I say NO to Android apps on WP

a5cent

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You think he was bull****ting??

I have no idea, although I'm inclined to believe he was exaggerating (I think we're setting ourselves up for disappointment).

What I am sure about is that wearables ain't it. MS built wearables wouldn't even upset my grandmother, not to mention we already know MS is coming out with such devices... there is nothing secret about that.
 

boxa72

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I have no idea, although I'm inclined to believe he was exaggerating (I think we're setting ourselves up for disappointment).

What I am sure about is that wearables ain't it. MS built wearables wouldn't even upset my grandmother, not to mention we already know MS is coming out with such devices... there is nothing secret about that.

I originally thought it might be something to do with McLaren but that's not sure until later this year
 

a5cent

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I originally thought it might be something to do with McLaren but that's not sure until later this year

We'll have to wait and see I guess.

Android apps running on WP would most definitely upset the market however.

I'm not really sure what relevance WP would maintain at that point. Native development for WP would likely dry up over time. I can't really see this scenario playing out, unless MS decides WP is a lost cause, but 'now' definitely doesn't seem like the right time to make that call.
 

pgg101

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Android apps suck with regards to security permissions and the inability to turn individual permissions off. But when you need or want to use one, it's sure nice to have the ability to. With that said, the only Android apps I regularly use other than Mobile Nations are Google Maps, Skype, and maybe Flipboard from time to time. I'm not a big app person.

Posted via the WPC App for Android on BlackBerry Z30
 

dwj130

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I would not like to see Play Store Apps on WP. The quality of apps on Google Play is disgustingly terrible. Remember the BBM fiasco? It had to be taken down for a while plus hundreds of fake BBM apps. I'm glad Microsoft sets high standards and has good QC. Plus Google Play Apps permissions invade privacy and are solely for getting something to feed ads to users. WP has much more sane Permissions lists and I think MS controls them well. So, no to Android Apps. Getting such low quality apps on WP would spoil WP's aura of high quality and on an OS this great that 'd be a pity.
Thats what I thought about the quality which is why Im thinking of moving from android to WP. Then I saw the WP store. Full of 1 star review for apps that are of higher quality or have more features on other os's. And then there is xbox music or xbox video. Both have page after page of 1 star reviews from angry people who have downloaded them. And they are microsoft's own apps, not even 3rd party or google apps. So I can't see that the quality issue is a valid argument in this particular thread.
 

metalchick719

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I'm kinda iffy on the idea of having Android apps on Windows Phone as well. I have an HTC One that I mainly use as a tablet and many of the apps I have on it definitely don't run as smoothly as apps run on my WPs or iPod touch.
 

dov1978

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I'd happily have android apps on WP. Apps are the biggest drawback on WP and the reason most people including myself leave. I always come back and have a Lumia of some description every 3 or 4 months. Even when we do get apps they're substandard so what's the problem? Even on my iOS devices I rely on Google apps like YouTube, Google Maps etc because they're the best at what they do.


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SpideyCoco

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From what I think, allowing Android Apps is a complete surrender. I'm trying to be objective here. Android has some Great Apps, some very interesting concepts and they are welcomed in WP. But, suppose the APIs issues are solved, suppose they run as smoothly as native Apps, but what is the cost? We lose the ecosystem, we lose the design.

Allow me to explain. Android was a design mess until ICS was released. And ever since ICS, Android has been struggling to get a consistent design in the OS across OEMs and a consistent design in the App ecosystem with the design guidelines. WP has never had any problems with the design consistency, everybody knew the Metro (sorry, Modern) guidelines were key to the OS. And what makes it stand out even now. If we allow Android Apps in WP, boom goes that design consistency. We would be standing where Android did before 4.0, and the whole OS would be a mess design-wise.

And the second reason why it would fail is that we would be surrendering to Google in the very core of any OS, its Apps. Google has come and gone many times, and specially in comparison to WP (Calendar, GMail, YouTube, Maps, and so on). Say we adopt Android Apps and Google Play in WP, say it works amazingly and 85% of installed Apps come from Android, and so the devs would see no reason in updating native Apps. And one Day Google breaks everything, Apps are not able to be installed into WP anymore, and the installed stop working. Windows Phone dies. Immediately. There's nothing worse than depending on someone else instead of having a reliable base for yourself. It happens all the time in production and commerce and it would happen with our OS.

Sorry for falling on the long side, but I wanted to make my point thoroughly
 

rodan01

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The average user spend most of the time in few apps. Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, etc, the big apps. Microsoft has to give economic incentives so those apps are always native and high quality. So, 80%-90% of the usage time the user would get a superb Windows Phone native experience.




The other 10%-20% are personal interests, local apps, niche apps that will always suck on WP and many of them will never come to the platform. Android apps could fill this gap nicely.









In the case of games, developers usually use cross platform game engines. So the barriers to support the platform are lower.









If Android apps get popular in WP and help the platform grow, Microsoft could invest more in the Android runtime. For example, they could skin their Android implementation to the -Windows Phone look and feel-, or even better publish APIs so developers could build a custom UI for Windows Phone and take advantage of the platform features like live tiles. So, developers could target WP reusing most of their Android code but with a customized UI and implementing WP features.
 
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rodan01

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From what I think, allowing Android Apps is a complete surrender.



...



Say we adopt Android Apps and Google Play in WP, say it works amazingly and 85% of installed Apps come from Android, and so the devs would see no reason in updating native Apps. And one Day Google breaks everything, Apps are not able to be installed into WP anymore, and the installed stop working. Windows Phone dies. Immediately. There's nothing worse than depending on someone else instead of having a reliable base for yourself. It happens all the time in production and commerce and it would happen with our OS.



I thought Microsoft supporting the Nokia X was the complete surrender. There is a good chance that Nokia X could outsell Windows Phone in a couple of quarters and they're just starting with this platform.



The probabilities of Google making a incompatible change to Android is low. The fragmentation of Android not only in versions (GB, ICS, JB, KK, L) also the huge user base of ASOP, ~30% and growing, make almost impossible that Google could do that. They would be crating a massive competitor.



If they do it, Android is open source so Microsoft can continue the development of their own Android runtime. Developers wouldn't drop support to all the phones with older versions of Android, China, Russia, Amazon, Nokia X and WP.
 

Chregu

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Why would anybody buy an Android app launcher that's probably pretty inefficient (at least BB couldn't make it work well) when they can have an Android phone hat offers better hardware for a lower price and more features to begin with?

Design-wise everything Metro - as I see it one of the main differentiators - would be gone except for the homescreen. The same goes for Windows Phone's security, at least if it would offer the same possibilities for apps as on Android.

I would only see two kinds of people left to buy Windows Phones: The ones who love the platform and already own Windows Phones and the ones that really despite Google services.
 

a5cent

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If I agree with everyone in this thread, with those who want Android apps on WP and those who despise the idea, am I then schizophrenic? :confused:

If MS creates their own Android app store where any company or person can submit any Android app, then I'd agree with the nay-sayers. That would be the end of WP app development. Metro on mobile would be dead, and WP would be forced to abandon all hope of achieving UI consistency. Those supporting this approach need to explain what the point of WP would be after such a move. Seriously! IMHO MS would be better served killing WP if it ever came to that.

On the other hand, if MS were very selective about which apps are admitted into their android app store, then the approach might make sense. Limiting admission to those apps which simultaneously:
a) don't violate WP's security restrictions
b) exist only to serve a very localized market
could help WP get a lot of the apps it otherwise never would. That selection probably wouldn't include a lot of the apps people here are asking for though (for example, that would also exclude PeakFinder, the only Android app my fianc?e misses on WP)

Simply admitting any Android app into the app store for which no native WP version yet exists sounds reasonable at first, but that would be just as disastrous as the first option without any restrictions. Such an admission-rule would cause a huge number of companies that already built WP apps to remove them from the WP app store, so they could consolidate on a single Android version. We'd also have to say goodbye to new WP apps, for the most part anyway.

If MS ever decides to allow Android apps on WP, they need to be very careful not to setup an admission policy that instantly makes WP obsolete. I'm satisfied with WP8.1 right now. An unrestricted Android app policy is the only thing I can think of that would make me abandon WP in a heartbeat.

I thought Microsoft supporting the Nokia X was the complete surrender. There is a good chance that Nokia X could outsell Windows Phone in a couple of quarters and they're just starting with this platform.

Don't think so. First time I've heard anybody say that anyway. The problem most people have with the Nokia X series is understanding why it exists in the first place. Not understanding why it exists isn't the same as surrendering to Android however.

I would only see two kinds of people left to buy Windows Phones: The ones who love the platform and already own Windows Phones.

If MS introduces an unrestricted Android app policy, then I'm not sure what platform is left to love. At that point MS would have to introduce the same free-for-all (do and break whatever you want) model, meaning differences would be only cosmetic for the most part. WP might as well just be an Android skin at that point... like the Nokia X series.
 
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oliverr871

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I've been on the Windows Phone platform since 2011 with my HTC Arrive and before that I had Android, and before that I had Windows Mobile. I currently switched back to Android and I am not sure that saying that the Android app-quality is poor can be a convincing argument. Not knowing what has been going on in the Android world for the past years, people's reviews and ratings of apps in the Play Store helped me to choose informed decisions of what apps I wanted on my phone.

Needless to say, I don't have a problem with any of the apps and I certainly don't get a "Resuming" message and a crash if I wanted to go back to the app. Android has certainly come a long way from what it was when I was using it especially in speed, stability and battery life. I feel in order to be competitive, the applications cannot be missing feature/functionality that the iPhone/Android applications have. Windows Phone should market and put emphasis on entire experience of the OS (notification at a glance, ease of use) which is far different than the Android/iPhone experience.
 

a5cent

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Windows Phone should market and put emphasis on entire experience of the OS (notification at a glance, ease of use) which is far different than the Android/iPhone experience.

An OS to do that is complete overkill. If that's all you want to advertise, an Android skin is all you need.
 

Ed Boland

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While true, that too is irrelevant. MS doesn't need Google's permission or support to bring Android apps to WP.

That would only be required if WP would integrate directly with the play store, but that isn't happening.
Exactly what a lot of people (including some that have posted in this thread!) don't understand as they are referring to "Google Play store apps" coming to WP... No.. This has nothing to do with Google! If it happens, WP users will have access to the "Nokia X store apps"... Google doesn't "own" the Android Open Source project (what the Nokia X phone's OS is built on) and MS doesn't need permission from Google or anyone to do what they please with it.

Android is and always has been a free and open source OS (like Unix/Linux). Google has their own version of it yes (they name it "Jellybean", "KitKat", or "L" etc etc) but the Android Open Source is free to use and modify by anyone as they see fit... WP users would have access to MS' own curated and quality controlled "X store" Android apps with MS services instead of Google's. I believe the WP OS will be updated to run everything natively as opposed to "side loading" or "emulating". I also believe the Nokia X2 phones are a very good example and indicator of what's to come if these "rumors" are true.

And the big question of the devs and why they would develop for WP if their "Android" apps will already run on WP? Well they wouldn't have to any more.. No more begging these devs and companies to "please make a WP version" and when they see their apps running on WP hardware, they may finally be more inclined to develop a high quality WP version. If not, it won't matter anyway. The existing WP developers will continue to make apps for WP as they've done all along and if all goes according to plan (this rumored plan) the market share will rise and the playing field will be leveled.

So why would anyone buy a Windows Phone then? Killer hardware. The best cameras, the sexiest devices thanks to former Nokia designers and engineers who now work for MS, and the broadest platform/ecosystem available.. Windows Phone will have the best of everything!

Just thinking out loud here... Just my $.02
 

oliverr871

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An OS to do that is complete overkill. If that's all you want to advertise, an Android skin is all you need.

Why is it overkill? Windows Phone is already doing it, offering a different way of doing things compared with Android/iPhone.

Android skins aren't going to make applications have the simplified "Metro" like design either.
 

jbfoster61

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In general... To be honest the app gap doesn't really bother me.. So yea Android has more than us, but how many are functional? if they have one that is functional then i would love for one of our devs to work on a similar app, but most of them are just gimmicks that fill up their store.. Same goes for Iphone (I think)

I don't think Android apps should be allowed on Windows Phone. I think it would slow down the progress of WP apps.

WP, Android and IOS will have apps that are gimmicks but how would someone know how many?

What makes you think most apps on Android and IOS are gimmicks?

WP store about 255 thousand apps
IOS Store about 1.2 million apps
Android Store about 1.5 million apps
 

rodan01

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If MS creates their own Android app store where any company or person can submit any Android app, then I'd agree with the nay-sayers. That would be the end of WP app development. Metro on mobile would be dead, and WP would be forced to abandon all hope of achieving UI consistency. Those supporting this approach need to explain what the point of WP would be after such a move. Seriously! IMHO MS would be better served killing WP if it ever came to that.







People is too binary here. Maybe It's the ****** gen that has this side effect.







There are still incentives for native development. Native apps give a better experience, they produce an advantage over competitors, a native experience increase the usage, that means more money for the developers. Many companies already have a WP app and they are moving to universal apps, so they won't ditch their investment if the platform is growing.



Adding support for Android apps would increase the sales of Windows Phone and the user base, that's a big incentive for native development.







Probably Android would dominate in the number of apps, but native apps would dominate in usage time which is the important metric.



Microsoft could concentrate their resources improving the native experience of the apps where the users spend 80% of the time when using the phone.
And maybe build a Windows Phone UI layer on top of the Android runtime to give a Metro look to the Andrid apps.
 

a5cent

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Windows Phone should market and put emphasis on entire experience of the OS (notification at a glance, ease of use) which is far different than the Android/iPhone experience.
An OS to do that is complete overkill. If that's all you want to advertise, an Android skin is all you need.
Why is it overkill? Windows Phone is already doing it, offering a different way of doing things compared with Android/iPhone.

Overkill means MS would be paying far too much for what you propose the differentiation between WP and Android should be. Developing WP costs MS between 500 million and 1 billion annually. That is far far far far far too expensive if the only difference between Android and WP is "the OS experience with notifications at a glance, ease of use, etc".

If WP would admit any/all Android apps to run, and live tiles and the start-screen are the only remaining notable differences to an Android device, then there is no reason MS couldn't achieve that using an Android skin. MS could create a really awesome Android skin that looks just like WP for just a few million a year (probably much less after the first version is released). That difference in cost is what I call 'overkill'. There is no reason to spend that much on OS development if superficial UI differences is all you are aiming for.

Android skins aren't going to make applications have the simplified "Metro" like design either.

I don't get what you are trying to say here. You are the one arguing for Android apps on WP, not me. If you want Android apps on WP, you must be willing to sacrifice the UI design consistency WP currently enjoys.
 
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