How many apps is...too many apps?

[wallyma]

This is probably an age old question that many ask themselves since the original droid. Why is my droid acting glitchy and slow and unresponsive?


Is there a limit of how many apps android can install and run acceptably?

Is there a internal/external limit when things get wonky? (assume stock mem)

Does moving apps to SD help or cause more problems with the overall system? Is there a reliable site that says what apps are good to move around?

Is there a list of apps that cause problems, or is it worse than that...an unknown infinite combination of apps can cause android to act funny.( this app is fine, this one too, but installed on the same device..uh oh)

Is any advice thrown out the window if we are talking baseband and kernels? (roots and roms) If not, assume root stock.

Is there a benchmark program perhaps that I can run periodically to see if i am developing a sticky OS? Then maybe I can do some detective work to see what the latest apps installed are causing issues and jump back a nandroid backup or two.

Does uninstalling really mean uninstalling or is it like the dreaded windows...lots of chaff left behind in the system after an uninstall.

At what time does old program directories/files and user files cause a noticeable system slowdown? (system is checking SD card for errors, for instance)

And lastly...is there a thread/site somewhere out there that has answered these questions to save people a lot of typing?

Thanks to all with answers!

 

[wallyma]

with permission please do if one knows how.

 

[Thom]

Moved here from Motorola - Droid - Bionic as requested.

... Thom

 

[rui-no-onna]

I don't think it's a matter of how many apps you have installed per se. It's more how many of those installed apps run in the background that affect performance. If you've nearly filled up internal memory, then the lack of space for cache might be a factor, too.

Apps (widgets in particular) run with less hassle when installed in internal memory as opposed to when they're installed in SD card.

 

[lunatic59]

I don't think you can quantify that with the number of apps, but more by the amount of memory. For arguments sake lets say you have 1 MB of internal memory and 90 10K apps and 100K was the minimum free space needed for smooth performance. That would make 91 the limit. If the apps were all 1K then 900 would be the limit and so on. Since every app and widget will use memory a little differently, you have to approach the question from a resource position. I would say, as a general rule, when you get below 10% free resources, you'll see degraded performance.