iOS5 and resetting an Apps Documents and Data to reduce size

[dougm1970]

A quick question for iOS 5 users...


Under Settings>General>Usage you can very conveniently see all your apps and their size on the system and have a quick access to free up space... My question which nobody seems to have answered online is that obvioulsy apps like facebook, evernote and others that download data to work store or "cache" certain info...This in effect means that my Facebook App is approx 12MB but when i look at this including "Documents & Data" its over 430MB....tunein radio app had 262mb and its only an 11mb app. Now i can free this up by deleting the App and reinstalling but my question is, is there an easier way to do this?


You can clear the cache in safari in its own personal settings but facebook or tunein radio doesnt have this....any ideas ??

 

[Mickey330]

Huh. Interesting observation. I have no idea why you can't clear the data (or even what it is ... or why an app needs to have so much). I am posting to add my name to this thread so I can be notified when/if a solution is found (and to remind me to look around the Interwebz for an answer...).

Interesting puzzle. Have you tried to either restart or reset the iPad since you noticed the large size on the app(s)? Maybe they can be "dumped" that way? [A little later: No, cause I tried both and my Facebook app is still at 398MB].

Huh. Now this is just going to bother me - that apps keep creeping up in data! Yeah, I can see deletion will work, but you shouldn't have to. It must be that developers need to look at their cache method(s)...

No help from me, but thanks for the thoughts. Now, of course, it'll be like a sore tooth until/unless I figure it out!

Man, this could get ugly if you have a 16GB device...

Marilyn

 

[jsh1120]

If anyone knows of an app to do this, it would be very useful. Unlike Android, afaik, access to the data an app collects is not possible in any way other than the app itself. For example, I can "archive" issues of the New Yorker which in essence removes them from my iPad but preserves the option to download them again.

As far as Tune-In radio is concerned, I'm somewhat surprised at the size of data storage reported by the OP. I'm guessing, however, that he/she has purposely or accidentally recorded a LOT of audio content. I just checked my version and found that I had several stored audio recordings. When I deleted them, my storage for Tune-in dropped by exactly the size of those recordings. I still have 36 mb of stored data and I suspect that is made up of radio station information (including graphics) associated with 50-60 of my favorite and local stations.

Bottom line is that it appears the management of the data associated with an app is solely within the control of the app, itself. And unfortunately, there does not appear to be a "standard" approach to management of the data across individual apps.

 

[dougm1970]

i hadn't any recorded tunein radio stuff....but a lot of presets

 

[Jeni]

Not optimal, but worked for me

I periodically delete and reinstall the FB app from my iphone (Settings/Genera/usage/then click on facebook). It warns you that you'll lose all of your stored documents (okie dokie). A pain, but makes my phone work better.

 

[KevinJS]

I have found no other way to release cached data than to uninstall and reinstall the app.

On the bright side, at least iOs5 gives you the data stored by each app so you can nail the offenders easily.