Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a situation where the once-quick device starts to work slower, applications open longer, and free space in memory disappears rapidly. The main cause of such problems is often sprawling cache - temporary files that the system and installed programs accumulate during operation. Understanding how to correctly manage this data is a key skill for any Android user.
Cache cleaning doesn’t delete your personal photos, contacts, or instant messaging, but it frees up gigabytes of space and fixes software errors caused by corrupted temporary files. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at all the cleaning methods available, from built-in MIUI and HyperOS shells to advanced tools for power users.
Regular maintenance of the device extends its life and ensures the stability of the operating system. You do not need to be an expert in programming to perform these actions, just follow the step-by-step instructions below. We will look at both secure standard methods and deeper cleaning methods that will help return the phone to its previous performance.
What is cache and why you need to clean it
Cache memory is a buffered partition of storage where applications store temporary data to speed up re-access information. For example, when you browse through a social network or watch a video, Android stores thumbnails of images and snippets of video stream on the disk, which allows you to download content instantly the next time you open, without wasting Internet traffic and CPU resources.
However, over time, these temporary files can reach critical sizes, taking up tens of gigabytes. The problem is compounded by the fact that many programs do not know how to properly manage their cache, leaving on the disk “junk” from deleted pages or old versions of content. Overflowing cache leads to slowdown of the file system and can cause malfunctions in applications.
It's important to distinguish between app cache and system cache. The first can be safely removed for a particular software, the second requires a more careful approach. If you notice that the phone is warming without load or the battery is only enough for half a day, chances are that background processes are constantly turning to bloated cache.
⚠️ Attention: Clear Data will completely remove settings and logins in the application, while Clear Cache will only affect temporary files!
Regular prevention helps maintain optimal interface speeds, especially for budget smartphones where internal memory is limited and CPU resources are not excessive, and freeing up space also allows the system to use virtual memory expansion technologies more efficiently if this feature is supported by your model.
Use of the built-in "Security" application
The easiest and safest way to clean is to use a standard tool from Xiaomi. MIUI HyperOS and come with a security app pre-installed, which combines antivirus, garbage cleaner and memory optimizer, designed specifically with Xiaomi’s system architecture in mind and does not require third-party software installation.
To start the procedure, look for an icon on your desktop called "Security" or "Security", which is usually green. Once the application is opened, the system will automatically scan. Click on the Cleaner button to start analyzing the space occupied. The algorithm will find temporary files, remnants of deleted applications and advertising debris.
☑️ Quick cleaning algorithm
Once you have finished scanning, you will see a list of files that you can delete. The app automatically tags safe to delete items. You can manually deselect from the items you want to save, although the standard choice is usually optimal for most users.
Deep Cleaning inside the same app allows you to analyze the memory in more detail, and it finds large files, duplicate photos, and rarely used apps, and it's a great way to find hidden reserves of space that you might not have known.
⚠️ Note: When using Deep Cleanup, carefully check the list of large files before deleting – these may include your personal videos or documents that the system mistakenly considered garbage.
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Set up automatic cleaning in the Safety app: Go to the cleaner settings and enable the Auto Clean option so that the phone removes garbage on its own when less than 2GB of storage is free.
Manually cleaning the cache of individual applications
Sometimes the problem isn't with the system as a whole, but with one particular application that's bloated to an incredible size. Social media, messengers, and browsers often take up more space than the operating system itself. Manual cleaning allows you to pinpoint these programs without affecting the rest of the phone's data.
To do this, go to Settings → Applications → All Apps. In the list that appears, find a problem program (such as Telegram, TikTok or Chrome). Click on it to open the control menu, and select Memory or Storage. Here you will see two buttons: Clear cache and Clear everything.
When you click Clear Cache, you delete only temporary files, your accounts, your emails, your settings, your settings, your account will stay in place, it's a safe operation that you can do regularly, and if you choose Clear Everything (or Reset), the app will return to a state immediately after installation, you'll have to re-enter passwords and configure notifications.
| Annex | Type of data in the cache | Recommended cleaning frequency | Impact on user data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram / WhatsApp | Photo, video, voice | Once every 2-4 weeks | Safe (the media will be re-downloaded) |
| Google Chrome | Website pictures, scripts | Once a month | You may need to re-enter the site |
| YouTube | Miniatures, video buffer | As you fill up | Safe. |
| Tape, story, search cache | Once every 2 weeks | Safe. |
Telegram or WhatsApp’s internal settings allow you to limit the size of the cache you occupy or set up automatic cleaning, which is more flexible than manual removal through Android settings, since it allows you to save important media files that you have selected manually.
Why is the app cache growing fast again?
Cleaning through the Recovery Mode menu
For more advanced users, there is a method to clean the system cache through Recovery Mode, which is useful if the phone is unstable, freezes or does not boot correctly after a system update, and allows you to clear the Wipe Cache Partition, where temporary system files are stored.
To enter this mode, you need to turn off your smartphone completely. Then press the volume button and the power button at the same time. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, then release the power button, continuing to keep the volume until the Recovery menu appears.
The sequence of actions in Recovery:
1. Select the language (English).
2. Go to the Wipe Data menu.
3. Select the option Wipe Cache (NOT Wipe All Data!).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the end.
5. Select Reboot.This procedure doesn't delete your personal files, photos or installed apps, it only affects the system buffer, but be very careful: choosing the Wipe All Data option will result in the phone being completely reset to factory settings with all information lost.
⚠️ Attention: In new versions MIUI and HyperOS, access to the Wipe Cache Partition may be restricted or require unlocking the bootloader. If you don't see this option, use standard cleaning methods through the settings.
Using ADB commands for deep cleaning
The most powerful tool in the arsenal of Android users is debugging. USB team ADB (Android Debug Bridge: This method allows you to remove the cache of system applications that are not available through the normal interface and perform a cleanup without superuser rights (Root). ADB.
First, activate the developer mode on your phone. Go to Settings → About your phone and quickly click 7-10 times on the MIUI Version (or OS Version). You will see a notification "You became a developer." Then in the Additional → For developers, turn on USB Debugging.
Connect your phone to your computer with a cable. On a PC, open the command line in the ADB folder and type in a command to check the connection:
adb devicesYou'll see a request for debugging permission on your smartphone screen, confirm it. To clear the cache of a particular application, use the command:
adb shell pm clear com.package.nameInstead of com.package.name, you need to substitute the name of the package of the desired application, which you can find out through ADB commands or third-party managers, this method is especially effective for cleaning the system cache of Google Play Services or other services that often “overgrow” errors.
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Using ADB is the only way to clear the cache of system services without Root rights and data loss, but requires a PC connection and caution in typing commands.
Automation and third-party utilities
If manual cleaning seems too time-consuming, automated solutions are available. There are many client applications in the Android ecosystem, but they should be approached with caution, many of them just create the appearance of working by showing ads, or, conversely, aggressively unload processes from memory, which causes the system to spend more energy on their re-run.
Among the proven solutions, Files by Google, the official application from the search giant, which safely removes duplicates and temporary files, also shows good results with the built-in tools of the applications themselves: for example, Telegram has a built-in bot to clean up cache, and in the Chrome browser you can configure autodelete history and cache when you exit.
It is not recommended to install “memory accelerators” (RAM Boosters), which promise miraculous performance increases. Android operating system itself effectively manages RAM, and forced unloading processes often leads to the opposite effect – the phone starts to run slower, trying to restart the necessary services.
The best automation is to properly configure the smartphone itself: disable the autoload of unnecessary applications, limit background activity for rarely used programs, and regularly check the storage through a standard conductor. This will ensure stable operation without the need to install additional software.