options icon (three horizontal lines in the bottom right corner), then Settings. Scroll down to Personal Data and tap that, then tap Remove browsing data to bring up a menu of options to delete.

You can delete your browsing history in any combination of cookies, site data, cached pictures and files, passwords, and autofill forms. You’ll then see a window asking you to confirm your selections before deleting data.

You can customize what you want to erase the most by using the browser software itself. However, you may find comparable options in your device’s settings menu by opening the Settings app, selecting Apps, then scrolling down to and selecting Samsung Internet and Storage.

You have distinct options to Clear cache and Clear data at the bottom of Storage. While tapping Clear data displays a message informing you that all of the application’s data, including files, settings, accounts, and databases, will be permanently destroyed, tapping Clear cache immediately deletes the cache.

This “going nuclear” technique should wipe out all residual data, even though it doesn’t specifically mention cookies, allowing you to restart the Samsung Internet browser as if it were brand-new.

Mozilla Firefox

You may erase the cookies and cache inside the Mozilla Firefox Android app, much like with Google Chrome.

To use this function, click the More button, which is once more shown as three vertically aligned dots, located just to the right of the address bar. After choosing Settings, click Delete browsing data.

Of the three browsers we’re talking about here, Firefox has the most options under the Delete browsing data menu, letting you remove not only Cookies and Cached pictures and files but also any open tabs, and your browsing history and site data, Site permissions, and even your Downloads folder.

While you are unable to select a time frame as you do with Chrome, you can be more particular about the kinds of data you want to delete. For individuals who never want to store their browsing history after using the app, Firefox now offers an extra choice.

The Delete browsing data on the quit option, located in the Settings menu, tells Firefox to delete any combination of these settings each time you close the program. It’s a useful option if you want to keep the browser structured and, for instance, avoid accidentally disclosing your browser history to someone who may have stolen or gained access to your phone.