Are IPhone and Android apps really that much better?

[jkrc717]

I see a lot of current IPhone/Android or Former IPhone/Android users say that the apps don't compare and even say WP apps sucks compared to.

Even from people who happily switched to WP.

I understand that IPhone/Android have over half million apps compared to WP's hundred plus thousand.

But, what do they actually have that makes WP pale in comparison?

 

[ltyarbro42]

I wouldn't say "better" necessarily. They are so different I fond it hard to compare.

What sets them apart is their sheer number. We just don't have that...yet. I know everyone gets tired of hearing that lol
Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[Jalik]

The biggest difference I noticed is not the number of apps. I almost got all apps I ever need plus some more to play around with. Its the dedication of the developers. When I was using a Nexus S one year ago, I got updates for my ~140 apps almost daily. On my Lumia 800 I got almost the same number of apps I think ... but updates? I'm not even talking about significant feature updates...
For high quality apps you need feature updates. For that you need developers who give a damn about WP. This might improve within the next few month or it might not. We'll see.

However, I have to mention that there are some damn good WP apps out there that rival the corresponding android apps afaik. But not too many. Not yet.

 

[contributorM]

Just plentiful. There are a lot of good apps that have a higher quality than the rest. Those are the ones you hear about the most.

But yeah. IOS and Android have a large number of apps.

 

[RyanR47]

The biggest difference I noticed is not the number of apps. I almost got all apps I ever need plus some more to play around with. Its the dedication of the developers. When I was using a Nexus S one year ago, I got updates for my ~140 apps almost daily. On my Lumia 800 I got almost the same number of apps I think ... but updates? I'm not even talking about significant feature updates...
For high quality apps you need feature updates. For that you need developers who give a damn about WP. This might improve within the next few month or it might not. We'll see.

However, I have to mention that there are some damn good WP apps out there that rival the corresponding android apps afaik. But not too many. Not yet.

I would second that. Overall most iPhone/Android App has better functionality and features, and most app represents their intended layout (twitter and facebook for example).

 

[inteller]

Put that Kool-Aid down! Kool-Aid is for closers!

FUNCTION PARITY! Y U NO HAVE IT!?! That's the real problem. The equivilent app on iOS or Android IS better. Take eBay app for instance, no country filters for items, so you have to look at stuff from China, not just stuff available in US. Also no item tracking as in iOS. For Amazon there is no price filter to search for items that cost a certain amount. I could go on and on but developers are short changing WP apps on features and functionality.

Please do NOT reply with the "give them time" excuse. Function Point Analysis is a very basic development concept and if they can't carry that across platforms, then pack the bags and go home.

 

[odin09]

When properly designed WP apps look and work better. Look at any app that uses the metro/modern theme and ios/android can't compare. Numbers is where WP trails.

 

[philpeeps]

Glypse for WP cannot run in the background to track location where it can in iOS/Android
Alarm.com has geofencing features that are not available on WP8
Allrecipes does not allow login to view recipe box or shopping list functions
Yelp doesn't allow login/feedback
Facebook has tons of lacking features through the app and the OS on WP

I am loving WP, but to ignore that iOS and Android apps are typically more feature rich is just being naive...

 

[odin09]

The amc theatres, my fantasy league, bartender app look better and work better than my wife's iPhone. Admittedly those developing some apps for WP need to step up their game but a blanket statement that all are inferior is just not true.

 

[inteller]

When properly designed WP apps look and work better. Look at any app that uses the metro/modern theme and ios/android can't compare. Numbers is where WP trails.

*facepalm* who cares how great they look when you can't do anything with them!

 

[kayb27]

I have to agree with the consensus here. There are plenty of really nice, functional apps, however they're usually developed by the very few developers that really care about WP (I'm thinking Rudy Huyn here). The problem is other developers just don't care enough. They put out an app in order to say they support and have their apps on the OS, but the apps are lacking big time. Just compare the Spotify app on WP to Android. It's gorgeous and functional on Android and an abomination on WP. Only the developers are at fault. They've been given the tools, they just don't use them to their full potential. Here's hoping that changes in the coming months.

 

[socialcarpet]

Depends on the app.

Some certainly have more functionality in the iOS or Android versions.

In some cases, it's because developers are being lazy and they just make something basic and throw it out there.

In other cases, it's because it was a WP7 app and there was some kind of limitation of the OS that wasn't present in iOS or Android and the developer hasn't released a WP8 optimized version yet.

This is why we have the ability to rate apps. Rate your apps and communicate with developers. In many cases, third party developers come out with a clone of the app in question that's way better than the "real thing"

 

[odin09]

*facepalm* who cares how great they look when you can't do anything with them!

I believe that I clearly said look and WORK better.

 

[JamesTBurns]

I see a lot of current IPhone/Android or Former IPhone/Android users say that the apps don't compare and even say WP apps sucks compared to.

Even from people who happily switched to WP.

I understand that IPhone/Android have over half million apps compared to WP's hundred plus thousand.

But, what do they actually have that makes WP pale in comparison?

iOS apps are generally of higher quality. Android is negligible. The MLB at bat app for iOS/Android allows you to stream live video of any game to your phone, the WP version only lets you watch highlights. iOS has Twitter apps that let you see the whole conversation line (Tweetbot), apps to create near-professional movies (iMovie), music (Garageband), etc. I'm a happy Lumia convert, apps are not everything. I just use the ones I need on my iPad mini now.

 

[JamesTBurns]

BTW,

If you want to see what bad apps look like, check out a Blackberry sometime.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

I believe that I clearly said look and WORK better.

No... developers do not put the functions in. Working better is more than just looks. Some of them do give the Metro/Modern UI just to try and coax WP users into caring, but they then abandon it. Working better has a lot of its weight derived from functionality. If the functionality isn't there, it can't work better.

BTW,

If you want to see what bad apps look like, check out a Blackberry sometime.

I was a BlackBerry user for 18 months. I'm not sure whether or not to agree. BlackBerry seemed to have decent enough apps.

 

[ahpitre]

To be fair, most good or great IPhone/Android apps. have gone thru many iterations of updates. They keep adding functionality and fixing things. You can't expect new apps. that come out for WP8 to be as polished when a lot less time has been devoted to them. Greater functionality and quality will come, but, it's a matter of time (development time, experience). Other functionality are limited by the OS, and, being the newest of all the Smartphones, it certainly has to catch up to IOS and Android. WP8 is as polished if not more than IOS and Android were at the same period (2 years or less). Also, WP8 is a different and fresh approach (new ideas and concepts) than the old, ugly and recycled UI of the other Smartphone OSes.