How to check, manage and clear data stored by Google Play Services

Your phone stores a great deal of information about how you use it. From the websites you visit and the apps you download, to the searches you perform and the music you listen to, your phone is home to a wealth of personal information. You can clear much of this up by clearing out caches, but when it comes to Google Play Services – which includes a number of Google apps such asGmail, Search, Chrome and more – you can manage multiple caches and more data in one place. If you want to check and manage data stored by Google Play Services, here's how.

Check, manage and clear data stored by Google Play Services to free up space. / © ANDROIDPIT

• How to clean up your Android device: cache, history, files and more

If you're concerned about privacy, or just want to free up a little space, it's a good idea to clear out your caches from time to time. It's handy to be able to manage a series of Google apps from one place, including data associated with Android Wear. Open up Setting and head to the Apps manager under More. Swipe across to the All section, locate the entry for Google Play Services and tap it.

Google Player Services includes hidden options for managing data usage. / © ANDROIDPIT

Just as with other apps you can access from the Application manager, you can go ahead and clear out the cache right away just by clicking the Clear cache button, but you have the option to delve a little deeper. Tap the Manage space button and you'll access a screen that features a new series of options. For example, tap the Manage search data button and you'll find that it acts as a shortcut to other services associated with Google Play Services. Tap each in turn and you can manually clear out individual caches.

Manage the caches of all of your Google apps in one place.  / © ANDROIDPIT

The Google Play services storage screen can also be used to clear the cache for Drive-enabled apps. If you're having trouble with any files synching, you could try hitting the Clear button followed by OK to see if that helps. For anyone with an Android Wear device, the screen also provide the option to view and control any data that has come from the wearable.

Forget hunting around for settings – find all your caches in one place. / © ANDROIDPIT

For anyone looking to wipe out a wealth of data in one fell swoop, just scroll to the very bottom of the Google Player services storage screen. Hit the Clear all data button and then tap OK, and you can claim back valuable megabytes by deleting files, databases and settings.