Android/iOS users, what's keeping you from switching to Windows Phone?

[nicfromwales]

Your point about activation is a very good one, and another issue I forgot to list originally. It's not an issue with applications on my current os, since I back them all up to sdcard.

Oh, just one more curiosity; doesn't Windows Phone 8.1 include the ability to back-up your app information (game saves, etc) to OneDrive, provided the app in question is updated with that feature? I remember reading something along those lines.

 

[MDMcAtee]

I've tried copilot a few times. It's very resource heavy, clunky interface, and expensive for the limited amount of functions it has.

The free ( free, yes, but I donate our purchase "pro" to support great developers) apps I've found are exponentially more usable, have cleaner ui, and much more functionality.

Your point about activation is a very good one, and another issue I forgot to list originally. It's not an issue with applications on my current os, since I back them all up to sdcard.

I don't find the latest version clunky at all and they have added lots of features to it.

It's not cheap,but worth the price for what it does as opposed to most free utilities like it.

Real time navigation is a system hog for any phone as opposed to a stand alone unit. With this you can use it in several different ways to minimize its usage. I use mine in the car and always have it plugged in especially when using turn by turn navigation. It's a lot different than what it used to be and very accurate now.

 

[Slayix312]

I DO actually have a WP that I got for work, but that said I wouldn't ever switch to WP as my personal phone. Not in the foreseeable future anyway.

Main reasons are:

1. Next to 0 customization compared to Android. Which means no roms, rooting, X-posed framework, etc.<--------This is the biggest by far.

2. Major apps like Tasker, IFTTT, and all Google apps are missing.

3. Some of the major apps on WP compared to the Android/iOS versions are atrocious (see: Skype).

4. Lack of customization.

5. Lack of customization.

6. Lack of customization.

Edit: The customization is so important for me because I can damn near automate everything at will. I can have Tasker control damn near half my house if needed with a rooted phone.

 

[Christopher DeWitt]

I don't know Deezer but I use Spotify on Windows Phone and iOS and I can assure you that it's much greater on iOS.

You mean much better not greater...lol...also we have Xbox music...f%#k Spotify...lol...crap sucks

 

[Jan Tomsic]

But I'm not scared at all, and neither are millions of other people who use Gmail/Maps/Earth/YouTube/Chrome/Drive. They're excellent services.

Eh, excellent is a bit overstating. Maps and Earth yes, fantastic products. Youtube... keeps pausing and loading, re-buffering already loaded content, pretty much spoon feeding you Google+, but it's the biggest website of its kind, so really we have to take what we can get. Chrome is fast I guess, but it lacks the customization of Firefox (older version, 29 is terrible), and of course it comes with Google snooping on everything you do on the internet. Drive really isn't the best option for cloud storage either, at least for me.

Google services are not better/worse than some other services out there, it's really a matter of what you're used to, and sometimes being able to switch between different services with ease is a good thing, exactly for not feeling the pressure when choosing a new phone.

 

[Jan Tomsic]

A toast notification should be possible to disable (just to avoid that somebody can read that message when cp is, for example, on a table) - that's possible only in android (as a user choice) ... my friend is an android user for that reason

You can disable banners (as they're called on 8.1) in WP8.1
You actually have more control over notifications for each app than on android, at least on android it's up to the app to implement these settings. On WP8.1 you can set banners, sound and vibrations on/off or you can just disable notifications for the app altogether. It's pretty great actually.
On android you can disable notifications for individual apps since somewhere around jelly bean if I'm not mistaken, but sounds and vibrations are still up to the app itself to decide, or to disable banners and just appear in notification drawer.

 

[Silviu Bogusevschi]

The main reasons why I bought a Nokia Lumia 1520:
1) I had few phones in my life, but almost all of them were Nokia (like N73, N82). I loved a lot the phones at that time (6-8 years ago), especially the camera on N82. So Nokia captured my attention.

2) The main reason I didn't want Android is because of Google. I don't like the companies, who's main revenue comes from marketing and ads (like Google, FB). I understand that the main reason of ads are keeping people informed with different offers, products etc. At the same time, THE SAME companies have the biggest share in their businesses (Facebook in Social networking, Google in Mobile OS, browser, search engine), so it's very unlikely that these companies will keep improving (in all of the aspects) because they don't feel the competition. Therefore, it's very likely that companies like MS (in this case, has a lower mobile OS share) will do their best to provide awesome products, services and support.

3) The main reason I didn't want iPhone is because I don't like the Apple ecosystem (Mac OS, iOS, iTunes, etc). The only 2 Apple products that I used, is and old iPod (don't know what gen, with 2GB memory I guess) and iPhone 4 (I got it from my sister, since she bought a new 5S and I needed a phone because my old N82 was almost vanished). All of my life I used to use Windows, and I was very satisfied. I didn't find any reason to use the Apple desktop OS so far.

 

[sidn625]

Main reason why my friends won't switch is the inability to send a file through WiFi direct or super beam, which allow really quick sharing of media, since we live in a hostel and do not have a PC to transfer files...
Also, in android u can create some sort of local connection to play multiplayer games like asphalt 8, without the need of Wi-Fi.

 

[Visa Declined]

Youtube... keeps pausing and loading, re-buffering already loaded content

This doesn't happen on my Android phones or iPad's. Seriously.

and of course it comes with Google snooping on everything you do on the internet.

I don't concern myself with Google tracking me, it's the only way they can make Maps& other things useful. Plus, I would rather see ads that are relevant to my interests targeted at me vs. tampons & baby wipes. Microsoft collects data on you when you use their products, but it doesn't bother you don't hate them.

 

[Slayix312]

Eh, excellent is a bit overstating. Maps and Earth yes, fantastic products. Youtube... keeps pausing and loading, re-buffering already loaded content, pretty much spoon feeding you Google+, but it's the biggest website of its kind, so really we have to take what we can get. Chrome is fast I guess, but it lacks the customization of Firefox (older version, 29 is terrible), and of course it comes with Google snooping on everything you do on the internet. Drive really isn't the best option for cloud storage either, at least for me.

Google services are not better/worse than some other services out there, it's really a matter of what you're used to, and sometimes being able to switch between different services with ease is a good thing, exactly for not feeling the pressure when choosing a new phone.

Google services may not be much better than other services out their INDIVIDUALLY, but together they are in fact "excellent" as the previous poster said.

I love being able to Google a destination and then having Google now tell me if I am interested in travel times to that location from now on. I like the Google+ location services that update constantly with the whereabouts of friends (in case they are somewhere close for lunch). I like the synergy between G-mail and Google now showing me all my bills/tracking information for any shipments automatically in a Google card in Google now.

This stuff just isn't apparent if you aren't a regular user of Google services, but together they are FAR better than any alternative I have seen.

This is why I can't wait to see what new features Google has to show at Google I/O. I'm very excited to see what Android 4.5/5.0 'lollipop' brings.

Edit: Chrome might not be as customizable as Firefox but it IS significantly faster and it is much lighter as well. So i'll take Chrome.

 

[martan1981#WN]

My primary device is android, secondary lumina 520. What I need to switch to some high end windows phone is
1. Regional apps, like bank apps and so on. Also apps like viber or skype are worse than on android.
2. Slow motion video. For some it's useless, for me it's great feature.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Ezhik]

A toast notification should be possible to disable (just to avoid that somebody can read that message when cp is, for example, on a table) - that's possible only in android (as a user choice) ... my friend is an android user for that reason

Actually this is possible in the 8.1 update!

 

[colinkiama]

My primary device is android, secondary lumina 520. What I need to switch to some high end windows phone is
1. Regional apps, like bank apps and so on. Also apps like viber or skype are worse than on android.
2. Slow motion video. For some it's useless, for me it's great feature.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Slowly is a slow motion video app that is available for 8.1

 

[AndyM72]

My main phone is an iPhone. Whats keeping me from going all in with WP is partly software and partly hardware. I just bought a Lumia 630 as a "fallback" phone, and I wouldn't want anything wider or taller than it (although thicker to fit a bigger battery would be no problem). So top end WP devices are too big, in short.

And on the software, I like iOS just that little bit more than WP (8.1 has sorted out almost every niggle I had, but iOS is still just that bit ahead), and the "app gap" is now not so much about if there are certain apps (including perfectly usable 3rd party versions), but whether the WP versions have all the same functionality of the iOS versions. So there is now a function lag, not an app gap.

 

[tapehead]

The reasons I switched off of WP were simple:

Xbox Music is embarrassingly bad.

The Mac support is non-existent.

...that's it. Fix those two things and I'm back on board.

 

[TheMightyCraken]

For my dad, whats holding him back is lack of Google Apps...Curse You El Goog!

 

[grydlok]

I own a Asus ViVo tab R/T and with all the little issues I had with it plus the keyboard dock acting crazy.
I use a Apps from small developers not on Wp8 like sensory, signal check, and dish pointer.
There isn't really a must have item in WP8 that makes me want to get one even though I have an Xbox One, Xbox 360, Windows desktops and laptops.

 

[fdalbor]

I firmly believe the main reason less people switch to WP8 from Android/IOS is because they were out before WP8 and people don't like to learn a new system. Apple had the world by the tail and they lost the lead to Android. Google gave people a choice and a lot of people took it. But people don't like too many choices and right now WP8 is a THIRD choice. With the lead Android has built it will take a long time (if ever) for Microsoft to make much headway. It is possible Microsoft may one day catch IOS. But much like Microsoft dominated the desktop (still does), Google now dominates mobile.
I use Android tablets and Windows phones so it matters little too me if one or the other dominates. Windows is my desktops (desktop and laptop), with a lone Linux desktop. Sorry no Apple, but I have nothing against Apple. I hope all four; even Blackberry, make it. Competition is great, it would be fine with me if they all had 25% of the market.

 

[Power Surge]

The people who play are really really good. It's a kickass game, but the only way I could do well was to play on my iPad. It's frustrating when you die every 20 seconds.

You must have a remote. I play on my Sony Xperia s tablet with Sony controller (guess it being a Sony controller is obvious), its still a beat down until you upgrade, love landmines, lol Anyway waiting for 8.1 cyan for supposed support of OTG for mouse / keyboard, and heaven forbid controller support for a Microsoft device with Xbox compatible games!

Always thought that bit was screwed up.

 

[Visa Declined]

You must have a remote.

No, on my iPad I simply use on screen controls. My XBox controller plugs directly into my phone, but I'm still more accurate with my iPad for some reason.