Privacy tip: How to delete cookies from your phone

August 19, 2023

By Kim Komando

Make no mistake: You’re being tracked. Want to be shocked? Look at the secret map on your smartphone that watches your every move. Tap or click here to see the map tracking you and wipe it clean.

What about advertisements that follow you across the web? Facebook is one of the biggest data hogs. Tap or click for ways to stop or limit targeted ads on Facebook.

And then there are cookies, tiny bits of data that track your activity online. They’re not just lurking in your computer. On your smartphone, cookies save your passwords and help you log on more quickly, but they can also collect more than you want.

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Are cookies worth the cost?

Take a good hard look at your priorities when it comes to cookies. Do you prefer the convenience of a browser like Safari or Chrome or the privacy of a browser that doesn’t save cookies in the first place?

It’s a tricky balance, especially considering how convenient cookies make our browsing experience. They save your login info and keep track of your preferences to show you the content you care about, but that comes at the cost of your privacy.

The choice is up to you. If you want to clear them, navigate to your smartphone’s settings. Scroll down to the list of apps. Find your browser and follow the instructions below.

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1. Start with Safari

For Safari on an iPhone, follow these steps:

• Open Settings and tap Safari.
• Tap Clear History and Website Data. Tap Clear History and Data.
• Apple will ask if you want to Close Tabs or Keep Tabs. Tap the option you choose.
• That’s it. Your Safari history is now clear.

2. Kick cookies out of Chrome

If you’re a Chrome user instead, the process is slightly different.

On an iPhone:

• Open the Chrome browser and tap the three dots in the bottom right corner and choose Settings.
• Now tap Privacy and Security and then Clear Browsing Data. Check Cookies, Site Data, but uncheck the other items.
• Then, tap Clear Browsing Data and tap Done. 

This is also a great way to check which data you want to clear. Notice the option for Cached Images and Files. Make sure this is checked, tap Clear Browsing Data and then confirm your choice.

For Chrome on Android, follow these steps:

• On your Android phone or tablet, open the Chrome app.
• At the top right, tap More. NOTE: It’s the stacked three dots.
• Tap History > Clear browsing data.
• At the top, choose a time range. To delete everything, select All time.
• Next to “Cookies and site data” and “Cached images and files,” check the boxes.
• Tap Clear data.

3. Clean up Firefox

Firefox’s creator, Mozilla, puts privacy front and center. This browser blocks tracking cookies by default.

There’s a caveat. Firefox does allow first-party cookies, which are stored by the website you’re visiting.

These cookies let website owners collect analytics data, remember your language settings and so on to personalize your experience. If you want to clear them out, here’s how.

On an iPhone:

• Open your browser and tap on the three horizontal lines in the lower right corner. From there, tap on Settings.
• Scroll down to the Privacy section. Click on Data Management. 
• Tap Clear Private Data at the bottom.
• You’ll get a warning dialog box. If you want to clear all the selected data, tap OK.

Note: This will also clear the history from your synced devices.

If you use an Android, follow these steps:

• Tap Menu, then Settings.
• Select Clear private data under Privacy & Security.
• On the following page, select Cookies and active logins.
• Tap Clear Data.

4. Put your privacy at center stage with Opera

Here’s another privacy-centric option that encrypts your data and blocks ads.

To clear cookies, open the browser on your Android or iPhone and tap the Opera icon in the bottom right corner.

• From there, hit Settings. That will take you to a new window.
• Scroll down and select Clear Browser Data. You’ll then have the option to delete cookies and site data, clear your browsing history and even change your site settings.
• Tap Cookies and Site Data to delete all your cookies.
• You’ll see a new option at the top of the window emerge next to the Clear Browser Data header.
• Tap the Clear button.

For good measure, tap Cached Images and Files to empty everything slowing down your browser. Then, tap the Clear button.

Bonus tip: Lockdown what you do with a VPN

These days, Big Tech companies, advertisers, the government, and your internet service provider want a piece of you. They want to know what you click on, the sites you visit, and where you go online. That’s no one’s business but yours.

With ExpressVPN, you can stay private online and keep everyone else out of your personal affairs. Signing up is a snap, and you connect with just one click. It’s so easy to use, and unlike some other VPNs, it won’t slow you down.

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