What exactly does wiping cache in (stock) recovery actually do?

[prodigyX]

Every few months if I feel my phone is getting sluggish I reboot into my stock recovery and wipe the cache. Whether its a placebo or not, it does seem to 'fix' up my lazy apps. How effective is this really? What exactly is going on behind the scenes when we do this?

 

[vojopd]

Imagine you leave your PC without a restart for 30 and more days...

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

 

[iceepyon]

It wipes the cached data that is used to download the OS update onto your device.

 

[ultramag69]

You could probably get the same effect by just restarting your phone...
In fact, in the settings there is an Automatic restart option to do just this... I have mine set for 3am Monday morning every week...

 

[shouren04]

In stock recovery, is it wipe cache or is it wipe dalvik cache or is it both? I've never used stock recovery, always custom, so I don't know. If it's just cache & not dalvik cache then yes, most likely just placebo.

 

[Max_Terrible]

Imagine you leave your PC without a restart for 30 and more days...

I never reboot my computer. It routinely goes several months without a reboot. It's usually only off when the power goes out and my computer consistently runs smooth and without issue.

 

[Bajanman]

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@prodigyX

You may ask yourself, what does clearing the cache on my cell/tablet actually do? The cache partition contains most of the temporary files, logs and remembered bits from the various applications on your Android device. They can also be left over files from before your last Android update. If that happens your device could be trying to use stored files that are not meant for your current version of Android. Think of it the same way you think of your browser cache. Just like a browser cache, sometimes those stored bits cause more problem than they solve and so it is a good idea to delete the cache periodically.

Wiping the cache will NOT delete your apps or your data or your configuration. It will simply delete the temporary junk.