2 Easy Ways to Clear DNS Cache on Android

The ability to connect to the internet with a device in our palms has completely changed our lives. While we enjoy all the conveniences, we cannot deny the times when we ran into a problem and could not access the internet on our smartphones. One way to fix such issues is to clear the DNS cache on your Android device.

Earlier, we published an article to clear the DNS cache on a Windows device. Thankfully, you can do that on an Android device too. However, if you are wondering what DNS cache is in the first place and why even consider clearing it on your Android device – don’t worry. We’ll explain it all. Let us begin with the basics.

What is DNS Cache on Android

DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is basically a directory of all the IP addresses of websites on the internet. Hence, whenever you type a website’s URL, your web browser finds out the mapped IP address from the DNS server and directs you to the right website.

So, when you use your web browser to visit, say, fifteen websites, your web browser on your Android phone stores the IP addresses of all fifteen websites locally. Now, whenever you want to revisit one of those fifteen websites again, the browser on your Android device does not request the IP address for it from the DNS server. That is because it has already been stored from the previous session. This local storage of IP addresses retrieved from the DNS servers is called DNS cache.

This cache saves time and resources for your web browser on your Android device since it does not have to communicate with the DNS servers needlessly. Good benefit of DNS cache, right? Then why would we want to clear it? Let us find out.

Why Clear DNS Cache on Android

While DNS cache storage serves some functions, you might want to clear the DNS cache from your Android device for the following reasons.

• There are chances of malicious and corrupted IP addresses stored in the DNS cache that must be removed.
• Since your DNS cache contains the IP addresses for all the websites you’ve visited, you might want to clear it for privacy concerns and avoid it from being accessed.
• Clearing the DNS cache prevents DNS spoofing – an attempt from unsafe internet agents to change the DNS cache information to redirect you to the wrong website.
• Outdated DNS cache – an outdated piece of information in the DNS cache can prevent you from accessing the website, especially if the website has changed its domain.
• If you have trouble accessing a website, it can be because of the accumulation of cache and cookies, including DNS cache, and you might want to clear it too.

Now that we know all the reasons to clear the DNS cache, here’s how you can do it on your Android device.

How to Flush DNS Cache on Android

The DNS cache on your Android device, almost all times is automatically cleared and updated whenever necessary. This ensures that one does not have to clear the DNS cache manually. However, if you suspect issues while accessing a website or want to ensure the DNS cache is cleared on your Android phone, here’s how to do it.

We’ll first take a look at how to clear the DNS cache on Google Chrome. We’ll also show you how to clear DNS cache on other web browsers.

1. Clear DNS Cache on Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Brave Browser

Google Chrome, and other Chromium-based browsers on Android, namely Microsoft Edge and Brave, have an inbuilt option to clear the DNS cache. Here’s how you can do it.

Step 1: Open Chrome, Edge, or Brave on your Android device.

Step 2: Enter the following in the address bar:

• If you are using Google Chrome :

chrome://net-internals/#dns

• If you are using Microsoft Edge :

edge://net-internals/#dns

• If you are using Brave:

brave://net-internals/#dns

Step 3: Tap on the Clear host cache button.

You will not get any further feedback, but doing this will clear the DNS cache on your web browser.

However, if you are using any other web browser like Mozilla Firefox or cannot clear DNS cache from the above method, jump to the next method.

2. Clear DNS Cache for Other Web Browsers

This method helps you clear DNS cache from your Android device in all cases. That is irrespective of the web browser you are using. Here’s how:

Step 1: Long-tap on your default browser’s icon.

Step 2: Tap on App info.

Step 3: Tap on Storage Usage.

Step 4: Tap on Clear Cache.

This clears all the stored cache from a web browser on your Android device. This also includes the DNS cache.

If you face further problems, you can try changing the DNS server on your Android device. Or, if you have any more questions regarding the DNS cache, look at the FAQ section below.

FAQs on DNS Cache in Android

Fix Issues With Your Internet

We hope this article helps you easily clear DNS cache on Android. As we mentioned earlier, you can always try clearing the DNS cache if you are facing issues regarding the internet connection on your Android device.