If you have an Android Phone, you may have noticed that the phone remembers what sites you've visited often, saved application data, and login information for websites. While this can be a productivity boon and can make using an Android much more convenient, there are some unintended consequences to storing loads of cached data. The primary consequence of doing so is that your phone will run more slowly when you store more cached data on it.

There are, however, third party tools to help you manage cached data. It is a straightforward and simple app with an easy to understand user interface. Once you install it, you can keep your phone clear of cluttered data as you use your phone from day to day.

Types of Cached Data

There are three main types of cached data on your phone: browser data (which includes websites you commonly visit as well as login information), app support data (which includes information you store *in* apps) and your phone data, (which includes missed calls and calls you have made).

Taken piecemeal, these types of cached data do not take up a lot of storage space on your phone. They take up mere bytes of memory on a phone that can store megabytes of data in RAM. However, in the aggregate, this data adds up, and can cause your phone to run more slowly than it did, for instance, when you first bought it.

Think of it like a computer running Windows. When you first buy a Windows machine, the computer is fast and responsive. After a year of using it and storing data to the computer, though, it starts becoming less responsive and more bogged down.

Enter History Eraser Pro

History Eraser Pro, available in the Android Market, provides you with an easy way to clear your caches. When you open the app, five options are presented on your screen, each one detailing a different type of cached data that you can clean from your phone.

Once you select an option, the phone will delete the cached data and inform you when the process is completed. One benefit of deleting the data this way is that the app will ensure that all traces of the data are entirely removed from your phone.

How often should you clear your phone of cached data? It depends on how often you use your phone. If you have dozens of apps and use many of them regularly, and browse the web often, then you should clear your cache more often. Most casual users probably only need to clear their Android cache files when they notice a demonstrable difference in performance from their phone.

Also of note: History Eraser Pro could prove useful for users who actually *do* have something to hide. If you are browsing something or if you like to make phone calls and don't want someone going into your phone to find out about them (no judgement here), History Eraser Pro could spare you an embarrassing moment (always best avoided!); or worse.