I was also confused when I read that, and so I found this thread ![]()
I opened Improve frontend cache message by fdmarcin · Pull Request #5019 · hacs/integration · GitHub to hopefully clarify it.
I was also confused when I read that, and so I found this thread ![]()
I opened Improve frontend cache message by fdmarcin · Pull Request #5019 · hacs/integration · GitHub to hopefully clarify it.
You also can go to debug in the companion app and click on clear front end cache.
Sooo, did any of these three-and-a-half centenarians consider a PR for the wording of the message yet? Because a year later, I’m still getting the same one. You may add 43-5=38 years of experience given that I started out with CBM-BASIC at 5 years old.
Edit: just found Improve frontend cache message by fdmarcin · Pull Request #5019 · hacs/integration · GitHub … favorite comment: “this needs more effort”. Perhaps we ought to start a special investigating unit on the wording.
I have only used the mobile app for the last few days. No computers.
Had my dashboards start to randomly disappear and have tried multiple reboots of HA, “app cache clear” + “inside the app doing the reset frontend cache”. The error messages of the dashboards not being found is only cleared for duration (random) by redownloading the dashboard. Slow process so now I’ve just been downloading a single dashboard and seeing how long that stays alive. Starting to wonder what really is the issue.
2026 calling. Had the same confusion here (35 yrs in IT, 45yrs using computers), if they want us to clear the browser cache, say clear the BROWSER cache! I assumed it was something within HA itself.,
That’s a long-winded way of pressing CTRL-F5!
Just wading in past ankle deep here, and yeah, once you get past the absolute basics of installation, HA is a sudden drop off into the deep end where you have to know everything in order to do anything.
The recent 2026.2 update was a perfect example of assumption of knowledge in its instructions.
I come back here from time to time to feel less alone.
By(t)e
Hey I did this on Safari and error.problem still there oh IT experience pre dates the internet. I had lunch with RADM Hopper
Add me to the list. With this many people with tehcnical backgrounds not knowing what this means, I’m thinking this is a UX issue. Maybe they should change the verbiage to say clear browser cache. Would make more sense. I was thinking there was a Home Assistant command or button I had to use.
I worked in the medical field long enough to think that “clearing the frontend cache” meant “blowing your nose” ![]()
I tried it several times, but it didn’t work…
It is amazing to me that after this issue has practically become a meme here, I am still seeing the “clear frontend cache” message 30 months and over 100k views after the thread started.
Someone must be really passionate about that confusing wording.
It make sense to people who know what it’s doing and they will continue to repeat the term.
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maybe I’ve missed something, I’m using the companion app on an old ipad air 2 (ios 15.8) and is still working fine, but with the latest app release (2026.4.1), there seems to be a large empty space above the header that I can’t get rid off. So I decided to go the browser route and use a PWA. This is working fine, but now I want to do a clear frontend cache and it’s a hassle to achieve this (or I’m doing it wrong). I have to open safari, delete all web data, delete the PWA and start over again, login etc… Is there a simpler way to do a clear frontend cache in this case? With the companion app, this is (was) easy to do.
EDIT: using the airplane mode does the trick. airplane mode on, force close the PWA, turn airplane mode off and relaunch the PWA.
This is true… once you have done a google search and landed on this thread you are educated on using the term.
I still think adding to the notification (browser/app cache) to make it a bit more intuitive would help.
But on the other hand keeping it as is will get users used of the enigma of Home Assistant. Nearly everything you do while climbing the steep learning curve requires a search of the forum. We can’t make clearing the frontend cache that easy to understand in the first place.
Well - a few years ago I found out what it means to clear the front-end cache.
And I thought this would be it - but I just found another complication ![]()
I switched to Linux Mint recently and there you have the option to run a website (like HA) as a web app. It is quite nice, because you can get rid of the addressbar easily and also ensure that the app opens always at the same spot with the same dimensions.
My browser of choice is Vivaldi - and I recently updated some of my dashboards with different pictures - opened Vivaldi and cleared the browser cache - but then discovered, that for some reason this had no effect on my HA web app.
While the dashboard (picture entity card) in the browser showed the updated version, the web app (based on the same browser) still had the old stuff in the cache.
Fast forward a few weeks, and while playing with the web app, I accidently hit F1 --> that opened a Vivaldi browser instance - I cleared the history there ------ and wouldn't you know it, the web app cache was cleared and displayed the proper info.