Is scrolling Facebook your favorite pastime or something you do sporadically? Either way, there may come a time when the app misbehaves or starts slowing down other programs on your phone.
If that happens to you, the easiest solution is to know how to clear cache on Facebook app — that hidden log of your history with Facebook, including what links you’ve clicked and comments you’ve made. Let’s take a deep dive into Facebook caches and cookies, why you should clear your Facebook cache, and how to do it
Facebook uses caching and cookies to speed up performance and provide you with a personal experience (ads) within the app.
The cache stores your interactions on Facebook, including the posts, videos, and photos you’ve liked, commented on and saved. It also stores your search history, what groups you visit, and any links you click on. The more time you spend on Facebook, the larger your cache grows, and eventually, the data slows down Facebook and takes up more space on your iPhone. The solution? Periodically clear the cache to remove this extra data.
Cookies are a bit different, but like the cache, they can be cleared to speed things up and save space. Cookies are small pieces of code that track your movements across the internet. Facebook uses cookies to find out what you search for across the web so that it can serve you personalized ads.
Session cookies are deleted when you close your browser, but persistent cookies live on until you delete them or they expire. If you stay logged into Facebook, the cookie will track what you do on every website you visit and that’s the moment when you need to know how to clear cookies on Facebook.
Some professionals recommend clearing your cache on a regular schedule based on how much you use Facebook. I take a more conservative approach and only clear the cache if the app is giving me trouble or if my phone processes are taking longer than normal.
There are two ways to clear your Facebook cache on your iPhone. The first is very simple and will clear most of your browsing data. The second method, which will clear out and completely reset your cache, requires you to delete and reinstall the Facebook app from your iPhone.
For most users, this is the only cache clearing you’ll need on Facebook. Follow these steps to clear your browsing data within the Facebook app.
That’s it! As soon as you clear the cache on Facebook, it will start building a new one, and you can clear it whenever you need to.
If you’ve tried the method for cache clearing on Facebook outlined above, and you’re still having trouble with Facebook, try deleting the app from your iPhone and then reinstalling it.
To do this, open your iPhone and hold your finger down on the Facebook app. Tap ‘Remove App.’ Once you’ve removed it, head over to the App Store, search for Facebook, and tap the download icon to reinstall it. You will have to log into Facebook using your email and passcode.