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I have over 15 games on my device. Some do occupy some memory; others not so much. I have enough leftover memory on the phone.

Is it true that this can slow down the device?

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    Problem is mainly not with storage occupation, but whether they're running in the background... Go check Running Apps and see if you can spot any of 'em.
    – Andy Yan
    Mar 5, 2017 at 15:48
  • @AndyYan No I can't spot any of them. So no problem then?
    – ghosts_in_the_code
    Mar 5, 2017 at 16:07
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    Not in my eyes. Still, other members might come up with different criterias - just wait for a proper answer.
    – Andy Yan
    Mar 6, 2017 at 0:04

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When you download and install a game on your device, the data is stored within internal storage. When you run the game, it loads all the assets into RAM, which is Random Access Memory. Accessing RAM is much faster than accessing internal memory, which allows games to load scenes, animations, and other things faster. The game should know exactly where the assets are in RAM with an memory address. It can jump right to that point and pull the information down.

However, games are not the only thing that uses RAM. The operating system, system applications, and other installed apps are also using RAM. The more RAM that is used, the less there is for new operations to occupy temporarily. If RAM gets too full, then it could cause problems.

Leaving applications running in the background leaves RAM occupied. After a while, the memory should automatically be cleaned up, especially if you start new applications that require that space in RAM.

Another culprit that could be slowing things down is cache. Cache is used to store app information, web site data, and other information that the app will use to speed up load times. If too much cache is used, then it could be slowed. Games can use a lot of cache since they need to load images faster. Clearing the cache occasionally is typically a good thing.

TL;DR

Yes, running many games can cause a slow down on your device. RAM that does not get cleared and having too much cache are the main culprits. RAM should resolve itself over time, though closing the app completely is a good idea just to make sure. Clearing cache every so often is a good idea as well, especially if you run many of the games often.

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    +1. Another point is that most games would (I suppose) want internet access for various reasons. If a bunch of them are accessing internet while you are browsing there would be resource clashes and browsing may be slower --> impression / actually slowing down. I am guessing since I don't play games
    – beeshyams
    Mar 8, 2019 at 14:25
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Downloading too many Apps (not only games) might slow down your device. It depends strongly on the apps you are dealing with.

The mechanisms for slowing down Android performance are various. It may be due to background processes, low available memory, and perhaps communication issues.

The question is quite broad, and I will try to avoid repeating information, so I will point to appropriate sources.

You could check which apps are eating up your resources. For instance, Trepn profiler is recommended here. I have used it some time ago and I recall finding it quite useful, in particular for a slowed-down device.

Note that when identifying resource hog apps, it is likely not a good idea to use an app killer on them.

Related: https://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s3/246051-does-downloading-lot-apps-slow-down-your-phone.html

This old question and its answers might be useful: My device is getting slow, apps start misbehaving/crashing. What can I do?

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Yes. Believe it or not, the less free space you have in ROM, it can eventually affect the load speed for apps and their the files associated with them because it takes longer for the phone to find and access the info it needs, especially if you have less than 32 GB total storage. Not so much if you have a large memory (like an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, both of which come w/ up to 128 GB, depending on the model). It still will get slower the more memory is used, but the memory access time for a phone with that much storage is such that even if it takes 2-3 times as long, it would still be so fast you couldn't notice the difference.

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  • So you mean to say the total free rom space on the device affects its speed? Each app is only a few MB. What if I download a video of a few GB? I haven't noticed much of a change even then.
    – ghosts_in_the_code
    Mar 6, 2017 at 16:52
  • Storing applications does not take up ROM space. ROM is used mainly for firmware instructions. When an application is downloaded and stored, it is put on the internal memory chip, which is usually an SSD type storage.
    – CodeMonkey
    Mar 8, 2019 at 13:15
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Yes it does..at one point of view....it basically EATS your RAM and this causes slowing down of other apps and your whole phone......it also causes superheating problems.....it also depends on your mobile set.I.e.its hardware and all.anyway.....the final answer is YES

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  • This is nonsense. Downloading apps doesn't permanently take RAM, they're not stored in RAM.
    – Matthew Read
    Mar 7, 2017 at 7:06
  • I didn't say it gets stored in RAM....i said that RAM is used very much when we use it...ROM gets decreased... And RAM gets decreased temporarily...
    – Marsh Mathew
    Mar 7, 2017 at 8:23
  • Of course RAM is used when the phone is used. That's why it's there. That's a meaningless statement that has nothing to do with the question. Neither of these are going to "superheat" the phone (CPU/GPU use will and only if the phone does not properly regulate them).
    – Matthew Read
    Mar 7, 2017 at 14:40
  • Anything that increase the AVERAGE amount of RAM used will increase the CPU temperature to a point... The that's what causes any phone to heat up when there's no excessive battery drain...The screen will heat up the battery also, but it's because the screen itself is one of the main drains on the battery, but has nothing to do with the CPU
    – Harlemme
    Mar 11, 2017 at 23:00
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In my case That is not correct because when you install certain games are applications at that time some of they contain i mean they required low cpu and GPU power and some of them they don't even required that

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    Hello. I strongly suggest you consider reading our How to Answer guide, then revise this answer accordingly.
    – Firelord ♦
    Mar 12, 2019 at 10:51

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