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What is Cache Data?

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androidguide
What is Cache Data?

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but opening an app or visiting a website for the first time can take a while.

Okay, a “while” may be extreme, but those extra few seconds of loading time do matter to us when surfing the web or scrolling through our apps.

Although, it isn’t a coincidence why this happens. It’s mainly due to our devices not having cached data for a particular app or website.

If you’re not quite sure what cached data is, let's take a quick look.

What is cached data?

With every app opened or website visited comes a bartering of information.

The user gets to enjoy content in exchange for location info, which device they’re using, which browser they’re using, time spent on pages, and other user behaviors.

Then there’s cached data.

Laptops, tablets, smartphones, it doesn’t matter. All our devices have some level of reserved space to store this type of data for quick access.

The technique of storing cache data or cache files as history on a phone or web browser to improve the user experience on future visits to a website or an app is known as caching.

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How does cached data work?

For cached data to be stored for re-access, there needs to be enough memory or storage space on your device. On a more technical side, the cache is very high up on the hierarchy of computer memory.

Cache memory has extremely low latency, meaning it can be accessed very quickly. You can test this by opening a new app or visiting a website you’ve never been to before, then revisit it, and compare the speeds.

The flip side to low latency means not much memory can be stored. This is why small-sized files like web text and images are stored in the cache.

Is cached data important?

Cached data isn’t inherently important, as it’s only considered “temporary storage.” However, it does exist to improve the user experience.

On-page elements like images, videos, and even text take some time to load. When this data is cached, we can reopen the app or revisit the page with confidence that it won’t take anywhere near as much time.

Cache memory also saves states. For example, if I close my Twitter app and reopen it 10 minutes later, I’ll be able to scroll down and see posts that were previously loaded. Without cache, everything would need to reload.

Should I clear my cache?

So, if cached data isn’t that important, is it safe to erase? Well, that depends.

If you find your mobile device memory being drained from cached data, you should probably clear it. After all, cached data isn’t vital to the performance of an app or website; it just means the files on it will have to be reloaded.

Although, constantly clearing your cache isn’t a permanent solution since you’ll eventually be reopening apps and revisiting websites at some point. The data will be re-cached, and the cycle will continue.

If you’re that strapped for memory, consider deleting old text messages, images, or video files on your device. It’s also worth looking into cloud-based file storage and sharing software like Google Drive or Dropbox if you want to hold on to your files. These options typically offer a free amount of cloud space.

 

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