Getting Bummed About Apps

[gpstrucker]

I love the WP8 interface and some of the features, but a smartphone lives and dies via apps. Most of the WP apps seem to be crippled cousins of their Android and iOS equivalents. Many of the apps I need to use on a daily basis lack the features and functions of the same apps in those other operating systems.

More and more I find myself reaching for the Android phone to do something that just doesn't work on WP. Is this a problem with the WP OS? I am starting to think so. One app, MyFitnessPal, has a number of great features in their Android and iOS versions that are absent from the WP app. When I asked them about it they basically said they just can't implement those in the WP version due to OS issues.

Seriously, this is going to kill WP. I've given my Windows Phone an honest try but honestly I am getting tired of crippled apps that simply don't meet my needs. Even something as simple as document scanning doesn't work properly. On Android I can easily scan documents using Camscanner and get fantastic results. In WP I have tried several free and paid apps that lack basic tools and functions and give pretty crappy results.

Come on MS, if you're serious about competing in the phone market this has to improve. I really, really want to see Windows Phone succeed, but at this point I am using my Android phone more every day just to get basic work done and am almost to the point of going back to the Android phone full time.

 

[anon(5370748)]

The hardest part is convincing the devs to put the resources into developing for a third platform with such a small marketshare. I personally don't feel that MS is putting enough effort into encouraging this, but then again I don't know the whole story. I agree, though, the app experience on WP is nowhere near as good as iOS or Android, and has a long way to go. I don't care about/rely on apps, so I'm not tempted to switch, but I do understand that most people do. Hope they fix it soon.

 

[Honestabebread]

I think the apps on Windows Phone are great and I'm even switching to a Z10 because I'm not a heavy app user at all. Different strokes for different folks

 

[gpstrucker]

The hardest part is convincing the devs to put the resources into developing for a third platform with such a small marketshare. I personally don't feel that MS is putting enough effort into encouraging this, but then again I don't know the whole story. I agree, though, the app experience on WP is nowhere near as good as iOS or Android, and has a long way to go. I don't care about/rely on apps, so I'm not tempted to switch, but I do understand that most people do. Hope they fix it soon.

Yeah, a lot of the apps are just falling way short.

 

[gpstrucker]

I think the apps on Windows Phone are great and I'm even switching to a Z10 because I'm not a heavy app user at all. Different strokes for different folks

A lot of us rely on the phone apps for many daily tasks, including work related stuff. It's one thing if a developer simply doesn't bother, but it's quite another thing when they simply can't write the same app due to OS failures. I use my phone a LOT for daily work stuff, and sadly the Windows Phone is just not up to the task. As much as I want to go WP full time I just don't see it happening. Almost all of my work related tasks are done on an Android phone because the WP simply won't do.

 

[rocketboy]

Why complain here? Seriously, are you looking for validation on what you're saying and just leave WP8? If it doesn't meet your needs then don't use it. No one OS is for everyone.

 

[link68759]

A lot of us rely on the phone apps for many daily tasks, including work related stuff. It's one thing if a developer simply doesn't bother, but it's quite another thing when they simply can't write the same app due to OS failures. I use my phone a LOT for daily work stuff, and sadly the Windows Phone is just not up to the task. As much as I want to go WP full time I just don't see it happening. Almost all of my work related tasks are done on an Android phone because the WP simply won't do.

As far as OS restrictions go I'm pretty sure IOS is more restricted than WP.
Sent from my RM-824_nam_att_101 using Board Express

 

[Jupast]

I think it's much like Windows itself. People download this and that, and ultimately end up only truly using a handful of core programs on their PC's.

If those core Apps exist on another platform, then use that one instead.

 

[Jazmac]

And I thought I was a tough sell. lol.
I'd say either you're all in or you're not. I already knew what I was getting into when I chose to go Windows Phone. I'd seen that free OS called android; its widgets, launchers, clocks and other assorted make-it-better than the original ideas and realized I was too grown to play with toys. I needed a device that would do work. I saw Windows Phone and instantly dug it.

I had my eyes wide open knowing it would take a while before this platform, as new as it was to grab up the kinds of apps I needed. Fortunately for me, I got 90 percent of em.

 

[forked]

I find the developers excuse about not being able to implement features due to the OS to be dubious. I think the user base doesn't justify the effort for them at this point. The apps will get better when the user base increases. And the user base will increase as more low end phones are released. That's how android has come to dominate the market. Most people don't know the difference and just choose whatever is cheapest. Getting more low end phones will help steal some of android's market share.​

 

[squire777]

If it means anything we have been getting a lot of big name apps and games over the last few weeks, and some more are in the works. I think the platform will be on par with iOS and Android but it will take some more time.

 

[cckgz4]

But the app list is growing everyday, and major apps are being announced like every other week. IJS don't write WP off completely

 

[a5cent]

It's one thing if a developer simply doesn't bother, but it's quite another thing when they simply can't write the same app due to OS failures.

I am a developer. Not once in my career have I encountered that statement without it being an excuse. Infrequently it's the developer being unwilling or unable (meaning the developer is unable, not the OS, most likely for financial reasons) to adapt software to a new OS. Generally, it's a very common statement intended to shut down a conversation 'they' do not want to have... achieved by placing blame on someone else and conveniently involving a topic 99.9% of consumers have no of chance understanding or verifying.

The probability that this isn't complete hogwash is minuscule.

 

[spaulagain]

I find the developers excuse about not being able to implement features due to the OS to be dubious. I think the user base doesn't justify the effort for them at this point. The apps will get better when the user base increases. And the user base will increase as more low end phones are released. That's how android has come to dominate the market. Most people don't know the difference and just choose whatever is cheapest. Getting more low end phones will help steal some of android's market share.​

Exactly.

 

[JMBasquiat]

MyFitnessPal for Android is a pretty bad example in my opinion. Yes, it may have a couple features the WP version doesn't have, but it also has ads (the only MFP app on any platform to have ads), the UI is very clunky, and it constantly has to sync when you start it up (much more so than their apps for iOS or WP). Not that you don't have a point, but MFP is a bad example to take.

Android

WP

 

[ttsoldier]

If you need apps to survive. Don't come to WP8, yet. Let the platform grow and attract more developers interest. Then you can jump ship.

 

[uselessrobot]

I was starting to get encouraged by the string of new apps a month back, but it looks like it's dried up. More discouraging is that what has been released has mostly come from big developers. There's next to nothing coming from indie developers and that's the real concern. Yes, there's a trickle of amateur stuff, but it's mostly terrible knockoffs. We need quality indie developers, one of the core groups responsible for the App Store's success.

Unfortunately, what I've learned leaves me very pessimistic about those prospects. I have a friend who works for a game developer in California. They're got a ton of contacts well established in the industry, especially amongst top tier indie developers. The pervasive attitude is that Xbox Live sucks; it's a miserable platform for anyone but the big publishers. There are guys who've enjoyed considerable success on XBLA who have said they won't work with Microsoft again.

Microsoft, or at least certain divisions seem to be creating a hostile environment for developers. They're unwilling to accommodate, they set the terms for everything, down to pricing and release. They drag their feet on approvals. They don't disclose sales figures in a timely manner, I think they do it quarterly which means you can go 3 months without having a clue as to how your game is selling. But then after all that, they do a poor job of promotion and if your game gets lost in the shuffle you're screwed. There have been games that have enjoyed good reviews that continue to sell poorly.

It's kind of depressing, and certainly inconsistent with Microsoft's stated goals. I think they've got a situation where the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. The various departments are too disconnected and at odds with each other. Someone over there needs to step in and invest serious effort in facilitating the process for developers and I think proper Xbox Live support is a crucial component. How is it that they came up with the whole concept of achievements, but in the mobile space Apple is doing a far better job with the Game Center?

 

[BobLobIaw]

I haven't experienced any problems or shortcomings with MyFitnessPal. Handyscan is fine for scanning. About the only complaint I have is the lack of an At Bat 13 app. I guess that just goes to show that people have different needs and expectations.

 

[eeewing]

I'm right there with you, gpstrucker. When I picked up my first Windows Phone -- the venerable Samsung Focus -- I thought I knew what I was signing up for. This was during the first few days of WP7's release, and I had been following Windows Phone development for the preceding year. In the lead-up, Microsoft had announced numerous app "partners" for launch -- AP, Hulu, Pandora, EA, and numerous others -- even going so far as to post "screenshots" showing the respective apps in-action. At the time, it was generous to call the OS "fledgling" -- it famously lacked copy + paste, the Marketplace was *extremely* buggy, etc. Nevertheless, I jumped all-in; this was *Microsoft*, after all, and when the promised launch apps arrived and were joined by the apps that were sure to come, Windows Phone was catch up to the competition in no time!

Of course, that's never come to pass. WP has picked up a number of great apps -- some, including "launch partner" Pandora and the official Twitter app, have turned out to be best in breed. At the same time, though, other apps, like Hulu, never materialized. Some, like iHeartRadio and MLB At-Bat, materialized for awhile and then disappeared. Some like Spotify have appeared on the platform, but lack so many features (and are so buggy) that they're barely worth using. And many, many (many) others -- HBO Go, Pocket, Pinterest, Vine, SnapChat, FlipBoard, Nest, Roku, HelloWallet, Simple, yada, yada -- not only are missing from the platform but have no app planned.

After being on the platform for 2 1/2 years, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the app situation is far worse than I thought it would be. When developers showed no interest in developing for WP7, I convinced myself that WP8 -- with its unified kernel and easier cross-development -- would open the floodgates for new phone apps. That hasn't happened. In fact, the opposite has happened -- developers are now ignoring Windows 8, as well. It's quite depressing.

The OS is, at least in my mind, the best of the mobile OS's out there. I love the look, I love the functionality. If I left, I would miss it. Still, I've lately been going back and forth in very seriously considering a move to another platform. I really haven't made up my mind about what I want to do, but I do know that I'm feeling a lot now like I did just before my much-loved Zune player got the axe by Microsoft. My preference would be that Windows Phone announce a slew of apps soon and I just stay where I am...but I'm losing faith. :-(

 

[Ruined]

I think the only thing that is going to solve this is time, and userbase growth. I don't believe it is due to lack of trying or money.

Look at Windows 8. Microsoft has more of an app problem with Windows 8 itself than Windows Phone 8. While it is true x86 compatibility buffers some of the Windows 8 issue, the fact the devs aren't chomping at the bit and releasing apps like crazy is telling. It means Microsoft does not quite wield the power that it used to over devs. MS needs to prove itself in terms of OS going forward on all fronts - the fact that Windows Phone 8 could probably be identified as vastly more successful appwise than Windows 8 or Windows RT shows how far MS has to go.