MSFT Considering Android Apps For Windows Phones.

[anony_mouse]

not true, they would not have the feature of multiple votes if that were the case...take a proper look at the site you have a total of 20 votes but the maximum for one topic is 3 votes and you don't get your votes back until the topic is finished, so it means you choose the topics you vote on wisely...btw "appear to be" is correct

Indeed - I edited my original post once I'd looked more carefully at the site.
Currently, the petition has 211 'votes'. If we assume an average of 2 'votes' per person, this mean 105.5 people support it (assuming no multiple 'voting'). For comparison, "Add File Manager to Windows Phone" has 109,049 'votes'.

 

[msxbox]

Indeed - I edited my original post once I'd looked more carefully at the site.
Currently, the petition has 211 'votes'. If we assume an average of 2 'votes' per person, this means 105.5 people support it (assuming no multiple 'voting').

yes could be correct and the opposing three android apps on wp i linked above have only a total of around 18 people supporting it using your method

btw.. I want to protect my investment in WP...

 

[IlkkaV]

Is the author of that "Allow all Android apps!" petition trolling or just clueless? With the way Android is now, it's simply impossible to have support for all Android apps unless the device is licensed and approved for GMS (Google Mobile Services), and anyone even remotely familiar with the Google/Microsoft relationship and Google's attitude towards WP knows how likely getting that approval would be (hint: a snowball in Hell is doing great compared to that). What could be implemented is support for the open source part of Android, AOSP in short. That in turn would rule out any app that relies on any GMS-specific API or Microsoft would have to create wrappers that target MS services instead for those functions, which in turn is prone to cause weird application behavior and incompatibilities. The end result of having that Android support layer would be that there's only a subset of Android apps available in the MS-specific store and the obscure utility app you miss from Android is quite likely to be still missing. The user experience and developers' willingness to develop native WP apps would just be diminished and the platform would be on its way down to drain. No thanks.

 

[msxbox]

Indeed - I edited my original post once I'd looked more carefully at the site.
Currently, the petition has 211 'votes'. If we assume an average of 2 'votes' per person, this mean 105.5 people support it (assuming no multiple 'voting'). For comparison, "Add File Manager to Windows Phone" has 109,049 'votes'.

yes the file manager one was started in Dec so also would have been shared on social media a lot more..i also voted on that one btw

 

[Mark section]

If people want android app they why don't they buy android phone?, wp apps look way better than bugdroid apps

Sent from my MIND

 

[ohgood]

If people want android app they why don't they buy android phone?, wp apps look way better than bugdroid apps

Sent from my MIND

read back through the thread. there are some really good points made for increasing developer's pocketbooks, increasing developers awareness , and quite possibly increasing sales of wp devices, if only the apps are there.

or

it could just continue as is with 1% growth per year.

or

it could hurt wp platform by annoying the few active developers

or option b

 

[IlkkaV]

People seem to forget that what MS could bring to WP is compatibility with the open source part of Android, AOSP in short. However, the mainstream Android relies heavily on the Google Mobile Services (GMS). Implementing GMS requires approval and license from Google, and you can guess how unlikely MS is to get such a license for its alleged compatibility kludge. So this compatibility layer wouldn't magically bring all Android apps to Windows Phone, but just a small subset that would be available in the MS store. There's a good chance that the app you need would still be missing but developers would be less inclined to make a native WP version of it.

 

[N_LaRUE]

read back through the thread. there are some really good points made for increasing developer's pocketbooks, increasing developers awareness , and quite possibly increasing sales of wp devices, if only the apps are there.

or

it could just continue as is with 1% growth per year.

or

it could hurt wp platform by annoying the few active developers

or option b

I'm not convinced.

I say, release WP8.1. If the masses and developers still reject the phone and OS still then kill it. Or you can bring in Android apps and do the slow death like BB. Either way it will end WP.

 

[msxbox]

Which apps are missing? There are also excellent third party apps to fill that gap, the Windows Phone OS is one solid platform to build on

1) its much more secure, has excellent enterprise features and more is being added all the time

2) its very user friendly, greatly customizable, is unique and stands out among its competitors

3) has an excellent standard of apps, with many major apps on-board won't be long before any missing apps are on-board an making stacks of dosh

4) Has some great devs willing to prove how solid the platform is compared to rivals, the app numbers are increasing all the time with many sought after apps added too, I would say lets see the plans for the future from Microsoft before we give up there are several major technology events in the coming months, look at the feature list of Windows Phone 8.1 more devs will see the edge that microsoft will have over the competition

5) is a future proof platform with the backing of a World Class Technology Giant (Microsoft) with the added support of an Amazing World Class Mobile Manufacturer (Nokia) + Many great World Class OEM's (although some have let the OS down a little) There are going to be many new OEM's joining and the existing OEM's have some announcements due within the coming months....

6) the only real problem i see is educating the market as android has huge numbers to change this we need to advertise in local towns (each country) train more people on the benefits of the Windows Phone OS, and also convince more of the mobile networks to give windows phone an equal chance at success etc

7) Don't give up too soon I think we all will be surprised within 12 months time when IOS is overtaken in the majority of countries

8) all of us on this site know this already but some of us are losing the faith, Hurry UP Microsoft and Don't let us down.....

9) god is that the time lol

 

[msxbox]

I'm not convinced.

I say, release WP8.1. If the masses and developers still reject the phone and OS still then kill it. Or you can bring in Android apps and do the slow death like BB. Either way it will end WP.

Exactly well some of what you say I agree that we should be patient for a little while longer...or DIE Like BB...

 

[rodan01]

Yeah. Walk the same path BB went. And vanish after a year or two. Like BB did.

Developers skipped the BB10 platform because the sales of those devices were dismal, not because the Android apps were an alternative. Sales of BB10 devices were so low because most BB users interested in smartphones had already moved to iOS and Android, those who were still using BB7 (70 million at the time BB10 was launched), were happy with that OS. BB10 is a big change from BB7, It doesn't support BIS which is an important feature in developing markets, the interface is different from BB7 and with a steep learning curve for old fashioned BB7 users, even the iOS UI is easier to learn for them. Enterprise costumers move slowly, so they didn't rush to buy those devices, and now a year later with all the rumors that the platform is in troubles they have another reason look elsewhere.

So, the BB10 case is irrelevant in the discussion because Android apps is not even a factor in why developers didn't adopt the platform. The main factors are the small user base, just 3-4 million users even after a year in the market, and the perception that BB10 is dead.

WP has a healthy user base of 50 million and growing. With WP 8.1 and Windows 8 update 1, developers can reuse most of their code in both stores (universal apps, converged controls). So we could add 50 million(?) users of laptops and desktop machines that access the store frequently and 10 million of users of Windows tablets. So developers would have 110 million(?) users to target with a native Windows app, that's a lot of money to motivate native development and limit Android apps to be just a complement that fill holes.

The Android app strategy would help with the perception that with WP you are always a year behind iOS and Android users, that you never get the next big thing on time, when everybody is talking about it. IMO this is the greatest inhibitor for a bigger adoption of the platform. Because, It doesn't matter much if the new hot app is not native, not as fast, not as pretty. People just want to have it, play with it a couple of days and then forget about it. We need the consolidated apps to be native, those that people use all the time, 80%-90% of usage time in the phone. Small apps, niche apps, apps that become hot just a couple of weeks and then are forgotten could be Android apps.

 

[N_LaRUE]

The Android app strategy would help with the perception that with WP you are always a year behind of iOS and Android users, that you never get the next big thing in time, when all are talking about it. IMO this is the greatest inhibitor for a bigger adoption of the platform. Because, It doesn't matter that much if the new hot app is not native, not as fast, not as pretty. People just want to have it, play with it a couple of days and then forget about it. We need consolidated apps to be native, those that people use all the time, 80%-90% of time of usage. Small apps, niche apps, apps that become hot just a couple of weeks and then are forgotten can be Android apps.

OK. Lets say I don't own a WP. I want a phone but haven't looked which phone I want. I can get an Apple phone which has all the latest apps. I can get Android which has all the latest apps or I can purchase a WP which has most of the apps and the other is 'filled' by forked Anroid apps. If you were in that position which would you choose and why?

As it is currently, customers going into a mobile phone store who don't want Apple are steered directly towards Android. WP is not even a consideration to most carrier employees. That won't change as the new excuse is why get a WP when you can get a real Android phone? Sales are dismal not only because of apps but because sales staff in regular carrier stores do not promote WP.

If people go to a carrier store, most know what they want, usually what their friends have. Very few want something different. This is the issue we have currently. Apps is definitely one aspect but there are a multitude of issues around WP. I don't see how bringing in Android apps in anyway will help this issue.

What has to happen is for MS to get off it's behind and start doing something about the situation. Doing something half baked isn't going to solve the problem. They seem to be fixing the functionality issues, let's see if they can concentrate on the other half now.

 

[ohgood]

Which apps are missing? There are also excellent third party apps to fill that gap, the Windows Phone OS is one solid platform to build on

1) its much more secure, has excellent enterprise features and more is being added all the time

2) its very user friendly, greatly customizable, is unique and stands out among its competitors

3) has an excellent standard of apps, with many major apps on-board won't be long before any missing apps are on-board an making stacks of dosh

4) Has some great devs willing to prove how solid the platform is compared to rivals, the app numbers are increasing all the time with many sought after apps added too, I would say lets see the plans for the future from Microsoft before we give up there are several major technology events in the coming months, look at the feature list of Windows Phone 8.1 more devs will see the edge that microsoft will have over the competition

5) is a future proof platform with the backing of a World Class Technology Giant (Microsoft) with the added support of an Amazing World Class Mobile Manufacturer (Nokia) + Many great World Class OEM's (although some have let the OS down a little) There are going to be many new OEM's joining and the existing OEM's have some announcements due within the coming months....

6) the only real problem i see is educating the market as android has huge numbers to change this we need to advertise in local towns (each country) train more people on the benefits of the Windows Phone OS, and also convince more of the mobile networks to give windows phone an equal chance at success etc

7) Don't give up too soon I think we all will be surprised within 12 months time when IOS is overtaken in the majority of countries

8) all of us on this site know this already but some of us are losing the faith, Hurry UP Microsoft and Don't let us down.....

9) god is that the time lol

1) sigh
2) user friendly, that's all of them, customizable though ?
3) in wp7, 7.5, 7.8, it was the same story "the apps are coming" - put pressure on microsoft to move fast, now.
4) they're 'me-too' applications. there is no 'edge', it is only beginning to come up to speed to other OS's.
5) future proof ? like wm6.x ? wp7 ?
6) the market doesn't need education. they need ALL the features they already have WORKING 100% RIGHT NOW, not promises.
7) not giving up, just making sure somone puts the pressure on microsoft to deliver instead of promise to do so.
8) not loosing any faith. i'm SURE microsoft -can- be a competitor, if and when they admit that opening up and getting serious about wp happens. IF/WHEN they do, android and ios will finally have some competition. right now, there is none.
9) agreed, i'm out

 

[msxbox]

1) sigh
2) user friendly, that's all of them, customizable though ?
3) in wp7, 7.5, 7.8, it was the same story "the apps are coming" - put pressure on microsoft to move fast, now.
4) they're 'me-too' applications. there is no 'edge', it is only beginning to come up to speed to other OS's.
5) future proof ? like wm6.x ? wp7 ?
6) the market doesn't need education. they need ALL the features they already have WORKING 100% RIGHT NOW, not promises.
7) not giving up, just making sure somone puts the pressure on microsoft to deliver instead of promise to do so.
8) not loosing any faith. i'm SURE microsoft -can- be a competitor, if and when they admit that opening up and getting serious about wp happens. IF/WHEN they do, android and ios will finally have some competition. right now, there is none.
9) agreed, i'm out

1) take a break
2) yes all my family have completely different setups we have 5 WP's in total
3) I agree but the past is the past this is the future we are looking too (I have put pressure on them too)
4) depends on which apps i am very satisfied with the apps on my phone and impressed with some too...
5) no future proof unlike wm6.x my mum also has a WP7 and its still a great experience for her, i borrowed it on some occasions too
6) most of what you can do on IOS and Android you can do on a Windows Phone but yes more features going forward will make this solid platform even greater
7) I also have been putting pressure on them, through phone and chat and surveys and forums..
8) WP is competition in many ways but i agree they need to step it up
9) me too now...(well taking a break)
10) there was no 10

 

[rodan01]

OK. Lets say I don't own a WP. I want a phone but haven't looked which phone I want. I can get an Apple phone which has all the latest apps. I can get Android which has all the latest apps or I can purchase a WP which has most of the apps and the other is 'filled' by forked Anroid apps. If you were in that position which would you choose and why?

As it is currently, customers going into a mobile phone store who don't want Apple are steered directly towards Android. WP is not even a consideration to most carrier employees. That won't change as the new excuse is why get a WP when you can get a real Android phone? Sales are dismal not only because of apps but because sales staff in regular carrier stores do not promote WP.

If people go to a carrier store, most know what they want, usually what their friends have. Very few want something different. This is the issue we have currently. Apps is definitely one aspect but there are a multitude of issues around WP. I don't see how bringing in Android apps in anyway will help this issue.

What has to happen is for MS to get off it's behind and start doing something about the situation. Doing something half baked isn't going to solve the problem. They seem to be fixing the functionality issues, let's see if they can concentrate on the other half now.

As you say the app gap is no the only inhibitor for the adoption of the platform, but It's the biggest one.

Just imagine the WP 8.1 reviews by tech columnist. "...It's a huge step forward, the OS is in functionally parity with Android, WP 8.1 OS has nothing to envy from iOS and Android, BUT... even if some big apps like xxx had come to the platform, there are still huge holes in the store, app xxx is not there, only a 200.000 vs +1 million, etc.. And that is, they killed the interest, because even if you aren't crazy about apps, in the back of your mind the fear that you could lose something important is created.
When you go to a store and the carrier employee shows you a WP, what's the reason they give to better chose iOS or Android?: Apps.
When a friend likes your phone and she ask you if you would recommend it, you say you love it, BUT, you always warn that It's not for people that use many apps, because xxx is not there, and it took a year to get yyy, etc.
So, apps is the biggest factor, It's the big excuse to dismiss the platform, there is not doubt about it,

I don't agree with you in that people wants to buy what everybody have. Fashion is a complex movement between uniformity and differentiation. When everybody have the same thing the pressure to move to something new increases, when the adoption of the new start then more and more people is attracted, but when most people get there some of them start looking for something new that helps them to be different, and the cycle start again. But of course the new stuff has to be functional, a good product, if It lacks a big part of the experience is not considered.

In developing markets the situation is even more favorable because iOS is not an alternative for most people due to the high cost, so you have to chose between Android and WP. Just try to enter in the psychology of a person buying a $100 phone in a developing market and she doesn't own a PC or a tablet. $100 is a lot of money, she will own that phone for a couple of years, she can't spend the money in a phone that doesn't give a complete experience because It's the only way to access the internet, what if she can't access the bank app, if she can't access the government app, the local newspaper app, the app for the subway system, if she doesn't have the apps that her friends enjoy, etc. So, even if the UI is nice, the OS perform better in low end hardware, a big % of people that would chose WP go Android because niche apps, local apps aren't there, and many of those app won't come to WP because aren't economically viable given the low adoption of the platform.

In China google and their services is not a factor. Most of the phones are shipped with a fork of Android with a custom UI, custom app store. The most popular apps in China aren't facebook, gmail, youtube, twitter, instagram, the popular apps are equivalent Chinese apps. So, what is stopping WP there? Those apps are being developed with the Android SDK and don't run in WP.

 

[N_LaRUE]

As you say the app gap is no the only inhibitor for the adoption of the platform, but It's the biggest one.

Just imagine the WP 8.1 reviews by tech columnist. "...It's a huge step forward, the OS is in functionally parity with Android, WP 8.1 OS has nothing to envy from iOS and Android, BUT... even if some big apps like xxx had come to the platform, there are still huge holes in the store, app xxx is not there, only a 200.000 vs +1 million, etc.. And that is, you kill the interest, because even if you aren't crazy about apps, in the back of your mind the fear that you could lose something important is created.
When you go to a store and the carrier employee shows you a WP, what's the reason they give to better chose iOS or Android?: Apps.
When a friend likes your phone and ask you if you would recommend it, you say you love it, BUT, you always warn that is not for people that use many apps, because xxx is not there, and it took a year to get yyy, etc.

And what are they going to say when it's running forked Android? It will say some other nasty thing. There's an article on the Guardian that was talking about Nokia X (Normandy) about it running forked Android and all the comments were going on how WP has failed. The article itself wasn't overly complementary on WP either. That's what you'll get out any review with WP running forked Android. WP can't win one way or the other. So why not stick to WP apps? You're going to get a bad review why not doing on your own platform apps?

I don't agree with you in that people wants to buy what everybody have. Fashion is a complex movement between uniformity and differentiation. When everybody has the same thing the pressure to move to something new increases, when the adoption of the new start there more and more people is attracted, but when most people get there some of them start looking for something new that helps them to be different, and the cycle start again. But of course the new stuff has to be functional, a good product, if It lacks a big part of the experience is not considered.

WP has yet to be 'fashionable' and I highly doubt it will take on that status, especially running forked Android. People want something that works. WP has yet to show it does this well and I don't see how running forked Android will improve this. There's enough issues on WP as it is without this debacle.

In developing markets the situation is even more favorable because iOS is not an alternative for most people due to the high cost, so you have to chose between Android and WP. Just try to enter in the psychology of a person buying a $100 phone in a developing market and she doesn't own a PC or a tablet. $100 is a lot of money, she will own that phone for a couple of years, she can't spend the money in a phone that doesn't give a complete experience because that phone is the only access to the internet, what if she can't access the bank app, if she can't access the government app, the local newspaper app, the app for the subway system, if she doesn't have the apps that her friends enjoy, etc. So, even if the UI is nice, the OS perform better in low end hardware, a big % of people that would chose WP go Android because niche apps, local apps aren't there.

With WP8.1 I think they got the biggest chance making a good impact in developing countries. Apps or no apps. The biggest drawback for most has been the crappy implementation of SD card use and poor file management and file support. If you've read the threads you'd know that's been the biggest concern.

In China google and their services is not a factor. Most of the phones are shipped with a fork of Android with custom UI, custom app store. The most popular apps in China aren't facebook, gmail, youtube, twitter, instagram, the popular apps are equivalent Chinese apps. So, what is stopping WP there? Those app are being developed with the Android SDK and don't run in WP.

China is a completely different market and the main reason why Android is forked is to prevent a lot of the features from working. Why WP isn't making an impact here is anyones guess but going by some things I've read, the ones who have money buy Apple products just like they do in the US. Everyone buys the cheapest thing. So I'd say in China, WP has the same issue it does in the US. People in China are just a fashion conscious as people in the US.

We seem to have some bizarre belief that Apple is somehow out of the picture but here where I live and work it still reins supreme. It still does in a lot of countries.

 

[rodan01]

And what are they going to say when it's running forked Android? It will say some other nasty thing. There's an article on the Guardian that was talking about Nokia X (Normandy) about it running forked Android and all the comments were going on how WP has failed. The article itself wasn't overly complementary on WP either. That's what you'll get out any review with WP running forked Android. WP can't win one way or the other. So why not stick to WP apps? You're going to get a bad review why not doing on your own platform apps?

If Microsoft chose to adopt Android apps they have to get it right in the first release, they need compatibility with the latest version of android, good performance, only accept apps that run really well, get a couple of emblematic android apps working flawlessly. This way they would get the headlines in their favor and theidea would sink in the mind of the people. Months later they could relax the standard and start accepting apps that don't run that well but do the job.
The pr team have to transmit the idea that Android is only for niche apps, to fill holes, and WP is capable enough of getting native apps from top developers. Even if some tech press could question the idea of Android apps, the interest in the audience would be created, and reinforced if the first few Android apps in the store work flawlessly.
The Android SDK has to be understood as piece of software not strictly associated with Google-Android. In those countries where Google is irrelevant (China) this is not a problem, but in the west the idea has to be reinforced, other emerging platforms adopting the Android SDK could help with this perception.

WP has yet to be 'fashionable' and I highly doubt it will take on that status, especially running forked Android. People want something that works. WP has yet to show it does this well and I don't see how running forked Android will improve this. There's enough issues on WP as it is without this debacle.

That can change, think about flappy bird, there is nothing fashionable about that game but everybody want it. Microsoft has to do a great job with WP, Android apps just fill a hole, remove a big reason why people that consider WP chose to go in other direction, add some points of market share that WP need to survive, but beside that the product has to evolve and become attractive in diverse ways.
It's important to understand the objective, It would be an heroic feat if WP would reach 20% of market share worldwide, a more down to earth objective should be the survival of the platform, a 10% of market share, the same market share than apple worldwide.

With WP8.1 I think they got the biggest chance making a good impact in developing countries. Apps or no apps. The biggest drawback for most has been the crappy implementation of SD card use and poor file management and file support. If you've read the threads you'd know that's been the biggest concern.

You are reading a fan site of people that already choose WP. So It's not the best sample to get a conclusion about what is keeping people from buying WP. From my experience talking with people buying a new phone, mindshare and apps are the key factors, not an obscure technical difficulty.

China is a completely different market and the main reason why Android is forked is to prevent a lot of the features from working. Why WP isn't making an impact here is anyones guess but going by some things I've read, the ones who have money buy Apple products just like they do in the US. Everyone buys the cheapest thing. So I'd say in China, WP has the same issue it does in the US. People in China are just a fashion conscious as people in the US.

We seem to have some bizarre belief that Apple is somehow out of the picture but here where I live and work it still reins supreme. It still does in a lot of countries.

The smartphone market is complex, people have many different needs, but in the current state of affairs WP is competing more with Android than with iOS. Maybe a premium surface phone designed for productivity could help in the high end, but that strategy hasn't pay off in tablets, yet.
So to get those cheap Chinese users or people from developing countries with even lower income, they need the local Android apps to give a complete user experience.

Microsoft has to start working in the implementation of the Android SDK now.

 

[msxbox]

Personally I am looking forward to the Journey with Windows Phone, there is a lot of potential here lets not dismiss that, WP on its merits alone already has over 50 million users which is pretty impressive alone (i know the competition has more users), but the Market Share of the Windows OS is close to if not more than 90% and from the figures on the net there are over 1 billion Windows users Worldwide not including volume licenses to business which would make it a lot higher (200 million Windows 8/8.1 Users so far it takes time to upgrade I got the figure just now from this site https://forums.windowscentral.com/e...dex.html%3Futm_source%3Dbuffer&token=iNx7nCek)

some of their figures are out of date as the Xbox One has sold way more than 3 million now probably over 4.5 million/5 million by now and only in 13 countries so far , I know which company I would want integrating my devices for one Awesome Experience, we just need a few tweaks here and there and more of the High quality Devs and Big Name Apps to polish the OS off, and to convince the doubters..

 

[Xaphoon148]

Really hope this is nothing but a rumor, but...
Go vote...
http://windowsphone.uservoice.com/f...orturls&utm_source=windowsphone.uservoice.com

 

[dkediger]

I'd be curious how they would run an app store. Sideload only from a user's own source? Go full monty with Google to access Play Store? Deal with Amazon? Add "approved" or confirmed compatible apps to the Windows Phone store?