Clear Cache vs Clear Data on Fire TV and Android TV: Which One to Use

Which one should you press?#

Does clearing the cache sign you out?#

• Google TV: Google's page for Chromecast with Google TV and Google TV Streamer says clearing the app cache removes only temporary data and that you stay signed in to your apps.
• Fire TV: Amazon's page tells you how to clear the cache and data, but it does not say what clearing the cache does to your sign-in. Many guides say it does not sign you out. We did not find one that cites an Amazon source for that.

Fire TV#

1. Go to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications.
2. To clear the cache of every app at once, select Clear all Application Caches, then confirm. Amazon's help page lists this option. Some guides say there is no way to do this, so check whether your Fire TV shows it.
3. To work on one app, select it, then choose Clear Cache. Open the app and test it.
4. Only if that did not help, go back and choose Clear Data.

Does the Fire TV clear caches by itself?#

Amazon describes this in two places, and the two pages are not worded the same:

• The help page says that if an app is unused for more than 30 days and the device is running low on storage, the Fire TV clears that app's cache. You cannot turn it off.
• The Auto Offload page (October 2023) says that if an app is unused for more than 30 days, Auto Offload clears its cache. If the device has less than 800 MB of usable storage left, it also offloads apps that were unused for more than 60 days. Apps with active subscriptions and some experience-critical apps are exempt.

So there are two different things: automatic cache clearing, and offloading (removing an unused app to free space). Amazon's two pages do not agree on whether low storage is required for the 30-day cache clearing, so we do not say which is right.

Google TV (Chromecast with Google TV, Google TV Streamer and TVs with Google TV)#

To clear the cache of all apps at once, Google's page for Chromecast with Google TV and Google TV Streamer says:

1. Open your profile picture, then Settings > System > Storage > Internal shared storage.
2. Choose Cached data, then select OK.

For one app, the same Google page gives this path for uninstalling: Settings > Apps > See all apps, then choose the app.

Android TV (older interface)#

Google's help page for Android TV gives this path: Settings > Apps, choose the app (under "System apps" on that page), then Clear data and Clear cache. Google lists them in that order and does not explain the difference. We suggest trying Clear cache first, because Clear data removes more.

The app still fails after clearing the cache#

Work down this list. Each step removes more than the one before it. The order is our editorial advice.

If the problem started right after you cleared the cache, the same list applies. We did not find a source that explains why that would happen, so we do not guess.