Two app issues I'm trying to solve: Cinemagraphs and Hangouts

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New Lumia 1520 owner here. I think I already know the answer to both of these questions, but you guys come up with great solutions sometimes:

1. Cinemagraphs - On my HTC One, I can share gif files pretty easily after I create them. I can send them through hangouts, email etc. It's a little harder on the Note 3, but still can be shared as a raw file. On the Lumias, it would appear that we can only share them as a web link to a file hosted by Nokia. This sometimes loads very slowly and isn't ideal. Anyone know of a better way, other than plugging the phone into a computer and dragging the raw file out?
2. Hangouts - Coming from an Android phone and all of my friends are using them. They have been using Hangouts as SMS and Chat, which means they're still sending me Hangout/Talk messages. I found a couple clients that handle these, but when they send me files/pics, the clients host them somewhere and make me click a web link. Is there anything that can handle at least pictures natively for Google Talk/Hangouts? I know about Whatsapp, but I can't ask my friends to all start using that just because I switched platforms.

Thanks!

 

[Ray Adams]

1. no way
2. Ask Google about it I am personally glad that I moved totally from Google Services, so for me it doesn't matter do we have their apps or not. But for the rest, we need them.

It was always a good idea to not use platform specific chats and other apps and use multiplatform alternatives. Ask your friends to set up whatsup, may be they will love it

 

[gravage]

1. no way
2. Ask Google about it I am personally glad that I moved totally from Google Services, so for me it doesn't matter do we have their apps or not. But for the rest, we need them.

It was always a good idea to not use platform specific chats and other apps and use multiplatform alternatives. Ask your friends to set up whatsup, may be they will love it

Thanks for suggesting the very thing that I said wasn't an option. All of my friends aren't suddenly going to switch to a different chat client just because I'm using a platform that doesn't support it.

Hangouts isn't even platform specific. Android has it, iOS has it. Everyone is able to use it except for us. It would be arrogant and selfish for us to expect everyone we know to use a different chat client simply because we chose to support the underdog, especially when we are not their only friend.

I really like Windows phone, but it's disappointing that we continually have to find workarounds for the simplest things. This is what prevents people from giving the platform a chance.

And it's utterly ridiculous and shortsighted that we can't share cinemagraphs as gifs.

 

[Ray Adams]

I know that and can understand you.
I just wrote that in my situation all my friends already switched (or started to use) non-platform specific chat apps. Even though they all have ios/android and no one WP

The problem with Google services in WP is that, Google hates everything related to Windows/Microsoft. So do not expect them do us a favor. And no one can force them. They just don't give a s$$t about it. The only alternative for crappy android, they see is iOS. That's why all their services have apps for iPhone/iPad. WP has only 4% of overall coverage and even the fact that WP brings to developers about the same amount of money as for Android, means nothing to Google.

 

[gravage]

I know that and can understand you.
I just wrote that in my situation all my friends already switched (or started to use) non-platform specific chat apps. Even though they all have ios/android and no one WP

The problem with Google services in WP is that, Google hates everything related to Windows/Microsoft. So do not expect them do us a favor. And no one can force them. They just don't give a s$$t about it. The only alternative for crappy android, they see is iOS. That's why all their services have apps for iPhone/iPad. WP has only 4% of overall coverage and even the fact that WP brings to developers about the same amount of money as for Android, means nothing to Google.

Thanks, man. I actually do like Whatsapp, but ever since Google integrated Hangouts with SMS, that's what most of my friends use. It's like the whole iMessage thing all over again. I was hoping to find an alternative that would at least let me receive the random hangout that was sent my way. I have tried two apps: Gchat and IM+. Neither seems to work reliably enough. I have received hangouts that my Lumia never notified me of.

Ah, well. I suppose there will always be compromises with any device.