Is there a limit to Apps on the Droid?

[AAFD]

Is there a limit on how many apps you can have on your droid? I have watch a review about a limit of 200 mbs on the Nexus One. Is there the same limit on the droid?

Thanks

KC

 

[sethjk]

THe only limit is how much space you have to store them as far as I know.

 

[mjones73]

It's about the same for now, the hope is someday they will allow apps to be installed on the sdcard also. There are some ways to do that yourself if you have a rooted phone I believe.

 

[AAFD]

OK, I think I understand with the Pre and IPhone you have 8 gigs or more of space no card. With The Android phones you have what is on the phone plus the card. I hope they get that fixed.

KC

 

[prometheus]

With the Droid the only limits are your imagination.

(this should be read aloud in a spooky sort of sci-fi meets Broadway voice.)

 

[ericatomars06]

Well they apps don't save to your memory card... So I would guess excessive apps will cause it to slow down.

I actually just deleted a bunch.. like the metal detector. Yeah its cool but i dont really need a metal detector on my phone.

 

[prometheus]

Yeah, I uninstalled the coffee maker. But the snow blower is a keeper.

 

[VoltaicShock]

Well they apps don't save to your memory card... So I would guess excessive apps will cause it to slow down.

I actually just deleted a bunch.. like the metal detector. Yeah its cool but i dont really need a metal detector on my phone.

Did it actually work? It didn't do anything for me.

 

[AAFD]

Yeah, I uninstalled the coffee maker. But the snow blower is a keeper.

Sure could use it today

KC

 

[dagostin]

The limit is 256MB nothing more, nothing less in terms of the actual app executable files that aren't part of the untouchable system partition. The ROM itself is 512MB but half of that is locked down from the system partition and other things you cannot change. So if you download enough apps whose executable sum is greater than 256MB you've hit the limit. Separate from this, there is 256MB of RAM that gets used for the running of the applications - you see this number when you look at a task killer. Mine hoevers around 30MB free pretty much regardless of how many apps i have installed. The reason is because 1) not all your installed apps run at the same time and 2) the os is opmitized to kill processes that are no longer in use to keep your free RAM at about 30MB or higher. Note that the ROM for holding installations and the RAM for running are 2 different things.

So basically, you're limited to 256MB of executables for your apps. Yes some iphone apps use like 60MB for executables, that would crush your droid experience. HOWEVER, apps of this nature can be developed so that the executable is small in data size, and the resources it needs are indeed stored on the sdcard. It is just the executable that must be on the internal memory. SpacePhysics is one example of this as the downloaded executable comes with just 1 level to save space. To get the 80 levels, you download another small app that puts all of the levels on your sdcard.

I'm currently at over 80 apps downloaded myself and the speed of my phone has not changed by any significant amounts and I have about 110MB of space left on the ROM for exectables. Scaling this I can probably get close to 150 apps before hitting the 256 limit.

 

[AAFD]

Thanks for the info

KC

 

[jhnnyblze2000]

I read somewhere, and wish i could remember where so i could post the link, that google in the future is looking to allow apps to be installed onto your sd card without having to root your phone so the phones will have space to hold games like the iphone and pre do that way your only limited to the amount of space you have on your sd card. Don't know if the post was true or if its going to happen but i think i would be awesome if they allowed this without rooting your phone.

 

[Mydnightsorrow]

I read somewhere, and wish i could remember where so i could post the link, that google in the future is looking to allow apps to be installed onto your sd card without having to root your phone so the phones will have space to hold games like the iphone and pre do that way your only limited to the amount of space you have on your sd card. Don't know if the post was true or if its going to happen but i think i would be awesome if they allowed this without rooting your phone.

Which would make any android device even that much better than an iphone since we can change out our sd cards =)

 

[cqq1jmg]

So just out of curiosity...i know copilot GPS for android has build in maps of US or Europe. It stores all that in the ROM?

 

[photophatty67]

Memory Question

Hi ~ I've got just over 200 apps and still have 30MB remaining. Do you think I'm pushing my luck? I don't want to cause problems for my Droid, but so far, other than using up the battery a bit more quickly than I would like, it seems to be functioning pretty well thus far.

 

[willymakit]

The limit is 256MB nothing more, nothing less in terms of the actual app executable files that aren't part of the untouchable system partition. The ROM itself is 512MB but half of that is locked down from the system partition and other things you cannot change. So if you download enough apps whose executable sum is greater than 256MB you've hit the limit. Separate from this, there is 256MB of RAM that gets used for the running of the applications - you see this number when you look at a task killer. Mine hoevers around 30MB free pretty much regardless of how many apps i have installed. The reason is because 1) not all your installed apps run at the same time and 2) the os is opmitized to kill processes that are no longer in use to keep your free RAM at about 30MB or higher. Note that the ROM for holding installations and the RAM for running are 2 different things.

So basically, you're limited to 256MB of executables for your apps. Yes some iphone apps use like 60MB for executables, that would crush your droid experience. HOWEVER, apps of this nature can be developed so that the executable is small in data size, and the resources it needs are indeed stored on the sdcard. It is just the executable that must be on the internal memory. SpacePhysics is one example of this as the downloaded executable comes with just 1 level to save space. To get the 80 levels, you download another small app that puts all of the levels on your sdcard.

I'm currently at over 80 apps downloaded myself and the speed of my phone has not changed by any significant amounts and I have about 110MB of space left on the ROM for exectables. Scaling this I can probably get close to 150 apps before hitting the 256 limit.

Thanks for your input you explained it perfectly.

 

[dagostin]

So just out of curiosity...i know copilot GPS for android has build in maps of US or Europe. It stores all that in the ROM?

No. The only thing stored on ROM is whatever is needed to launch the application, the "executable" so to speak. Resources and other things the application might need can be stored on sdcard. If you look at your apps themselves, they generally range from as small as 20KB to about 3MB each. But most are probably more around 1MB.

When i pull up my sdcard I see some folders that applications have created, one being a folder called "data" and inside I see some apps like google maps and resources are stored there.

 

[Roy Aguilera]

Hi ~ I've got just over 200 apps and still have 30MB remaining. Do you think I'm pushing my luck? I don't want to cause problems for my Droid, but so far, other than using up the battery a bit more quickly than I would like, it seems to be functioning pretty well thus far.

If it still runs smooth you are good.

 

[photophatty67]

Thanks - I'll keep monitoring it. I'm like a kid in a candy store with all these new apps! Getting more adept at determining if I'm really going to find an app useful or not, rather than getting excited about the novelty of the thing...

 

[Tennessee]

Thanks - I'll keep monitoring it. I'm like a kid in a candy store with all these new apps! Getting more adept at determining if I'm really going to find an app useful or not, rather than getting excited about the novelty of the thing...

I was like that for a while, sort of still, but last weekend I went through and looked at all the apps i had downloaded and never use anymore. I wound up uninstalling 20+. But already adding more.