I'm losing patience with Windows Phone!

[big dooze]

been a long-time supporter of the platform, started with a Samsung Focus, then had a Focus S, Lumia 900, Lumia 920, and upgraded this year to the 1020 and I love the hardware, I love the OS, but the apps and peripheral devices, or lack thereof is really killing this platform! lets start with the apps..

While all the major apps are on the platform (still waiting for minecraft & candy Crush, btw...), there are so many apps that I would use on a daily basis that just aren't there, and their 3rd party iterations are depressing. Map my Run & Map My Ride are horrible, don't work, have been abandoned by the developers. I am the parent of a competitive swimmer, and there is a great app called Meet Mobile on the other platforms, devs have NO plans on making a WP app. Other than Fitbit (which just got support for the platform) none of the other smartbands are compatible. I am holding out that the MS smartband is actually decent, BUT, if it uses Bing Health & Fitness as the core app, then I will throw my 1020 in the garbage. Bing health would be good, if it were user friendly. Adding an exercise to it, or got forbid tracking your daily eating is so cumbersome, its almost un-usable. MS needs to buy MyFitnessPal and call it Bing Health and Fitness, so much more user-friendly!

Xbox Music & Xbox Video, I have 2 words for you "Amazon Prime". Make your products walk and talk like Amazon prime or you will continue to lose marketshare, right now, these apps are barely usable. Imagine a flat rate for the "Xbox Marketplace" where you could stream music, watch the vast library of TV & movies, and here's a thought...add the B&N Nook account in for a reader/book store??? Why did they invest so much money with Barnes & Noble to turn around and do ZERO with the relationship??? How can you not expect to dump subscribers when you allow Amazon prime on the Xbox One? Imagine it, a single app that has music, video, books & magazines, and you pay a flat rate for all services? I would pay $100 a year for that, heck I pay $15 a month for a "barely decent" music service from MS. If Amazon Prime ever came to the Windows Phone, I would cancel my Xbox Music account immediately!

Like I said before, I like the OS, but what MS has done to make it better is ridiculous! The core services are so disconnected, and to be honest, the future looks so dismal with no flagship phone coming out for the holidays...its not looking very good for the platform anyway...I hope I am wrong.

I am looking at the Kindle Fire Phone as a serious replacement, and I don't even have a prime account with them...that's how disappointed I am in the platform. Cortana isn't enough to make me stay...im sick of not getting access to the services that Android & IOS get.

 

[Jazmac]

Kindle Fire phone? You really must be cheesed off.

 

[10curtains]

I have a Kindle fire HD . So I know you won't be getting the same services as Android or ios.

Amazon don't support their own devices.

The Fire HD is two years old . The Nexus and the ipad mini came out at the same time. I made the unfortunate mistake of purchasing the Fire HD.

Both ipad mini and the Nexus have cloud collections.
The H D has no way to organise my 600 books.
Whispersync is available on both of them, not on Amazon own Fire HD (2012).
If this device had lost support this year ,I might have been able to understand, but it didn't, it lost support last year.
Oh they have done updates, but none of them for the customers benefit.

Yes you can get the nook app via 1mobile as well as some other apps not available in the Amazon app store.

With the Fire HD I have the same problem as with my wp.
Lack of apps.

If you do consider switching , you're locked into Amazon and you can't access the google play store.

I'm considering a switch, but as I have prime it has to be ios because Amazon have not made prime available for Android.

I do agree with you regarding wp, but to consider Amazons offering ! It wouldn't be me.

If I'm going to be tied into a company, I want it to be the one that all major companies are dancing through hoops for.

Posted via the WPC App for Android!

 

[broar94]

You seem to be an app person . It's safe to move to Android/IOS than debating with us about WP.

 

[big dooze]

I just want all the same "experiences" the other platforms get, I feel like Windows Phones entertainment services are crap! It's not the phone or the OS, but the Xbox services as a whole. They need to get with the program or perhaps Nadella is correct in considering dumping Xbox and Windows phone....I hope not, we have a decent platform, lots of room for improvement.

 

[nicfromwales]

You'll be waiting a very, very long time for Minecraft on Windows Phone. If the OS doesn't do it for you, to the point where you feel the need to berate the platform in a forum, I'd say the wisest thing to do is move to an OS that does what you want. Life is too short to wait. Then, one day in the future, if/when Windows Phone matures and is sufficiently supported by devs whose apps you're interested in, I'm sure the community will welcome you back with open arms.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

Windows Phone is a waiting game.
Heck, anything Nokia gets into is a waiting game!
You should know what you sign up for.

That said, the mere fact that we get to play the waiting game sucks.

 

[big dooze]

You'll be waiting a very, very long time for Minecraft on Windows Phone. If the OS doesn't do it for you, to the point where you feel the need to berate the platform in a forum, I'd say the wisest thing to do is move to an OS that does what you want. Life is too short to wait. Then, one day in the future, if/when Windows Phone matures and is sufficiently supported by devs whose apps you're interested in, I'm sure the community will welcome you back with open arms.

Is it too much to ask for to have an ecosystem that works???? And don't give me your crap about moving on, I demand that MS fix this platform. As a consumer, I have that right!

 

[Zulfigar]

Is it too much to ask for to have an ecosystem that works???? And don't give me your crap about moving on, I demand that MS fix this platform. As a consumer, I have that right!

Ok... How?

 

[stevemind]

Nowt wrong with the operating system from me........smooth and unique! Some people think they could do a better job at building a "Perfect" os and phone.....Even if anyone did, guaranteed some would troll and hate it, that's life folks.

 

[omgitsnick]

I just want all the same "experiences" the other platforms get, I feel like Windows Phones entertainment services are crap! It's not the phone or the OS, but the Xbox services as a whole. They need to get with the program or perhaps Nadella is correct in considering dumping Xbox and Windows phone....I hope not, we have a decent platform, lots of room for improvement.

You can't just say that the whole Xbox services are crap basing your experience from one device. Xbox Music and Videos (and also gaming duh) are actually superb on the console, a little more integration on the PC side, but needs more work on the phone. But if apps are your concern then fear not and make the switch already.

 

[hysonmb]

I'm also a long time supporter of Windows platforms. When it comes to mobile, from PDAs before they had smart phones on to this day, I've always had an MS OS in my pocket with the exception of a 6 month stint on Android.
There are times where I get frustrated by the lack of support, but, that's frustration at the developers who seem to actively do what they can to minimize Windows Phone, not even just ignoring it. Companies like Nest, they went after any developer who released a client for the longest while their mobile site was next to useless. Others, like Dunkin Donuts who require you to register a DDPerks card through their app and Nike+ forces you to their app if you want to accept a challenge, don't have or plan to have Windows Phone apps so they're excluding potential customers.
I use Bluestacks on my PC just to do things that have to be done in Android. It's far from an optimal experience and I have considered buying a cheap Android phone just so I can have access to some of those things that haven't been brought to Windows Phone, but my 1020 isn't going anywhere until another Windows Phone with comparable or better camera quality is released.

 

[nicfromwales]

Is it too much to ask for to have an ecosystem that works???? And don't give me your crap about moving on, I demand that MS fix this platform. As a consumer, I have that right!

Excuse me? I bother to entertain your tirade with manners and a fair suggestion, and this is how you respond? It sounds to me as though you just like to rant, whether it be at your phone, at Microsoft or at people on the internet. Otherwise you'd do the sensible thing, lose the attitude and move on to a service which suits your needs.

Edit: And this "crap about moving on" was your bloody idea.

 

[DoctorSaline]

The guy has a point though. I'd say he cares about the platform. If he didn't, he'd have moved on already instead of criticizing Microsoft on windows phone central forums. Criticism is good for companies if they listen to their customers.

If everybody moved on from windows phone or Microsoft services for that matter, there wouldn't be any platform left.

Just saying.

 

[Jazmac]

The guy has a point though. I'd say he cares about the platform. If he didn't, he'd have moved on already instead of criticizing Microsoft on windows phone central forums. Criticism is good for companies if they listen to their customers.

If everybody moved on from windows phone or Microsoft services for that matter, there wouldn't be any platform left.

Just saying.

I can see you're new here. Welcome to WPCentral forums.

 

[big dooze]

that's easy, make the platform attractive to developers and hardware manufacturers!

 

[DoctorSaline]

I can see you're new here. Welcome to WPCentral forums.

Not only new but probably belong in same group of people.

But seriously, some may actually be loyal and software giant should at least get its basics and services right. *Peace*

 

[nicfromwales]

The guy has a point though.

I'm not knocking the point, I'm knocking the logic of the argument being put forward.

Ranter: Microsoft needs to sort itself out, or I'm moving to Amazon!

Responder: If Microsoft is making you unhappy, perhaps you should move to Amazon.

Ranter: Don't give me this crap about moving to Amazon! *foams at the mouth* I'm staying put, so I can rant some more. I like the misery!!

It's just mindless ranting. It's one thing to expect more from Microsoft, but it's another to want it so much that you're snapping at people you've never met.

 

[big dooze]

The guy has a point though. I'd say he cares about the platform. If he didn't, he'd have moved on already instead of criticizing Microsoft on windows phone central forums. Criticism is good for companies if they listen to their customers.

If everybody moved on from windows phone or Microsoft services for that matter, there wouldn't be any platform left.

Just saying.

I do care, I want it to succeed, just tired of the lack of "real" support its getting from its own company. They took 2 years to get Xbox Video app on the phone....2 YEARS!!!! Why cant we get a real You Tube app? How come I can go to the Microsoft Store and buy a Polar Loop smartband that wont sync to my phone??

Plus, I am paying a premium price for a "less than premium" with xbox music. What is $14.99 getting me? Unlimited music??? I can get that, plus tv shows and movies from Amazon for almost half the price!!!! Where is the 'value-add' to Xbox Music at this point?

Granted, the Fire phone is a gimmick, and android dispose of gimmick phones as quickly as they release them (facebook phone ring any bells??). All I want is the same level of service that IOS and Android get. Its up to MS to deliver that. If they continue to deny me of those services, then I will leave, and I will cancel my subscriptions.

 

[big dooze]

youre right, im sorry. I started this thread talking about the fire phone...my bad. But that doesn't change the fact that MS is losing this fight, and firming up its service offering to make the platform more attractive would be a nice gesture. And yes, its ranting, but if I don't rant, then no one will know how I feel about this platform. I hope someone from MS reads these forums, and see's how un-happy some of us are with the direction the platform is going.