(Nearly) Getting the WP experience on android?

[Pinecone1532]

Hi folks.

So I'm sadly having to think of switching over from WP to Android, and my question is how I can get as close to the WP experience as possible when I do. Thing is I absolutely love WP's UI (especially the start screen, in comparison to which android seems really bland) but I need apps WP doesn't offer yet and doesn't look like it will offer any time soon. I know about the MS apps that are available on Android, but are there any others anyone can recommend that would replace the stock android feel with something more akin to WP.

Thanks!

 

[xandros9]

Well, I don't know about akin to WP but using a dark theme would be nice.

Launchers to mimic WP8 range from no to meh, so I might just recommending customizing the phone to your own liking.

 

[pankaj981]

For me Windows Phone experience was always about fluidity and not necessarily the UI, though I've been now accustomed to prefer it over Android. And the only way one can achieve it is by:

1) Getting a WP launcher
2) Using a phone that's less buggy than other Android options = GPE edition
3) Match non-UI specific functionality (e.g. auto photos upload to OneDrive)

 

[theefman]

Was looking into this to pair with a cyanogen phone and an app called Launcher 8 appears to be the mid recommended to replicate the WP start screen.

 

[aximtreo]

Just downloaded the Win 8 Launcher for my Note 4. Looks OK and probably would be better if I spent some time giving it the proper setup. That said, I'm still selling my Note 4 when my 950xl arrives next week.

 

[xandros9]

You could also turn off auto-app-updates and check every few months.

 

[Pinecone1532]

I'm not too fussed about things like auto-upload to onedrive (I have that turned off, and I'd actually rather my photos didn't auto-upload anywhere tbh, given I'm on relatively limited data) and having Cortana at the touch of a button (never use Cortana anyway). I'm only really interested in replicating the WP UI as much as I reasonably can and sticking with the Microsoft services I already use.