A smart TV is meant to provide all of your entertainment needs, all in one device. The thing is, I always opt for a separate streaming box, even though my TV is capable of most, if not all, of my streaming needs. There are a few reasons for this: My Apple TV is far more private than my LG smart TV, and I can easily swap it out whenever a new generation make sense to upgrade to. Replacing an entire TV isn’t nearly as easy.
But one of the reasons I prefer an Apple TV to my built-in smart TV apps is speed. My smart TV is slow, and using it as my dedicated streaming experience is a bit painful. If your TV is also in the same boat, there is something you can try to gain back some of that lost performance: Clear the cache.
As our friends at ZDNet explain , a full cache can hinder the speed and performance of your smart TV. This isn’t unique to smart TVs, however; most of the devices in your life have caches, and for good reason. The cache stores temporary files and data meant for apps, websites, and the OS to reference when needed. In theory, it should improve the speed of your devices, since apps and services can quickly tap into an existing dataset rather than generate or look up that information independently.
However, as time goes on, the cache can build up too much, and start to negatively impact the performance of your device. It goes beyond speed, too. If the cache is storing outdated or incorrect data, it might cause certain apps to crash, or not work properly. If you can’t get the Prime Video app to open on your smart TV, for example, the cache could be the culprit.
To be clear, this is no panacea for a sluggish smart TV. Smart TVs, like all devices, are subject to age, and, over time, might simply slow down because the latest apps and software are too much for their hardware to handle. That hardware, by the way, is likely not going to be as powerful as a dedicated streaming device, which only exacerbates the problem. Clearing the cache every so often may help speed things up, but if you’re looking for the best streaming experience possible, I’d recommend a dedicated device, like an Apple TV.
How to clear your TV’s cache
Smart TVs are all different, so the exact steps to clear your TV’s cache will likely be dependent on your particular model. For exact steps, identify your TV model by the device’s model number, and look up steps for clearing the cache.
However, as ZDNet highlights, there are general steps that will likely apply to many TVs. Give this a shot: Open your TV’s “Settings,” then head to the “Apps” or “Application Manager” menu. Choose an app, then select the option to clear the cache for that app.
Here are the general device-level steps for popular TV brands. (Again, this may be device-specific, so if these steps don’t work, search for your exact model.)
Clearing the cache on Samsung TVs
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Open Settings, then All Settings
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Select Support, then choose Device Care.
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Choose Manage Storage.
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Select an app, then hit View Details.
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Choose either Clear Data or Clear Cache.
Clearing the cache on LG TVs
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Hit Home, then open Settings.
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Head to General then Storage.
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Choose Clear Cache.
Clearing the cache on Sony TVs (Google TV model)
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Head to Home, then Gmail.
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On Google TV, select Screen, then Settings.
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From here, choose Apps, then See all apps.
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Choose an app, then select Clear Data or Clear Cache.
Clearing the cache on Sony TVs (Android TV model)
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Open Settings.
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Head to Apps, then choose See all apps. (You may need to hit Show system apps, if available.)
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Choose Apps, select the app you want, then choose Clear data or Clear cache.
