The Windows Phone App Gap Thread

[cracgor]

[/b][/i]when?

Soon!

 

[tweet2nowhere]

WP10 Office now opens my password protected excel files. Also protected files. I can use a file on windows 10, and the same file shows up in my history immediately on my phone. I don't have any 8.1 phones currently to test the same files behavior.

 

[cracgor]

The time it takes between the click and the picture does not produce blur, unless the person was standing still and started to run just before the flash.
To reduce blur you have to manually control the shutter speed if you are taking picures of moving objects.

Still what probably was happening is that she shakes her hand too much when pressing the camera button. (My wife does that and takes blurred pictures using my phone) One way to reduce this is to use the screen button which doenst require a hard press to take the picture.

Like when iPhone users were holding their phones wrong to make calls. Got it. I'll tell her she is holding her phone wrong and just sleep in the couch tonight. Then every time she asks someone to take a photo with it, she can explain that you have to brace your elbows to your side, exhale, click the photo button at the end of the exhale before breathing in, wait 1.4 seconds to breathe, then we will have the photo we need. Face it. The phone just needs to take non blurry photos without instruction or practice. As windows loyalists, we put up with a lot of deficiencies and find work arounds. We shouldn't have to. Non loyalists will not, and that is why there is no brands loyalty.

 

[Diego De Mauro]

The app gap is getting me too. but there is no way that I will come back to android. I'm only 18 years old, still studying and my parents is not tolerating us to buy an expensive phone (I'm talking about iphone) although my sister has an iphone it is because she's already working. But me, as student I can't afford yet to buy an iphone. As long as I can't buy an iphone I will never ever switch my windows phone to android.

 

[raptr569]

I'm in the same boat. Dropped my 735 and borrowed my wifes iPhone 5s. The app quality bar is far higher and the selection is better and while I don't think iOS is half the OS WP10 is I'm more tempted than ever to get an iPhone than drop the money on a 950XL.

 

[chasvs]

I'm finding my iPhone 6sPlus is pretty darn nice compared to my Lumia Icon. I traded off the Icon for the iPhone 6sPlus when Verizon didn't carry the new 950XL. Hoping they will reconsider next year if MSFT brings out a Surface Phone but the App-gap will have to be closed significantly for me to go back to WM10.

 

[YanivC]

Youre not the only one. :*(
I LOVE WP! I had almost every high end windows phone including its V 0.1 (The HD 7). I had a Surface Pro 3, my Asus Vivo Tab, Xbox One.... even the MS Band.... however .... my final straw was going overseas and EVERY car had an input for iPhone and none for WP ... I love my Music (yes I was the ONE subscriber to Groove as well... it was me!!) so when I couldnt listen to it without fighting endlessly with bluetooth.... and THEN the loss of so many apps.... it finally happened. Switched my 830 for an iPhone, my SP3 for a MacBook Pro and my VivoTab for an IPad Mini4.
I miss windows every now and then but it really is true.... that app eco means everything. Android sucks by the way... if you need to virtualize your whole OS youre gonna constantly have to throw hardware at it.... which is why almost all windows phone, even the lowest powered ones, run smoother than any android phone (other than the Nexus 5.... ill concede on that one).

 

[Xaxxus]

just bought a lumia 950 XL and honestly, the app gap is starting to get to me as well. I am strongly debating returning it and getting an iPhone 6S or 6S plus.

 

[infosage]

A lot of people hoping for Project Islandwood to help out. I'm ok for now. I dropped Chase and Bank of America and switched to Wells Fargo. Mint isn't too useful for me, and the account aggregators are a security risk. I'm good on the rest.

 

[Panzer105]

Onstar has an app for Windows phone and it does work. It's Remote Link by Onstar.

 

[mvierling]

Scratching my head at you folks picking Galaxy S6 as phones.

Galaxy phones have such crap software, skins, and bloat on them. The phones are laggy, slow, not great battery life, sealed batteries, no micro sd, etc....

So many great Android choices out there Galaxy phones would be last on the list.

If you have to have a subsidized phone the LG G4 would be a great choice otherwise there are tons of great un-subsidized phones out there.

Hey, I get it, but you are completely misinformed. I just switched to a Galaxy S6 Active over the weekend from many years on Windows Mobile/Windows Phone. That being said, I still prefer Windows Phone OS over Android. The problem is app gap and it is real. Your comments about battery life are hogwash. I'm using my new phone more than I ever used my Windows Phone, and why? Because I can actually get apps that are what I need and useful. At the end of the day, I'm running about 45% battery life.

 

[Spicymikey]

Hey, I get it, but you are completely misinformed. I just switched to a Galaxy S6 Active over the weekend from many years on Windows Mobile/Windows Phone. That being said, I still prefer Windows Phone OS over Android. The problem is app gap and it is real. Your comments about battery life are hogwash. I'm using my new phone more than I ever used my Windows Phone, and why? Because I can actually get apps that are what I need and useful. At the end of the day, I'm running about 45% battery life.

People have to really stop trying to argue the app gap doesn't exist and/or it doesn't matter. Like global warming, it's real! Question is, does it matter to you? If the gap continues and increases, it will be the end of Windows Phone. MSFT knows it, so rest assured they will suck it up and allow Android apps and iPhone apps on the Windows platform. It's just a matter of time. They will have too. I actually don't know what is taking them so long. Should have done it a year ago

 

[Tempest790]

I just recently made my first app using an online app creation tool.

I first used AppyPie.com which is very easy and pretty inexpensive although it seemed certain portions didn't work in Windows Phone. I then switched to AppMachine.com which is more powerful in my opinion and also supports Windows Phone.

I tried making my app using Microsoft's App Studio but the 4096 character text limit killed it for me since my app has a lot of text for reference material.

Why doesn't Microsoft buy out one of these companies? AppMachine is very good and with some tweaks, people could start turning out professional looking Windows 10 apps with ease. Much better than the limited App Studio. AppMachine publishes your app for you to Google Play Store, iTunes Store, and the Windows Store for you. Can't get any easier than that.

Some online ones such as Como.com don't support Windows Phone so I skipped them.

 

[TennisGuy45]

Hey, I get it, but you are completely misinformed. I just switched to a Galaxy S6 Active over the weekend from many years on Windows Mobile/Windows Phone. That being said, I still prefer Windows Phone OS over Android. The problem is app gap and it is real. Your comments about battery life are hogwash. I'm using my new phone more than I ever used my Windows Phone, and why? Because I can actually get apps that are what I need and useful. At the end of the day, I'm running about 45% battery life.

Hogwash? Dont think so.

My wife, before she settled on the LG G4 in September, was going to get a Galaxy S6 (she had been using a S3 then S4) but at both ATT and Sprint stores the galaxy S6 phones had lag and studder. This was with no apps installed. Plus her battery life on the S4 was terrible, she literally carried an extra battery around with her just to get through 8 hours. An associate at the Sprint store, who had a S6 as their personal phone, informed her the battery life was not considerably better.

As for my 950xl I am getting 16-18 hours of solid use without the phone dropping below 20% so I have no complaints and feel confident the Galaxy S6 would not come close.

I wont argue App Gap, its real and I understand it. Fortunately for me I work around it and there is no deal killer.

Well there was a deal killer for me but I solved it by building my own app and putting it in the store. :winktongue:

It is here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/tennisfreak-tennis-scores-and-news/9nblgggzm801

Feel free to give it a try and give feedback. I built it from the ground up to fill my tennis junkie needs!
Unfortunately the tennis season just ended so there is not much going on right now but come January and the Australian Open there will be tons of stuff to tag, watch, keep track of.

 

[Tim Stone]

The app gap got to me about a year ago when I absolutely had to have apps for my business and they simply were not on Win Phone and they were no workarounds. I loved my Icon but had no choice so I moved to an iPhone 6+. I kept the Icon active since then with great hopes for Win 10, but I'm now ready to cut that line and save the funds.

In response to some comments I've seen here, the battery life on the iPhone is excellent. I use between 20 and 40% in a day, and recharge every night. That is with active messaging and phone calls throughout the day. The Icon, with the current Win 10 version, will drop 50% of the battery in 4 hours with no background processing and virtually no use other than a couple of live tiles. The store updating can drain 20% in minutes, and it must be left plugged in when doing a system update or it will completely drain the battery.

Every member of my family has an iPhone. Some because their work provides them, others because they use other Apple products. All of us select our phone because of functionality meeting our needs, not because of brand or fandom. The iPhone has its quirks, but overall it works and it has the functionality I need. I wish I could have stayed with WinPhone. I loved the integration of apps, the start layout, and the camera. In fact I still carry the Icon to take photos, though the camera app has been annoying in Win 10 with slow response time and failure to take photos some times.

I'm still a big supporter of Microsoft, but the Win Phone is just not a viable alternative at this time, even with the special features for my Band not yet available on the iOS Health app. For those who disrespect iOS, it's stable, the apps are more secure, and support at the Apple Store far exceeds any hope of support from the carrier when issues do arise.

And for the inevitable commenter who challenges me on the "app is not available" comment: One of my jobs is selling real estate. The lock box key is an app on my phone. It is not available on Win Phone and will not be available in the foreseeable future. That is major since it is how I show clients homes. No key, no entry, no sale, no clients ! That is one of many ...

 

[Clive Rennie]

I gave my wife my L640XL because I got the L950XL she always used a htc m8 but loved the lumia live tiles so I gave it to her when she found out that capital one chase and a few apps she used wasn't there she gave me back the 640xl saying how can u use something like this I said its an acquired taste I also have a nexus 6p so I sim swap hoping that the apps come to wm10.

 

[Pierre Blackwell]

If you look at MSFT's vision, it makes sense, but it's going to take time. That's the biggest issue. We're a society that is very impatient because we're used to getting things yesterday. I don't blame anyone for wanting to jump ship. It's been my experience that most people I know who have switched, did so out of mere convenience. It wasn't that they couldn't do what they wanted, it was they couldn't do what they wanted they way they felt they should. WP didn't have an Instagram app, but we had 6tag, yet people left because it wasn't official, when 6tag is 6 times better. I actually like the outlook interface, it's just different. Like another person posted, I'm heavily invested in MSFT. I have an Xbox One, Surface 3, 640XL and they work amazing together. The reality is Windows 10 isn't anywhere near it's full potential. The irony is I see Apple and MSFT shifting positions. Apple is simply putting out a product and expecting people to buy it off of muscle memory, where MSFT was been forced to really look into accommodating to consumer. Ever wonder why the iPhone isn't doing as well in Europe, or South America, or India or parts of Asia, with the exception or China than in the US?

I really look for Windows 10 mobile to establish itself when the Surface phone gets released. Four years ago MSFT wasn't relevant in the tablet industry. Today they are one of the leaders in it. With the same team working on Windows Mobile now, why wouldn't we expect the same results?

 

[dby2011]

Switching to a Moto X Pure has been a delight for me. This is my first Android phone after only having Windows phones for the last 3.5 years. It runs smooth with no issues at all, Android 5.1 seems like a very good mobile OS to me. There are also a few real good Window Tile launchers you can use for Android which basically makes it look and behave real close to a Windows 8/10 phone. Apps matter, you can't just sugar coat it. I have said this in the past, MSFT should just release enterprise phones and put out apps for Android and iOS and be done with it on the mobile consumer side. An official MIcrosoft tile launcher for Android would be something thy need to do too imho.

 

[Juan Manuel Morales1]

Since MS left me behind with my Lumia 900 and Windows 7.5 that I've should done it. But I didn't, I bought a Lumia 720 with Qi cover and everything was fine with Windows 8 and later 8.1. But, now I can't stand it anymore. Windows 10 Mobile is another new OS? So Why? Pc are not phones so Why?, Another new Os?. So now we started from scratch again?. No Adidas Micoach app for example or Updated Facebook app or pay for a decent instagram xp with 6tag. Or no exclusive apps like Cortana and Office. So why bother? MS is killing Windows Phone.

 

[cracgor]

I gave my wife my L640XL because I got the L950XL she always used a htc m8 but loved the lumia live tiles so I gave it to her when she found out that capital one chase and a few apps she used wasn't there she gave me back the 640xl saying how can u use something like this I said its an acquired taste I also have a nexus 6p so I sim swap hoping that the apps come to wm10.

You know who doesn't have to SIM swap? Android users. They don't give two cents about love tiles. I really only use the counting numbers. Live tiles are difficult to use for backgrounds. You have to spend time laying out the tiles. I wish either all tiles were transparent, or there was more empty space like on a PC. They honestly take too much work. Even weather I have to open a couple times a day to get an update. They used to be more useful before backgrounds. I feel like only textured backgrounds make sense, and who wants that? I want a picture of my dog without a chunk of his head taken out by facebook or twitter or office apps.