Switching to Android - Need Help Please!

[Aniruddh Sharma]

Hi All.

I have been a long time WP/W10M user and now making the switch to Android. I have already purchased a BB Priv and would like some help regarding the following queries.

1. Is it mandatory to use a gmail account in Android?

2. Although I have a gmail account but my primary email it is of hotmail and I would like to continue using that on my Priv. Can the calendar and contacts sync directly if i sync my hotmail account? If not, what is the other way (Outlook App)?

3. I would like to continue to save my contact in my outlook account only. How do I do that? Have no intention of using my gmail account.

4. Would be installing the Microsoft Launcher. Anyway, that can help?

5. Can i send whatsapp messages directly from the phonebook or people app (Microsoft App)

6. What apps can I get rid of in the Priv that are just not required but are there anyway.

For now, this is all. Would really appreciate some help.

Thanks!

 

[libra89]

1. Is it mandatory to use a gmail account in Android?

2. Although I have a gmail account but my primary email it is of hotmail and I would like to continue using that on my Priv. Can the calendar and contacts sync directly if i sync my hotmail account? If not, what is the other way (Outlook App)?

3. I would like to continue to save my contact in my outlook account only. How do I do that? Have no intention of using my gmail account.

4. Would be installing the Microsoft Launcher. Anyway, that can help?

5. Can i send whatsapp messages directly from the phonebook or people app (Microsoft App)

6. What apps can I get rid of in the Priv that are just not required but are there anyway.

For now, this is all. Would really appreciate some help.

Thanks!

Congrats on your Priv! I'll do my best to answer your inquires.

1) Nope. You just have to create a Google account, which you can create with your Hotmail email address. Personally, I use my Google account as a shell.

2) Unfortunately, the Outlook app doesn't sync with the phone calendar at all but contacts can sync. To do this, there's a free way that works decently and a paid way that works excellently. The free way requires you to add your Hotmail as an Exchange account. There's a great article on how to do this here and that will also sync calendar too. The paid way is an app called Nine. It has a free 2 week trial but you have to pay to use it after that. Also since you are using a Blackberry phone, I believe that they have a Blackberry hub that you can use too that works well (I have no personal experience here. Going to tag @xandros9 who does )

3) See my response to your 2nd question. I have my contacts and calendar and updates always sync back to my Outlook.

4) The Microsoft Launcher is nice but you'll have to connect your account first.

5) I think you can with the Launcher (I know that you can with regular text messages though) but I don't know. I hope someone who does know can chime in.

6) On Android, you can uninstall some apps. You would know by what options appear when you hold an app icon. If it only shows "disable", you can only do that. You can't uninstall it.

 

[xandros9]

Libra89 covered the bases for the most part!

2) Just skip the Outlook app and add your MS account to your BlackBerry Hub as an Exchange account. Syncs everything well.

4. It’s just a launcher, use what you want.

6. Depends, I disabled Help, some Google apps I didn’t use, etc.

 

[Aniruddh Sharma]

Thanks for the replies guys.

How do i use Android auto and which music app should be used in Android?

Also, is there a way to download the media recvd via whatsapp to view but not save it, just like W10M?

 

[libra89]

I don't know how to use Android Auto, sorry to say. I hear that it depends on your car personally for how that would work.

You can use any music app you want, it depends how you prefer to do your music (like if you stream, or you have a library of downloaded music already).

Unfortunately, I don't think so.

 

[Aniruddh Sharma]

Thanks for the reply.

I mostly play locally stored music so wanted to know some good app for the same.

 

[libra89]

Thanks for the reply.

I mostly play locally stored music so wanted to know some good app for the same.

Hmm in that case, Google Play Music should be fine.

 

[xandros9]

I personally recommend BlackPlayer (I did buy BlackPlayer EX)

But if you use Android Auto, I believe Play Music is the way to go. I didn’t use Auto though.

 

[MRay620]

Any alternatives to myTube on android? And any way to have the glance feature? Sorry to hijack the thread.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Any alternatives to myTube on android? And any way to have the glance feature? Sorry to hijack the thread.

What phone do you have?

YouTube Red subscription allows one to download for offline use and eliminates ads.

 

[Aniruddh Sharma]

Is there a way to enable glance on Priv?

 

[Guytronic]

Is there a way to enable glance on Priv?

Have you asked on Crackberry?
Good bunch of very helpful members over there also.

 

[xandros9]

Is there a way to enable glance on Priv?

The feature you want to enable is called Ambient Display.

 

[Jakoh]

I switched to Android. How do i get my Bing Maps favorites to my new phone?