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

[Tre Lawrence]

WP fragmentation is not nearly as bad as android.

Don't know that I'd argue that point, but the better ecosystem helps Android. And, for most mainstream Android devices, OS fragmentation can be fixed.

 

[carlos12001]

Don't know that I'd argue that point, but the better ecosystem helps Android. And, for most mainstream Android devices, OS fragmentation can be fixed.

How can one fix it?

 

[fatclue_98]

WP fragmentation is not nearly as bad as android.

That's hardly the point. You can't argue against Android's fragmentation without recognizing WP's own issues with the subject. That's like saying Mark David Chapman is not as bad as Ted Bundy because he killed only one person.

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[carlos12001]

That's hardly the point. You can't argue against Android's fragmentation without recognizing WP's own issues with the subject. That's like saying Mark David Chapman is not as bad as Ted Bundy because he killed only one person.


Well then what is your point? Afaik, WP devices don't have skins, and have the same experience across all devices.

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[fatclue_98]

Try loading Nokia apps on an Ativ device or an HTC. That, by definition, is fragmentation. It's NOT the same experience across the board.

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[carlos12001]

Try loading Nokia apps on an Ativ device or an HTC. That, by definition, is fragmentation. It's NOT the same experience across the board.

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So a few apps can't be loaded, ok its mostly the same (except for a few apps) it looks the same and acts the same. If you go from a ativ to an HTC, you will know what to expect. that's not the same with android and you know it.

 

[Tre Lawrence]

How can one fix it?

By rooting. There isn't any bloat on my HTC One. On my 521, there are a few apps I can't manipulate, though I do concede less bloat on WP8 in my experience.

 

[fatclue_98]

So a few apps can't be loaded, ok its mostly the same (except for a few apps) it looks the same and acts the same. If you go from a ativ to an HTC, you will know what to expect. that's not the same with android and you know it.

With AOSP it's the same across the board. There's no way around that. You can sugarcoat it any way you like but the end result is the same. Carrier or OEM skins are not Android anymore than TouchFlo was Windows Mobile.


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[carlos12001]

With AOSP it's the same across the board. There's no way around that. You can sugarcoat it any way you like but the end result is the same. Carrier or OEM skins are not Android anymore than TouchFlo was Windows Mobile.


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That's true, only one problem- very few phones run vanilla android.

 

[carlos12001]

By rooting. There isn't any bloat on my HTC One. On my 521, there are a few apps I can't manipulate, though I do concede less bloat on WP8 in my experience.

-by rooting-not feasible for the average consumer that make up 97% of the market.

 

[Tre Lawrence]

-by rooting-not feasible for the average consumer that make up 97% of the market.

Agreed. But possible. And, I think, that is Android's biggest selling point: if one really wants to, one probably can.

The rest seem satisfied with manufacturer skins.

 

[fatclue_98]

That's true, only one problem- very few phones run vanilla android.

I don't normally do this because people should really check their facts before posting, but here:
https://www.abiresearch.com/press/q4-2013-smartphone-os-results-is-google-losing-con

 

[anon(8938849)]

You're basically saying nothing, and grasping for straws that don't exist. All of Google's apps share a distinct design language, and there is zero bloat on my Nexus devices. I will say though, that at least all of the Google apps work flawlessly on my Android devices, which is something I cannot say about my 920. Read through this forum and take note of all the complaints of what's broken on Windows Phone. It's crazy.

Someone's grasping at straws, but it isn't me. What I'm saying is 100% true. How one feels about it is the only area that can be debated. You don't consider all those Google apps on your nexus 5 as bloat, I do. The point is without rooting you can't get rid of them.
Also i said nothing about bugginess of apps, which is an entire different subject. My opinion on that would be that Android apps are definitely more buggy, which is one of the reasons I switched.

 

[anon(8938849)]

The Android experience on a nexus is more unified than on phones with an OEM skin, but if we're talking about degrees, WP is still more of a unified look than even stock Android. The settings menus don't even match the system apps in Android. You may not care but that's not my point. Some people appreciate this.

I'll say this again: The fact that I can, out of the box, change the background color and theme color SYSTEM WIDE and even many third party apps conform to the changes, makes WP more customizable than stock Android, and in a deeper level. If you really want to compare stock Android, which is the least customizable Android there is without rooting.

 

[Tre Lawrence]

The Android experience on a nexus is more unified than on phones with an OEM skin, but if we're talking about degrees, WP is still more of a unified look than even stock Android. The settings menus don't even match the system apps in Android. You may not care but that's not my point. Some people appreciate this.

I'll say this again: The fact that I can, out of the box, change the background color and theme color SYSTEM WIDE and even many third party apps conform to the changes, makes WP more customizable than stock Android, and in a deeper level. If you really want to compare stock Android, which is the least customizable Android there is without rooting.

I see your point, and concede that changing the colors is a nice effect.

I do have trouble agreeing that WP8 had anything even close to what Android has by way of customization.

 

[fatclue_98]

I see your point, and concede that changing the colors is a nice effect.

I do have trouble agreeing that WP8 had anything even close to what Android has by way of customization.

​You can start with the launcher. Don't get me wrong, I'm far from being an Android fan but there are some functional advantages over WP.

 

[anon(8938849)]

I see your point, and concede that changing the colors is a nice effect.

I do have trouble agreeing that WP8 had anything even close to what Android has by way of customization.

When comparing WP to stock Android, out of the box. All you can change on Android is wallpaper. You can then download a launcher but still only change the icons. It's skin deep and one could argue that the further reaching changes in WP are better. That's a taste thing but if you were to count UI elements that are effected I believe WP would rank higher than stock Android.

Live tiles and icons are different and live tiles by nature are stuck being square, but you can change the color of them, the size, and the arrangement. Which is more than stock Android can do out of the box. With WP 8.1 you can also effectively change the grid size to add more or less tiles. Something Android also can't do without a launcher. Not to mention transparent tiles... Whether one thinks the customizations look better on one platform or another is up to the individual, but by sheer numbers I think WP offers more possible changes than stock Android, especially out of the box.

 

[Craigtrain]

When comparing WP to stock Android, out of the box. All you can change on Android is wallpaper. You can then download a launcher but still only change the icons. It's skin deep and one could argue that the further reaching changes in WP are better.

Are you trying to tell me that a launcher like Aviate is only capable of changing the icons and wallpaper?

 

[anon(8938849)]

Are you trying to tell me that a launcher like Aviate is only capable of changing the icons and wallpaper?

View attachment 71885

No but its still only the home screen.

 

[ohgood]

You can't hardly uninstall anything that comes pre installed on any Android device. Carrier bloat is a perfect example. Like all the T-Mobile apps. An Android phone like the LG g2, or g3, come with like 7 or 8 T-Mobile apps, and you can only uninstall one or two. You can't even disable T-Mobile my account, or the system manager app, both of which constantly run in the background monitoring every aspect of your device, including location, and send info back to T-Mobile. WP only comes with like 2 T-Mobile apps, all of which can be completely uninstalled.

it would be easier if you only pointed out the applications you knew could not be uninstalled without rooting, but OK.

I'll agree that carrier bloat and touch wiz both suck, and that they are a really good reason to root, flash, and enjoy vanilla android instead.