I miss Windows 10 Mobile!

[wolfpack219]

So I decided to fire up my Lumia 735 tonight, and wow I miss it. I'm currently running an S7 with Android 7.0 and it's efficient, it works. However it's just not as appealing as my old Windows phone . I miss live tiles and the user interface look. It's very smooth still, even more so now after so many updates. I know the app market is still the weak spot, but I wish Microsoft would see how good this could be. I am praying, hoping, wishing for Windows 10 ARM phones to be the next real thing! Thanks for listening all.

 

[anon(50597)]

So I decided to fire up my Lumia 735 tonight, and wow I miss it. I'm currently running an S7 with Android 7.0 and it's efficient, it works. However it's just not as appealing as my old Windows phone . I miss live tiles and the user interface look. It's very smooth still, even more so now after so many updates. I know the app market is still the weak spot, but I wish Microsoft would see how good this could be. I am praying, hoping, wishing for Windows 10 ARM phones to be the next real thing! Thanks for listening all.

Agree. I think it has the best homescreen of all the OS's.

Sent from mTalk on my SP4

 

[libra89]

Agree. I think it has the best homescreen of all the OS's.

Sent from mTalk on my SP4

I really like how unique Windows start screens can look...and for mostly free at that. To get a similar experience on Android, it is likely that you have to pay. I say mostly free because you can do it without paying for anything, unless you want to. I paid for Start Perfect to have custom transparent website icons and for a Spotify icon.

 

[camaroz1985]

The start experience is what keeps me coming back to W10M as well. I love the hardware on iOS and Android, and the app selection is nice (but mostly not needed for me), but the start screens are just plain boring (iOS), or too cartoonish (Android, out of the box).

 

[dov1978]

You can get a close to W10m look for free on Android. I use Launcher 10, you have to pay to get Live Tiles though. Here's screenshots of my Lumia 950xl and LG G6 homescreens that I carry each day. They both feel nice familiar to me.

 

[dov1978]

950xl

 

[camaroz1985]

Interesting. I know the customization is a selling point for Android, but it does bother me how every Android phone you pick up looks different out of the box. I use my Pixel with the default launcher, I know I could get more if I customize, but I like the smoothness of not having something running on top of what was put there from the factory.

 

[jasqid]

Yup.

 

[TheAccelorator]

I've just switched from Lumia 830 to BQ Aquaris X5 Android and its a fantastic device. In a lot of ways I still prefer my Lumia 830,and being on sim only deal I can swap between both phones. Problem is that I am completely shocked by how feature rich Android is over WP/W10M. Cortana even works better. The SwiftKey keyboard is amazing. The Microsoft Arrow launcher is great. Even the Windows Central app is better on this platform. They're is just so much more you can do with Android. I now understand why others who aren't Microsoft fans like us, have stayed away from the OS I've got rid of Google as much as possible, I don't even back up phone to their servers. Most apps have been replaced with Microsoft alternatives. If there are were new W10M devices coming I would buy one still. In finishing I can't Believe I am using an Android phone, but the awful truth is it's better in so many ways. Not all. Miss that start screen! Your response to this post, will the same as mine would have last week... Android.... No chance!

 

[TheRealScottR]

I switched from a Lumia 950 to an S8 a month ago. At first I contemplated returning it. I hated it. The SquareHome 2 launcher (Screenshot below) helped turn me around. But there are still some things I miss. Maybe there are solutions, but I haven't found them. First the good. Apps are generally better, and of course more plentiful. There are a few exceptions though. SquareHome 2 Launcher is actually more configurable than Windows phone interface. Harware is just better, as to be expected from a 2 year period of time.

Here are things I miss:

1. Voice notification and answering of texts and phone calls. Android has many apps for this, but none of them work as well as Cortana did on my Lumia 950. Not even close. Any ideas out there from Android land?

2. Groove music is not as good, and google assistant does not recognize it. I can't bring up music with voice commands.

3. I miss the organization of People, Calendar and Email on Windows phone. I think this may be solveable, but it requires migration to Google service to make it operate smoothly. I tried making outlook an exchange account, but it's not cutting it for me. Still needs work to figure it out, but Windows phone always worked very well for this.

4. Keyboard sucks. I've downloaded other keybards, but they are nowhere near as good as the windows phone keyboard. It just makes too many errors and the auto suggestions are terrible.

5. Bloatware is bad. Samsung puts a bunch of crap on your phone that you can't get rid of. It impacts the default actions in a way that you can't completely disable. I don't ever want to use Gallery, Bixby, Messages, Email, Contacts or anything else from Samsung. Let me delete them.

 

[camaroz1985]

That does look good.

Have you tried the Outlook app for your people/email/calendar? If you don't like that, I have found that Nine works well to integrate into the stock calendar and contacts. I use the Nine widget for calendar as it looks nicer than the stock google one.

 

[dov1978]

I switched from a Lumia 950 to an S8 a month ago. At first I contemplated returning it. I hated it. The SquareHome 2 launcher (Screenshot below) helped turn me around. But there are still some things I miss. Maybe there are solutions, but I haven't found them. First the good. Apps are generally better, and of course more plentiful. There are a few exceptions though. SquareHome 2 Launcher is actually more configurable than Windows phone interface. Harware is just better, as to be expected from a 2 year period of time.

Here are things I miss:

1. Voice notification and answering of texts and phone calls. Android has many apps for this, but none of them work as well as Cortana did on my Lumia 950. Not even close. Any ideas out there from Android land?

2. Groove music is not as good, and google assistant does not recognize it. I can't bring up music with voice commands.

3. I miss the organization of People, Calendar and Email on Windows phone. I think this may be solveable, but it requires migration to Google service to make it operate smoothly. I tried making outlook an exchange account, but it's not cutting it for me. Still needs work to figure it out, but Windows phone always worked very well for this.

4. Keyboard sucks. I've downloaded other keybards, but they are nowhere near as good as the windows phone keyboard. It just makes too many errors and the auto suggestions are terrible.

5. Bloatware is bad. Samsung puts a bunch of crap on your phone that you can't get rid of. It impacts the default actions in a way that you can't completely disable. I don't ever want to use Gallery, Bixby, Messages, Email, Contacts or anything else from Samsung. Let me delete them.

View attachment 135911

Use SwiftKey. For prediction, it learns from your typing very quickly and you can add your social media accounts and email too so it learns from your typing on those as well. It beats the Windows keyboard hands down

 

[TheRealScottR]

That does look good.

Have you tried the Outlook app for your people/email/calendar? If you don't like that, I have found that Nine works well to integrate into the stock calendar and contacts. I use the Nine widget for calendar as it looks nicer than the stock google one.

I tried outlook, but you can't edit contacts through outlook. I also like having email and calendar separate. I'll take a look at 9.

 

[jeffchapik]

I use SwiftKey too. I agree, it's better than the W10M keyboard. Best of all, it remembers my email address. I haven't had to type it in in weeks.

Use Launcher 10 too. It's a pretty good approximation of W10M. But as stated above, the inability to to play music by voice and have my messages announced in my car is frustrating.

 

[Drael646464]

Use SwiftKey. For prediction, it learns from your typing very quickly and you can add your social media accounts and email too so it learns from your typing on those as well. It beats the Windows keyboard hands down

Good way to support Microsoft, and will also support cloud clipboard from windows 10.

 

[camaroz1985]

I tried outlook, but you can't edit contacts through outlook. I also like having email and calendar separate. I'll take a look at 9.

Nine will allow you to be able to do that through the default Contacts app. You can add and edit contacts.

 

[etphoto]

So the grass isn't really greener on the other side.

Twitter: @PhotographyET

 

[camaroz1985]

Not always. Just have to find the right fertilizer to make it work for you.

 

[libra89]

Not always. Just have to find the right fertilizer to make it work for you.

Well said. I totally agree.

Etphoto's statement would imply that the grass is greener on W10M, which really depends on the person and their wants/needs.

 

[etphoto]

Not always. Just have to find the right fertilizer to make it work for you.

Anyone could jump a fence into a field of weeds and dead grass and work at it to eventually get things growing like you had it before jumping the fence. So, yeah, I guess you're statement is true.

Twitter: @PhotographyET