Other How many apps can an iphone hold, apparently it has nothing to do with storage

[Deeds500]

I didn't bother to go back through the 'millions' of threads to see if this has been discussed before, but has anyone ever tested to see how many apps an iphone can hold?

I remember someone telling me in 2014 after the iphone 6/Plus was released that the iphone can only hold a certain number of apps before the screen starts switching off, not the phone itself but the screen. And this was the case irrespective of how much storage the phone had. And it happens on all brands of smartphones so this is not about Apple versus whoever.

Apparently it has to do with static and non static files. Files such as music, pics and videos are non static, therefore you can store as many of these on your phone as its storage capacity allows. Apps however are static, which means, without being technical because I don't profess to know too much about it, that your display needs to hold them, even ones which aren't running. And there's only so many in number that the screen can support before the screen starts crapping itself. So you could have 256g of storage and have apps totalling say 150g of storage and yet your screen may start turning off and on if you have too many apps in number.

But since that discussion, I've always been curious to know, how many is too many? Anyone know or is this no longer an issue with iphones 3 iterations on?

 

[C DM]

I didn't bother to go back through the 'millions' of threads to see if this has been discussed before, but has anyone ever tested to see how many apps an iphone can hold?

I remember someone telling me in 2014 after the iphone 6/Plus was released that the iphone can only hold a certain number of apps before the screen starts switching off, not the phone itself but the screen. And this was the case irrespective of how much storage the phone had. And it happens on all brands of smartphones so this is not about Apple versus whoever.

Apparently it has to do with static and non static files. Files such as music, pics and videos are non static, therefore you can store as many of these on your phone as its storage capacity allows. Apps however are static, which means, without being technical because I don't profess to know too much about it, that your display needs to hold them, even ones which aren't running. And there's only so many in number that the screen can support before the screen starts crapping itself. So you could have 256g of storage and have apps totalling say 150g of storage and yet your screen may start turning off and on if you have too many apps in number.

But since that discussion, I've always been curious to know, how many is too many? Anyone know or is this no longer an issue with iphones 3 iterations on?

https://www.lifewire.com/how-many-apps-allowed-iphone-2000752

 

[casperes1996]

I didn't bother to go back through the 'millions' of threads to see if this has been discussed before, but has anyone ever tested to see how many apps an iphone can hold?

I remember someone telling me in 2014 after the iphone 6/Plus was released that the iphone can only hold a certain number of apps before the screen starts switching off, not the phone itself but the screen. And this was the case irrespective of how much storage the phone had. And it happens on all brands of smartphones so this is not about Apple versus whoever.

Apparently it has to do with static and non static files. Files such as music, pics and videos are non static, therefore you can store as many of these on your phone as its storage capacity allows. Apps however are static, which means, without being technical because I don't profess to know too much about it, that your display needs to hold them, even ones which aren't running. And there's only so many in number that the screen can support before the screen starts crapping itself. So you could have 256g of storage and have apps totalling say 150g of storage and yet your screen may start turning off and on if you have too many apps in number.

But since that discussion, I've always been curious to know, how many is too many? Anyone know or is this no longer an issue with iphones 3 iterations on?

The explanation you've heard doesn't really make sense. The screen doesn't have anything to do with storing the information it's shown, and there's no limit of how much data you can send the screen before it shuts off. It won't happen. iOS does however have an app limit; See the excellent article linked to by C DM.

Back on my iPhone 3G many years ago, the maximum was 8 pages without folders. However, going beyond this limit in fact doesn't mean the app won't be installed and work just fine. It just means you won't be able to see or find it on the Springboard (home screen). You'll have to search for it to find it.

 

[Deeds500]

The explanation you've heard doesn't really make sense. The screen doesn't have anything to do with storing the information it's shown, and there's no limit of how much data you can send the screen before it shuts off. It won't happen. iOS does however have an app limit; See the excellent article linked to by C DM.

Back on my iPhone 3G many years ago, the maximum was 8 pages without folders. However, going beyond this limit in fact doesn't mean the app won't be installed and work just fine. It just means you won't be able to see or find it on the Springboard (home screen). You'll have to search for it to find it.

Look I will check out the link but the guy who told me this worked at a in-store genius bar.
[doublepost=1516776120][/doublepost]

https://www.lifewire.com/how-many-apps-allowed-iphone-2000752

Thanks for the link. It talks about layout and how many apps you could store based on grid size and folder size etc, but it doesn't address the issue of how many apps it will take to make your screen choke. Apoarently apps, even ones that are not running in the background, are static and the screen has to be strong enough to support say 45,000 files (the article says in theory you could store 45,000). But based on what the genius bar guy said, the screen could not support that many and woukd crash. Just saying what he said.

Thanks.

 

[akash.nu]

Look I will check out the link but the guy who told me this worked at a in-store genius bar.
[doublepost=1516776120][/doublepost]

Thanks for the link. It talks about layout and how many apps you could store based on grid size and folder size etc, but it doesn't address the issue of how many apps it will take to make your screen choke. Apoarently apps, even ones that are not running in the background, are static and the screen has to be strong enough to support say 45,000 files (the article says in theory you could store 45,000). But based on what the genius bar guy said, the screen could not support that many and woukd crash. Just saying what he said.

Thanks.

Yeah that’s a load of rubbish. Just because someone works at a Genius Bar doesn’t really mean they’re techie geniuses. They’re just glorified sales people trained in some of the Apple tools to be able to replace your screens or batteries that most corner shop phone people can do.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Look I will check out the link but the guy who told me this worked at a in-store genius bar.
[doublepost=1516776120][/doublepost]

Thanks for the link. It talks about layout and how many apps you could store based on grid size and folder size etc, but it doesn't address the issue of how many apps it will take to make your screen choke. Apoarently apps, even ones that are not running in the background, are static and the screen has to be strong enough to support say 45,000 files (the article says in theory you could store 45,000). But based on what the genius bar guy said, the screen could not support that many and woukd crash. Just saying what he said.

Thanks.

If you ask that question to ten different “Geniuses” you’ll get ten different answers..

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Guys, that's why I have two spare TVs in my living room! If one display is too full, because I watch too many TV shows, I can just switch to the next one.

(I pray to the almighty lord, this thread isn't meant serious)

 

[Sorig]

Look I will check out the link but the guy who told me this worked at a in-store genius bar.
[doublepost=1516776120][/doublepost]

Thanks for the link. It talks about layout and how many apps you could store based on grid size and folder size etc, but it doesn't address the issue of how many apps it will take to make your screen choke. Apoarently apps, even ones that are not running in the background, are static and the screen has to be strong enough to support say 45,000 files (the article says in theory you could store 45,000). But based on what the genius bar guy said, the screen could not support that many and woukd crash. Just saying what he said.

Thanks.

That’s complete nonsense. If that guy at the genius bar told me that, I would’ve lmao in his face.

A screen doesn’t care how many apps are installed on your phone. You could have 1 app or literally 1 million apps installed and it wouldn’t change a thing when it comes to the display. The screen itself doesn’t even know the difference between a screenshot or the real homescreen, or a picture, or a movie or a 3D game, etc.

Provided you have enough storage (hardware), the limit to how many apps you can have on your phone is a software thing and has nothing to do with the screen.

 

[casperes1996]

Thanks for the link. It talks about layout and how many apps you could store based on grid size and folder size etc, but it doesn't address the issue of how many apps it will take to make your screen choke. Apoarently apps, even ones that are not running in the background, are static and the screen has to be strong enough to support say 45,000 files (the article says in theory you could store 45,000). But based on what the genius bar guy said, the screen could not support that many and woukd crash. Just saying what he said.

A lot of people have chimed in already, but I just also want to clarify that to the display there is no such thing as a "file".

The display is fed an RGB signal for its pixels.
It doesn't at all know what's running on your phone, only what pixel signals it's currently receiving from the frame buffer.

 

[C DM]

Thanks for the link. It talks about layout and how many apps you could store based on grid size and folder size etc, but it doesn't address the issue of how many apps it will take to make your screen choke. Apoarently apps, even ones that are not running in the background, are static and the screen has to be strong enough to support say 45,000 files (the article says in theory you could store 45,000). But based on what the genius bar guy said, the screen could not support that many and woukd crash. Just saying what he said.

Thanks.

Not sure where this "screen choking" thing comes from. Perhaps some misunderstanding of what was said or meant, perhaps some misconception or misunderstanding on the part of someone who actually said it.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I worry about this exact thing all the time!

 

[Deeds500]

Thanks for all your feedback, except for the wiseguy who spoke about using 2 tv screens

 

[casperes1996]

Thanks for all your feedback, except for the wiseguy who spoke about using 2 tv screens

In that case, I'd like to thank the two TV guy for giving me a bit of a laugh

 

[Jimmy James]

The number is 1,241. At that point the static charge in the screen is too great.

 

[casperes1996]

The number is 1,241. At that point the static charge in the screen is too great.

Where've you got this conception from? I cannot see any technical reason why the number of apps (or any other content) would in any way have to do with the display

 

[Jimmy James]

It was just dry humour.

 

[casperes1996]

It was just dry humour.

Gotcha

 

[HallStevenson]

And it happens on all brands of smartphones so this is not about Apple versus whoever.

but the guy who told me this worked at a in-store genius bar.

I'd love to hear the explanation from this genius how it affects "all smartphones", i.e. iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, etc, etc. That's an absolute fallacy there.

 

[Deeds500]

I'd love to hear the explanation from this genius how it affects "all smartphones", i.e. iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, etc, etc. That's an absolute fallacy there.

I guess the only way to prove or disprove is to download as many appa as you can and see if what he says is true. A lot of people are quick to dismiss it, because I doubt has 45,000 apps, let alone 300 or thereabouts, but no one has actually tested it.

 

[casperes1996]

I guess the only way to prove or disprove is to download as many appa as you can and see if what he says is true. A lot of people are quick to dismiss it, because I doubt has 45,000 apps, let alone 300 or thereabouts, but no one has actually tested it.

Have you tested that it hurts to stick a knife in your eye?
This genius is the one who needs to prove that there's some limit to the screen, because there's no technical explanation that would make any sense whatsoever. Each pixel on a screen has three signals - red green and blue. Give these three different amounts of power to change colour and brightness (colour being the ratio between the three, brightness being the overall increase in signal strength). All the display know about the contents on your device is the signals it's receiving from the GPU about what is on the screen at the very moment the GPU sends that data. Nothing about what may be on the display later or anything like that. Just what it is showing right now. The data it recieves from the GPU, if we ignore stream compression for a moment, is just a series of bits corresponding to the RGB (red green blue) values for each pixel on the screen. Compression is often used to be able to carry data to more pixels over cables that otherwise wouldn't be able to support that much data, but that's it. No knowledge of your apps, or other files. Just what it's pixels are displaying.

Besides, an app is a bundle of a lot of smaller files anyways, and a single app can have more than one executable inside it so even if the display somehow knew anything about the storage on your device, which it really doesn't, the number of apps wouldn't be a single specific value, since there's no data represented by an app bundle that is uniform across all app bundles.

 

[Deeds500]

Have you tested that it hurts to stick a knife in your eye?
This genius is the one who needs to prove that there's some limit to the screen, because there's no technical explanation that would make any sense whatsoever. Each pixel on a screen has three signals - red green and blue. Give these three different amounts of power to change colour and brightness (colour being the ratio between the three, brightness being the overall increase in signal strength). All the display know about the contents on your device is the signals it's receiving from the GPU about what is on the screen at the very moment the GPU sends that data. Nothing about what may be on the display later or anything like that. Just what it is showing right now. The data it recieves from the GPU, if we ignore stream compression for a moment, is just a series of bits corresponding to the RGB (red green blue) values for each pixel on the screen. Compression is often used to be able to carry data to more pixels over cables that otherwise wouldn't be able to support that much data, but that's it. No knowledge of your apps, or other files. Just what it's pixels are displaying.

Besides, an app is a bundle of a lot of smaller files anyways, and a single app can have more than one executable inside it so even if the display somehow knew anything about the storage on your device, which it really doesn't, the number of apps wouldn't be a single specific value, since there's no data represented by an app bundle that is uniform across all app bundles.

This genius is the one who needs to prove that there's some limit to the screen, because there's no technical explanation that would make any sense whatsoever. Each pixel on a screen has three signals - red green and blue. Give these three different amounts of power to change colour and brightness (colour being the ratio between the three, brightness being the overall increase in signal strength). All the display know about the contents on your device is the signals it's receiving from the GPU about what is on the screen at the very moment the GPU sends that data. Nothing about what may be on the display later or anything like that. Just what it is showing right now. The data it recieves from the GPU, if we ignore stream compression for a moment, is just a series of bits corresponding to the RGB (red green blue) values for each pixel on the screen. Compression is often used to be able to carry data to more pixels over cables that otherwise wouldn't be able to support that much data, but that's it. No knowledge of your apps, or other files. Just what it's pixels are displaying.

Besides, an app is a bundle of a lot of smaller files anyways, and a single app can have more than one executable inside it so even if the display somehow knew anything about the storage on your device, which it really doesn't, the number of apps wouldn't be a single specific value, since there's no data represented by an app bundle that is uniform across all app bundles.

I have been poked in the eye by someone's finger and that hurt like hell. Had to keep it closed for about an hour. A knife is a lot pointier and a lot tougher and sharper than a finger so being stabbed in the eye with a knife would hurt so much more.

When I say the screen can't support say a thousand app, from memory, the genius bar guy was talking a lot deeper than the pixels, resolution, compression etc. Again, he said that media files are static, whereas apps are not. I understand the concept of static and non static, but like you I was perplexed why this would matter, but that's what he told me.

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Let me bring this to an end: A Display does not hold apps, it holds pixels. An iPhone X for example, can hold a maximum of 1125x2436px at the same time.
So either you misunderstood the genius bar guy, or he trolled you big time.

 

[casperes1996]

When I say the screen can't support say a thousand app, from memory, the genius bar guy was talking a lot deeper than the pixels, resolution, compression etc. Again, he said that media files are static, whereas apps are not. I understand the concept of static and non static, but like you I was perplexed why this would matter, but that's what he told me.

But to the screen there is no such thing as anything deeper than that. The screen doesn't know of anything deeper than that.

 

[Falhófnir]

Tbh, realistically it still most likely boils down to storage space if the actual limit is over 40,000 then, doesn't it?