How to completely delete the cache on your Samsung phone

December 2, 2025

In the good old days before Android 15 or 16, deleting the cache on your Android phone or tablet was very easy. By doing this, you removed all the temporary clutter from your installed Apps. In Windows, Microsoft calls it the "Disk cleanup utility". It is not a magic tool. It does not repair your phone or make it faster. It just removes some temporary cache files. Most of the times, I do it after a software update.

Clearing the cache on an older Android version was very easy: Turn off your phone, restart it and hold down the power and your Volume-Up button until you see the Android Boot menu. The only option you should care about is "Wipe Cache Partition". With the Volume Up/Down buttons to select it, and the power button to execute it. Please confirm with "yes" and go to "Reboot system now". Although all those other options are tempting for control freaks like me, don't touch them unless you know what you do.

With Android 15 and 16, it get a bit more tricky - most likely because many people wrecked their phones while hoping the OS knows how to protect the user NOT.

You need to have a Usb cable connected, but the connected cable alone is not enough: it must be connected to an "intelligent" device, such as a desktop computer or another suitable device which fits - maybe your tablet. But a simple charger won't be enough.

This is the way to do it:

Power down your phone.
Plug your usb cable into the phone.
Connect it to your intelligent device.
Quickly press the power button and Volume-Up button and hold them till the boot menu appears.

It is important to do this in the right order and the right speed. You must be faster than your phone realizes, it getting charged by the USB cable.

Done.