clearing dalvik cache without root. - General Questions and Answers

Is it safe to clear the dalvik cache, & what exactly is cleared when I clear it? I know it can be cleared with the stock recovery, because I just helped a friend factory reset their phone who has the same phone as me (both unrooted Galaxy On5 with stock ROM) & I saw an option in the list in recovery.

tsaxda said:
Is it safe to clear the dalvik cache, & what exactly is cleared when I clear it? I know it can be cleared with the stock recovery, because I just helped a friend factory reset their phone who has the same phone as me (both unrooted Galaxy On5 with stock ROM) & I saw an option in the list in recovery.
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Only cached data gets cleared, more specifically, cached data used by your system apps and services. This cached data will automatically be rebuilt when you reboot the device, you may or may not see a message saying "optimizing apps" while the device is rebuilding dalvik/ART cache during the boot process.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk

What I mean is do I lose anything important like settings/data within apps etc;. & is there any risk of my phone not booting properly? I have backed up what data I could. I've seen posts on quora, asking about different problems they had after clearing dalvik, including one who seemed to think their phone had died, but they all seem to involve rooted phones, because the solution given is always to flash another ROM/reboot to TWRP recovery. I was tempted to do it because I'm running out of space, & somebody online said there dalvik folder was 300MB.

tsaxda said:
What I mean is do I lose anything important like settings/data within apps etc;. & is there any risk of my phone not booting properly? I have backed up what data I could. I've seen posts on quora, asking about different problems they had after clearing dalvik, including one who seemed to think their phone had died, but they all seem to involve rooted phones, because the solution given is always to flash another ROM/reboot to TWRP recovery. I was tempted to do it because I'm running out of space, & somebody online said there dalvik folder was 300MB.
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No, you won't lose anything, as I said, it is only a type of temporary data, data that is used in the background while the device is running, temporary in a similar kind of way as RAM data with the exception that RAM data doesn't necessarily persist from one reboot to the other whereas cached data does persist after reboot, unless wiped, in which case, that cached data will automatically be rebuilt exactly as it Is needed when each app loads at startup on the next reboot after the wipe.
As long as you aren't wiping the system partition or the data partition, you won't lose anything. Wiping cache is nothing to sweat over, it is a very common and necessary process when making changes to your device.
Failing to wipe when making changes to the system are what causes problems, wiping is necessary to avoid having bugs and issues caused by cached data from before the changes conflicting with the changes that you made. Wiping cache then rebooting allows the device to build the cached data the way it needs to incorporate the new changes that you made.

I called samsung to ask whether they recommended clearing it & she very sternly said "we are not clearing dalvik". It made me wonder whether she simply didn't know what dalvik is, because she asked how to spell it as though she was looking it up, or if there was some other reason.

tsaxda said:
I called samsung to ask whether they recommended clearing it & she very sternly said "we are not clearing dalvik". It made me wonder whether she simply didn't know what dalvik is, because she asked how to spell it as though she was looking it up, or if there was some other reason.
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The option to wipe dalvik cache is not an option in stock recovery or any other stock or non-root, non-custom option. It is typically only an option if you have a custom recovery such as TWRP.
Only a developer or someone that is familiar with root and custom android software would be familiar with wiping dalvik cache. A standard employee of a manufacturer or customer support agent would not be familiar with wiping dalvik cache.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk

i flashed twrp and majisk yesterday but my apps was playing up so i did a delvick cache wipe and now my phone is no longer rooted and no longer has majisk do i need to install twrp and majisk again or just flash majisk again

When you reboot, bóth the Dalvik ( correct: ART ) cache and the System Cache are re-created. So no benefits at all.

Related

[Q] Update question?

Hi people, just a quicky! If you update NSCollab 1.0.38 to 1.0.39, do you have to delete data & dalvik cache (factory restore!) like it's a new installation, or can you just do a delete dalvik cache? Only I did the delete dalvik cache ONLY method for the update & had no problems, but I'm now presuming that if you don't do the full wipe, then really in essence you're effectively not really fully updating the whole system as you would be if wiping it first (through ClockworkMod Recovery,(RomManager!)!?
TIA!
There is no need to fully wipe when doing that minor upgrade to 1.0.39. I think you only need to fully wipe when changing ROMs. You probably do not even have to wipe Dalvik cache but since it only takes a few minutes to reload it, I would do it anyway.
Data wipe is completely overkill, however.
Apolyxon said:
There is no need to fully wipe when doing that minor upgrade to 1.0.39. I think you only need to fully wipe when changing ROMs. You probably do not even have to wipe Dalvik cache but since it only takes a few minutes to reload it, I would do it anyway.
Data wipe is completely overkill, however.
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Thanks Apolyxon for your quick reply! I had thaught as much, as I knew wiping data also would effectively commit a factory restore & I would lose all my apps, settings etc! Just wanted to be sure!

[Q] flash rom without erasing content?

I'm running CM7 and would like to try out the MIUI rom. Do I need to wipe data/factory reset in recovery before flashing the new rom? Also, is there anything I should do outside of a nandroid backup before flashing a new rom? This is my first time flashing a different rom.
In your case, yes.
Developers and their ROMs vary in the changes they make, and while some might need no wiping, many do.
As a result, as a general safe consensus, the following is usually recommended to avoid all possible repercussions.
1. factory reset
2. format/cache
3. format/system
4. wipe dalvik cache
Again, this isn't always necessary, but when moving from one ROM to another, this is a good idea.
jamadio said:
In your case, yes.
Developers and their ROMs vary in the changes they make, and while some might need no wiping, many do.
As a result, as a general safe consensus, the following is usually recommended to avoid all possible repercussions.
1. factory reset
2. format/cache
3. format/system
4. wipe dalvik cache
Again, this isn't always necessary, but when moving from one ROM to another, this is a good idea.
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Cool, man. Thanks for the quick reply! Was hoping I could avoid a data loss. Flashing now.
I've used Titanium Backup whenever I've switched roms, and it's been super handy.
You can usually safely just wipe the cache, format the system and wipe the Dalvik Cache and leave the data partition alone (as long as the rom is using the same file system type). Then on the first boot all your previously installed user apps will magically reappear, but your first boot will take much longer.

[Q] CWM Commands?

So, we all know how to flash a ROM and the various steps you should do to ensure a clean install.
Dalvik, cache, data, and system should be wiped. Minus factory reset (which does data and system) for updated builds of a ROM.
My question, which was prompted by installing Google Now, is what do each of these things actually do? It would be useful for example to know if I should clean the Dalvik cache when trying to install a less buggy version of the app, but as I have no idea what Dalvik is I have no way of knowing.
Would any knowledgeable person like to quickly break down what clearing the cache, data, system and Dalvik do?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
yes whenever you install a new ROM its better to have a good clean up before doing so...
factory rest will format or wipe cache and data...dalvik is inside cache so no need to do it again..the same for battery stats...format system is clearly just wiping system partition clean

[Q] If phone isn't rooted, does it mean I'm unable to wipe...

....to wipe unneeded files in the dalvik cache, and so they will add up over time and take a lot of space and make the phone slower? Therefore it is a MUST to root one's phone?
Is that a correct assumption?
Thanks!
Try it. Use any file manager, go to /cache/dalvik-cache, and delete something, or everything.
The reason why it is called a cache is to speed up the phone.
It won't take up memory because of the way the phones storage is partitioned.
Sent from my DROID2 using xda premium
MarlonKaye said:
....to wipe unneeded files in the dalvik cache, and so they will add up over time and take a lot of space and make the phone slower? Therefore it is a MUST to root one's phone?
Is that a correct assumption?
Thanks!
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For formating caches you could use file manager but it also need root permission...
And until you flash other custom rom you need not to wipe cache...
Apps cache is being created for the first time you boot your phone for better application launch...
So if you got a serious problem of force crash on stock rom, please do full reset...
Rom: CodeBox 1.4.0 Unofficial
Kernel: Horsepower 3.1 by fuss
If you like my post please hit thanks button...
You can use Factory Reset from Settings menu.
guys...
Guys, please read the original post.
Anyway, I tried unrooting my phone and deleting contents of dalvik cache. As expected, this is what happened:
1. Using ES File Explorer, WAS NOT ABLE to access the /data/dalvik-cache folder. It showed "Empty folder" or something like that.
2. Using Root Explorer, message that read "You're phone doesn't seem to be rooted, etc. etc. " (cannot access folder also)
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So here's my new set of questions:
1. Does factory reset erase dalvik-cache? (I would assume so)
2. If phone is unrooted, dalvik cache contents cannot be accessed or deleted (as I have proven). Does that mean they will add up over time (unless you factory reset the phone??) and cause problems like making the phone slower?
Hope that's clear.
Thanks!!!
What phone are you using? If for samsung, you can still wipe that in stock recovery even if you are unrooted...
Dalvik cache is in your /data partition, so yeah, it will be erased if you factory reset...your phone should manage dalvik by itself, it should not build up (except if you mess with it), so don't worry...
Ryuinferno, hello. I'm using Samsung Galaxy Ace. So how do I wipe the dalvik cache in stock recovery of unrooted phone? Are you referring to factory reset / data wipe? I know that already. I know that already. If you're referring to something else, please let me know.
Are you sure android phones manage the dalvik cache by themselves? Because sometimes when I uninstall an app, a related file would still be left in dalvik. I would then manually delete it or delete it using Titanium Backup. Also, why does Titanium Backup have an option to "Clean up the Dalvik cache..." if the phone manages it by itself?
Thanks!!!
Ryuinferno said:
What phone are you using? If for samsung, you can still wipe that in stock recovery even if you are unrooted...
Dalvik cache is in your /data partition, so yeah, it will be erased if you factory reset...your phone should manage dalvik by itself, it should not build up (except if you mess with it), so don't worry...
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Even wiping dalvik cache will cause apps to misbehave in you don't factory reset ...
If you are rooted , it will also have same effect ...
So do factory reset if you are in stock ROM and full wipe if you are on custom ROM ...
ROM : CodeBox Unofficial 1.4.0
Kernel : Horsepower 3.1.0-Fuss
If you like my post please hit like button...
Hmm...I can't remember too well as I left stock recovery too long...never left my phone unrooted......I think there is a wipe cache option in stock recovery but I am not sure whether will it wipe dalvik or not...
Titanium backup has an option to wipe dalvik because when changing ROMs/restoring apps, the current dalvik may be conflicting with the newly restored app...that is why you need to rebuild them...usually the old unused dalvik should be cleared upon a reboot...
"Hmm...I can't remember too well as I left stock recovery too long...never left my phone unrooted......I think there is a wipe cache option in stock recovery but I am not sure whether will it wipe dalvik or not..."
Maybe not? Because wipe cache and wipe dalvik cache are two separate options in ClockworkMOD Recovery, is it not? Or maybe in stock recovery, it DOES wipe dalvik as well....

Installing Nightlies. Wiping cache

I'm in the habit of installing Carbon Nightlies. Most of the time its everyday or every other day. I always wipe Delvik cache and Cache before I install. I was wondering if all this cache i delete, is essential for saving data, because I have a data cap. Or do I not know what I'm talking about?
augoza said:
I'm in the habit of installing Carbon Nightlies. Most of the time its everyday or every other day. I always wipe Delvik cache and Cache before I install. I was wondering if all this cache i delete, is essential for saving data, because I have a data cap. Or do I not know what I'm talking about?
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first off, when you flash a rom it automatically wipes your dalvik and cache, so you wiping it again is pointless. and it has nothing to do with your data cap. your dalvik rebuilds when booting up, hense the android is upgrading. and you fill up the apps cache as you use your apps.
simms22 said:
, when you flash a rom it automatically wipes your dalvik and cache, so you wiping it again is pointless. and it has nothing to do with your data cap. your dalvik rebuilds when booting up, hense the android is upgrading. and you fill up the apps cache as you use your apps.
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Thanks. So when I flash the nightly it automatically wipes the cache. Does it wipe cache in apps, for instance, like Chrome browser?
augoza said:
Thanks. So when I flash the nightly it automatically wipes the cache. Does it wipe cache in apps, for instance, like Chrome browser?
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yup, when you flash, the cache is automatically wiped(the app cache is what gets wiped when you manually wipe cache as well).
simms22 said:
yup, when you flash, the cache is automatically wiped(the app cache is what gets wiped when you manually wipe cache as well).
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Am I being anal. Because now I have to rebuild the cache i normally built over time by manually going to the websites I frequently visit..Thus using more data. Compared to never flashing again\never wiping cache again. Or is it such a miniscule amount of data that I won't notices the MBs on my bill
augoza said:
Am I being anal. Because now I have to rebuild the cache i normally built over time by manually going to the websites I frequently visit..Thus using more data. Compared to never flashing again\never wiping cache again. Or is it such a miniscule amount of data that I won't notices the MBs on my bill
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it usually is just tiny bit of data, but i understand the being anal part. going to your websites would probably use more data. plus, most of that data in the cache isnt data you download, but data the comes up just from use of the apps.

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