How to clear the Dropbox mobile app cache on iPhone/iPad?

I thought the following e-mails between me and Dropbox Customer Support would be interesting to those following this thread.

FROM Me

TO Dropbox

Sep 5, 9:36 AM

Feedback:

There's needs to be a "clear cache" option for iPhone users. Below is my respond to a thread in the community forum.

Clearing Dropbox cache on iPhone

It's discouraging to see a company dedicated to data storage ignoring a key issue like preserving space on iPhones. I'm having the same problem. I have no offline files, yet Dropbox consumes 1.0 GB of my 16 GB iPhone 5S. I've logged out and signed in again, but that did almost nothing to decrease the amount of space used by the app. I too will be looking at other storage options and will cancel my annual Dropbox subscription if this issue is not resolved soon. I don't even see an official response from staff, which is never a good sign.

https://www.dropboxforum.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/204310276-Clearing-Dropbox-cache-on-iPhone?page=1#comments

FROM Dropbox

TO Me

Sep 6, 11:30 AM

Thanks for writing in.

I understand you need to know how to clear cache on your iOS.

The best fix for this is to remove and reinstall the Dropbox app to clear out the settings that are continuing to cause this. Follow the steps listed in the link below to reinstall the application:

https://www.dropbox.com/help/346

Please note that you will have to once again make available offline and download any files that you have previously saved after reinstalling the app.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

FROM Me

TO Dropbox

Sep 9, 6:43 AM

Yes, I've received and reviewed the response. Thank you for getting back to me promptly.

I have not tried the recommended solution yet, but my initial reaction is that this is a very inconvenient approach to an issue that many Dropbox users for iPhone are experiencing (based on what I've read in several online forums).

I am sure you are aware that many other mobile apps that use significant amounts of limited storage have simple ways of allowing the user to clear the cache in order to free up much-needed space. Uninstalling and reinstalling the app is not convenient, particularly when I would like to be able to free up space quickly (and periodically).

Why hasn't Dropbox incorporated a feature to flush the cache when other apps found ways to add the same functionality? And why does no one respond to the official online forum? The lack of transparency on this issue is leading to frustration among many otherwise happy customers.

Again, thank you for your response.

FROM Dropbox

TO Me

Sep 9, 9:02 AM

Thanks for writing back!

I’m happy to explain how app data works for our app, and what you should expect as far as device space is concerned.

Items that you make available offline will take up space until they are removed. The Dropbox app also stores certain items in cache for a quicker loading experience in our app, such as previewing documents, PDFs, and photos. These items are only cached for a certain period of time, and then the app will clear this space automatically (based on when the file was last viewed and the amount of space you have on your device).

Currently, the only way to manually clear the app data being used is by deleting and reinstalling the app. Follow the steps listed in the link below to reinstall the application:

https://www.dropbox.com/help/346

Please note that you will have to once again make available offline and download any files that you have previously saved after reinstalling the app.

We’d like to have you try the steps above and monitor the space that the Dropbox app is using on your device. If you feel that it is too high, please take a screenshot of the Usage page in Settings, and write back to us with that information included.

Please let me know if you have additional questions about this!