The Windows Phone App Gap Thread

[explosive0]

How is the 6p? That's what I'm thinking of switching to.

Currently being used as my daily driver. My iPhone 6s Plus and Lumia 950XL are currently sitting in my dresser drawer. It's the best of all, especially when paired with Project Fi.

 

[RellD05]

Unfortunately, I'm jumping ship right with you OP, for the same reasons. I've been with WP since Windows Phone 7 and my HTC Arrive, but after checking out the 950s, which didn't really impress me, and seeing apps jump ship from the platform, it just seems that WP is stagnant at the moment... if not moving backward.

I DO have hopes that it makes the growth that I've been waiting on, and it really is (by far) the best OS in my opinion, but I'm just gonna watch from the sidelines from this point.

 

[RhinoFreak]

Everyone is moving => Drop in market share => Lesser interest shown by devs => Bigger app gap.

Also guys with the latest Galaxy A5 (2016) and A7 (2016), the chances are many will migrate to that because they are such perfect phones. Look for them!

 

[sternd]

Time to ask the app authors when they are going to release a windows version. With products like Xamarin it shouldn't be too hard.

Xamarin is too expensive for indie developers. Nobody want's to pay 900 $ per platform and year ( Android, IOS ). That's the price you have to pay to use it in Visual Studio. I'd rather develop for IOS and then one day (perhaps) I convert it into a Windows 10 Mobile app with the converter tools from Microsoft. With Xamarin you have to convince the IOS or Android developer to pay the extra fee and change their development environment ( the smaller problem). No chance with only 2-3% marketshare. Xamarin is interesting for the Enterprise developers, but not for small businesses. And it's only interesting if you want to begin from scratch with your app or you are developing a new app idea.

Microsoft should offer all the features of Xamarin within Visual Studio without extra costs, then perhaps the small business or indie developer would embrace it.

 

[Varun Rajan]

The app gap got me. Moved on to IOS after almost 6 years with windows Phone. Had lumia 800, lumia 900 htc 8x, lumia 920. Now I get to see what app gap really means. Woah its not a ****** fiction. I really dont have to search for whether the app is available when my friends suggest me an app. The usage is fluid and gets things done. After all these years I now feels I was a beta tester for WP.

For WP ther's always something to hope for while it was WP 7.5 the thing to hope for was WP8 .. how awesome it would be.. the app support its gonna get etc. Next was Lumia Icon. Then W10 and lumia 950s. Now the surface phone. At times microsoft comes and gives us hope. Hope that someday the OS is gonna be as fluid as before. Hope that the app gap is reduced by each day that new releases are equally shared on WP platform. I am tired of waiting for nothing. Had been missing WP since WP fluidity gave way to loading and resuming. What we need is more than an update. what we need is a vision.

http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...sion-windows-mobile-platform.html#post3309943

 

[kappatau808]

i agree with the other guy. battery life on the s6 is kinda crap. in know i have been using galaxy s6 and have already replaced once and about to replace it again. it does get laggy sometimes. sometimes apps crash most of the time its google play crashing. i don;t know if it's the phone itself or the app im using that has issues but sometimes lets say for example im using amazon app, i search for something i find it and open in and stuck loading. i have to close the app or go flight mode to get it working right.over 90% battery 9am, just listening to music and answering calls,by 12 noon? 65%-70%.thats with all the bloatware uninstalled or frozen. wifi calling off, gps off, screen brightness low.my Oneplus one had better battery life used the exact same way still over 85% by noon

well that and like what happend with iphone, after i phone 4 i got bored and went to android via samsung and oneplus one but i am just a little broed with android now

 

[tgp]

Currently being used as my daily driver. My iPhone 6s Plus and Lumia 950XL are currently sitting in my dresser drawer. It's the best of all, especially when paired with Project Fi.

The Nexus 6P is ugly in my opinion, but judging by reviews I've seen, it is generally heralded as the phone of the year. I decided to keep my Nexus 6 another year rather than upgrade to the 6P, but now I'm almost 2nd guessing my decision!

I just signed up for Project Fi again. I have a couple international trips in the next 6 weeks, and Fi seemed to be the best solution for me. I bought a Nexus 5X for it. That's a great phone for its price! I ended up getting it at B&H at the Black Friday price of $299.

 

[kappatau808]

i used to use mint. now i use prism, i just like it better. and looks like windows has it in the store

 

[killakiloz]

If Facebook is horrible on iOS, I think the version on Windows Phone deserves to be killed. From what you posted, seems like the root of the problem is that you are not used to iOS. Or perhaps you refused to relearn a new OS.

I have switched over to iP6s+ since October and I never look back to Windows phone. I don't fancy "live" tiles at all because to me, those are simply shortcuts in squares. I don't wait for the tiles to flip for updated information and most of the time, they are not even updated. Should I need latest information, I will simply launch the apps anyways.

Since on iOS, I have so much apps choices, besides regional banking apps and snapchat. Even Instagram are the latest on iOS unlike the forever BETA tag on windows phone. Furthermore, iOS users receive regular updates for their apps. Missing apps on windows phone is only tip of the ice berg. Keeping the apps polished and updated is also another major issue with the platform.

Agree to disagree, but user experience with iOS is not my problem. I've had an ipad mini 2 for some random games/facetime for family for about a year now. My problems are with terrible touch id, stale OS with limited functions and options. Maybe your app needs are different, but 6tag, my RBC app, FB, twitter, and some news apps are all I need. To each their own

 

[Robinator]

The way to fix the app gap? MS should pay the devs for their apps, and encourage people to pay for apps so that a culture is created like the Apple iOS culture where people make apps and actually get a monetary return. Personally I am quite happy with the apps in Windows Phone and believe more will come with time, but who cares about 99% of the cr-apps out there anyways -- most are junk on all platforms.

 

[Domestoboto92x]

I'd say the only real pain point I have with my Windows experience (8X and Lumia 1320) compared to my Android (Galaxy Note 3) is with the games - Games on Windows PhoMo (especially Indie dev games) are either crap or lagging seriously behind Android. Otherwise, it's mostly comparable between Android and Windows for what I need, except for the lack of any Snapchat app, otherwise the developers here really did quite a number in filling the gaps.

- Rudy Huyn's apps - 6Sec (Vine,) 6Tag (Instagram,) and 6Tin (Tinder) are significantly better than the official Android counterparts.
- An actually usable third party Tumblr app (I mean, Android doesn't need one, but it's mandatory here.)
- Most official apps are functional - Flipboard, Jawbone's UP just landed, Fitbit, Quizup, Viber and the like.

I'd say the apps discrepancy problem for me is not as bad as the blogosphere has perpetuated.

 

[Laura Knotek]

The way to fix the app gap? MS should pay the devs for their apps, and encourage people to pay for apps so that a culture is created like the Apple iOS culture where people make apps and actually get a monetary return. Personally I am quite happy with the apps in Windows Phone and believe more will come with time, but who cares about 99% of the cr-apps out there anyways -- most are junk on all platforms.

Microsoft already tried paying developers for apps. It didn't work. The developers never bothered to update the apps. That's why Instagram has been in beta since its release.

Many of the apps people want are things like banking apps and store apps. Nobody would pay for a banking app, when their bank already charges enough fees to use it. Nobody would pay for a Starbucks app when they pay for their coffee already.

 

[Shan Ali Khan]

well after being a loyal customer and lover for Microsoft. App gap is getting me
My regional banks apps are on ios and android.
Local shopping store apps are on both.
Even the learning website i use have app only for ios and android i cant read and watch videos unlike other mates.

I really love Microsoft, i will be using MS apps in IOS , after shifting but i think i have to leave MS now after using Windows Phone since version 6.

Also looking forward to get macbook instead of windows 10 laptop which i am already using , as i only use for development. It will be complete set of Apple and MS in my laptop and Phone.

 

[anon(5355319)]

I was in the same boat as OP. The app gap just simply got into me and it's been a year and a half. I honestly love WP, the wireless charging, live tiles and the camera (good god that camera with HAAC is just a beast during music festivals and in low light). However, my app needs weren't present at the time, and still is today. The only phone that is worthy of my money is if it has a good camera and the Lumias will always be in my top list, however I have settled to an LG G4, and it has made me forget my woes with WP. I hope to come back soon though, the L950 looks great.

 

[metalchick719]

Certain apps are definitely must-have for me, and none of those is Snapchat - I could care less about that type of app. It's nice having a banking app (and no, I don't use Chase or one of the more well-known biggies). I've been on an iPhone 6s since late September and love it, but I'll admit that I miss using Windows Phone, especially my Lumia 925. I also want to say that I prefer Windows Phone's WordFlow keyboard about 100% over the native iOS and SwiftKey keyboards I use on my iPhone combined. It's no contest!!

I wasn't a fan of the Project Astoria idea, but if certain apps make their way to Windows Phone, I'll probably go back at some point. I'm not really interested in the 950 or 950 XL, though. I have glimpsed the 830 unlocked on eBay recently because it would be difficult going back to a screen smaller than the iPhone 6s' 4.7-inch at this point...

 

[ShaneRay]

I had hopes-- not high hopes, but hopes-- for the Universal Apps platform. That, combined with Android and/or iOS support in some fashion had a chance to improve things a great deal.

It's a little early to make the final judgement, but I don't see the UA platform succeeding now. Despite some increase, I see very little interest from developers and even less interest from consumers. MS might reach their goal of 1 billion Win10 installs, but if the vast majority of users of those installs are uninterested in the store apps, then game over. And that's what I see happening.

Now, reports are coming in that MS killed the Android apps on mobile as they thought it would hurt their UA platform. A platform that hasn't proved itself yet and doesn't appear will find success. I'm one who thought Android apps were a good idea if only because it was time for a Hail-marry play. There's still iOS apps, but developers still need to do the work to port them and provide support. If things go the way I see them going, I don't believe developers will have much incentive for doing that.

Anyway...it's early and a lot of speculation here on my part, at least, but I do find myself considering a jump to Android or iOS in the near future. I just don't see things improving with the ecosystem...certainly not in the short-term.

 

[mprice86]

Having been a user since WP7 I'm definitely starting to feel like I'm 'done' with Windows Phone/Mobile. Windows 10, although buggy, is a lovely OS on my 640XL. But. The app situation is pretty dire.

Although popular new apps not coming to the platform is nothing new, it does get annoying seeing a new story about something that just came out, but isn't available. It isn't just the lack of new apps that contributes to the 'gap' (more like chasm in this case) as much as it is the lack of updates for existing apps. Instagram not being updated for so long is a disgrace, Facebook and Twitter are way behind their iOS/Android counterparts, there are STILL no Google apps (yes, I know why). None of the issues are going to be solved over night, and it's all very well for people to say 'give it time, things will get better', but a lot of people here have been waiting for 3+ years for things to get better.

I'll be sad to give up WM and my 640XL when I find an acceptable Android device, but I have a feeling that catching up on 3 years worth of apps will make up for it.

 

[thetruth1960]

We've had 3 L920 in our house for 3 years. In all this time I've seen MS mobile strategy keep going downhill. Yes, the app gap is getting bigger. Someone said that the gap is not getting bigger because those apps someone mentioned never existed before in WP/WM. That true. But they also didn't exist in Android/iOS. More and more apps are being developed for those platforms and are not for WP. So, yes the gap is getting bigger.

I'm not ready to give up on MS windows strategy yet. But I don't have much confidence either.

Today, via UPS, I will be getting two brand new Windows phones. No, they are not the premium phones (950/XL) There is no way I can justify paying that kind of money for this declining platform. I'm getting 2 640s that I purchased for $40 last week. That's the best I can do.

Notice that I'm only getting two 640's even though we have 3 920s. The reason is my son is now in college and he's getting an Android for Christmas. That's the only thing that makes sense. Here is an example of a convenient app. He can put his cloths in the washer and/or dryer and if he has an iOS or Android phone, he would get a message when the cycle is done. That?s another example of the gap getting bigger. 5 years ago when Windows Phone came out that app didn?t exist for the other platforms. Now, it does. So that?s one more app missing.

 

[dbdayton]

Since getting the 950XL and how buggy the W10 mobile system has been, I've been more aware of the app gap. It got worse with W10, not better. Many apps that worked in W8 are now gone from W10. Before, there were a few missing, but they didn't effect my life in any way.

Losing MLB's At Bat to me is the straw that might break my will to stick with this OS. I do prefer Windows OS over Android or Iphone, but the app gap is not getting better its' getting worse, and I don't see any of the solutions that Windows putting out, gaining any traction at all, besides giving fanboys hope, which looks to me to be misplaced hope.

 

[thetruth1960]

Since getting the 950XL and how buggy the W10 mobile system has been, I've been more aware of the app gap. It got worse with W10, not better. Many apps that worked in W8 are now gone from W10. Before, there were a few missing, but they didn't effect my life in any way.

Losing MLB's At Bat to me is the straw that might break my will to stick with this OS. I do prefer Windows OS over Android or Iphone, but the app gap is not getting better its' getting worse, and I don't see any of the solutions that Windows putting out, gaining any traction at all, besides giving fanboys hope, which looks to me to be misplaced hope.

I could be considered a fan boy for sure. But even me, I couldn't see spending the kind of money on the 950/XL that MS is asking. If those had been around $300/$350 they would had been a decent buy for a fan boy like me. Not that I don't think the phones, hardware wise, are worth the price MS is asking for. The problem is that the platform cannot, and should not command these prices.

I'll be getting a Surface Book or a Surface Pro 4 this month. I'm waiting for the i7 16GB Surface Pro 4 before I make the decision. The reason I bring this up is that I think those devices can command a premium price and I'm willing to pay for it. I just can't see paying premium prices for the declining platform WM10 is.