For a Microsoft eco-system purist, which is better: iPhone or Android?

[James Auman]

I try to stay in the Microsoft world as much as possible, but Win10Mobile has become unreliable (Spotify hardly ever works, Bluetooth is touch and go). I'm not sure i'm going to switch just yet, BUT if i did, which one keeps me as close to Microsoft as possible? Or does it really make any difference?

 

[KJW23]

For a Microsoft eco-system purist, which is better: iPhone or Android?

if you have the android cell going get the Microsoft launcher. Have an iPhone you have been in the Apple ecosystem.
what I will do just watering the surface tablet or the surface note and surface watch.

 

[PepperdotNet]

iOS won’t let you do certain things like set Outlook or Cortana as default apps, but at the very least you can delete Apple’s core apps and use those in their place (Android sometimes won’t let you remove default apps without Root, which is a whole other thing).

Wait, when did it become possible to delete stock apps from an iPhone? If I install Outlook and then delete Apple's Mail and Calendar, which are the default apps, what happens exactly?

 

[libra89]

Wait, when did it become possible to delete stock apps from an iPhone? If I install Outlook and then delete Apple's Mail and Calendar, which are the default apps, what happens exactly?

Since iOS 10. What happens is that if you click an email address in a text message or online in Safari, it would look for the Mail client. Same thing when clicking a date, it would look for the Calendar.

 

[PepperdotNet]

Since iOS 10. What happens is that if you click an email address in a text message or online in Safari, it would look for the Mail client. Same thing when clicking a date, it would look for the Calendar.

That explains why I was unaware. Since retiring my iPhone 4 for a Lumia 1020 followed by 950XL, I haven't touched iOS except on an old iPad 2 which is stuck at 9.3.5 but recently inherited an iPhone 5 with iOS 10.something and a 6 with iOS 11.something. I shall have to do some experiments.

I am curious to see what exactly happens if I delete Mail and Calendar and then click an email address or date. That's what I was asking, if it's been deleted what happens?

 

[libra89]

That explains why I was unaware. Since retiring my iPhone 4 for a Lumia 1020 followed by 950XL, I haven't touched iOS except on an old iPad 2 which is stuck at 9.3.5 but recently inherited an iPhone 5 with iOS 10.something and a 6 with iOS 11.something. I shall have to do some experiments.

I am curious to see what exactly happens if I delete Mail and Calendar and then click an email address or date. That's what I was asking, if it's been deleted what happens?

Zac says:

Apple still doesn't allow you to set default apps on iOS, so even if you remove the stock Mail or Calendar apps, when other apps call to add an event to your calendar, or open an email to compose, it'll look for the stock apps and tell you they aren't installed.

From here.

 

[PepperdotNet]

Gotcha, thanks!

So deleting the apps, rather than having them hidden in a disused folder like I have them now, won't make a lot of difference.

 

[libra89]

Gotcha, thanks!

So deleting the apps, rather than having them hidden in a disused folder like I have them now, won't make a lot of difference.

Essentially.

I'm just used to copying email addresses. As for events, I can make it in either calendar and it will sync to the other one. I prefer the monthly view over the agenda one in Outlook.
I just don't use the mail at all.

 

[sniperboywc]

I wouldn't be caught dead with an iPhone. Never Apple.

 

[sniperboywc]

I don't like the fact that Android removed the ability to save apps to the SD card. This forces you to buy more expensive phones with larger internal storage.

 

[PepperdotNet]

I wouldn't be caught dead with an iPhone. Never Apple.

I don't like the fact that Android removed the ability to save apps to the SD card. This forces you to buy more expensive phones with larger internal storage.

That's the dilemma ain't it? Apple is expensive garbage, and there are 1000 choices of Android, 998 of which are cheap garbage or expensive garbage, good luck finding the couple of good ones. And, of course we already know Windows on Mobile is also garbage because Microsoft kept updating it until it was useless and refused steadfastly to promote it in any meaningful way.

May as well go back to a flip-phone, huh?

 

[PepperdotNet]

Third full day on an iPhone. After the initial shock of replacing my useful tiles with rounded squares and widgets, I find that it's the little things I miss the most about Windows Mobile. If there's a way to do any of these on iOS someone please tell me!

- If I am talking on the phone and take it away from my face, it should automatically switch to speaker, and back again when I put it back on my face. Windows had a setting for that.
- Daily Bing picture on lock screen.
- Separate Outlook Mail instances/tiles/icons/widget/etc for each email account and a separate one also for the calendar.

 

[anon(50597)]

Third full day on an iPhone. After the initial shock of replacing my useful tiles with rounded squares and widgets, I find that it's the little things I miss the most about Windows Mobile. If there's a way to do any of these on iOS someone please tell me!

- If I am talking on the phone and take it away from my face, it should automatically switch to speaker, and back again when I put it back on my face. Windows had a setting for that.
- Daily Bing picture on lock screen.
- Separate Outlook Mail instances/tiles/icons/widget/etc for each email account and a separate one also for the calendar.

It will get better over time.
Do I miss things about Windows Mobile? Yes
Would I go back? Never.

 

[libra89]

It will get better over time.
Do I miss things about Windows Mobile? Yes
Would I go back? Never.

+1
I'm good with just using Microsoft services.

 

[Ryujingt3]

I would say go for Android. Whilst iOS offers the same MS apps, it is more limited, such as you cannot set Outlook as the default email app on iOS like you can with Android.

 

[svenhassel]

I would say go for Android. Whilst iOS offers the same MS apps, it is more limited, such as you cannot set Outlook as the default email app on iOS like you can with Android.

I agree that iOS should let the user choose default programs. But... which is the advantage of using Outlook app instead of the iOS email/calendar/contacts apps using an Exchange / Outlook (web) account?

I have tried both approaches, and the functionality is similar. Maybe I skipped something?

 

[Ryujingt3]

I agree that iOS should let the user choose default programs. But... which is the advantage of using Outlook app instead of the iOS email/calendar/contacts apps using an Exchange / Outlook (web) account?

I have tried both approaches, and the functionality is similar. Maybe I skipped something?

Because I am not an iOS user I cannot comment on this. However, when I had an iPhone and a Mac (way back when), I did think that the default mail app was limited in some ways. I ended up using Thunderbird instead. This was quite a long time ago though. I am sure things have improved.

 

[anon(50597)]

Because I am not an iOS user I cannot comment on this. However, when I had an iPhone and a Mac (way back when), I did think that the default mail app was limited in some ways. I ended up using Thunderbird instead. This was quite a long time ago though. I am sure things have improved.

I think it’s probably just an individual choice. I don’t have an issue with either.

 

[libra89]

I think it’s probably just an individual choice. I don’t have an issue with either.

I'm not a fan of the Mail app on iOS at all so I always prefer Outlook there. Not only does it look better to me, I get the benefit of automatically created events of things I buy tickets for.

The Calendar is fine with me since it syncs back to the other one almost instantly.

 

[anon(50597)]

I'm not a fan of the Mail app on iOS at all so I always prefer Outlook there. Not only does it look better to me, I get the benefit of automatically created events of things I buy tickets for.

The Calendar is fine with me since it syncs back to the other one almost instantly.

That’s a nice feature I can understand. I do use the Outlook app on iOS and it works for me.

 

[Ryujingt3]

I think it’s probably just an individual choice. I don’t have an issue with either.

You are right there. It is a matter of individual preference. Unfortunately these days individual preference seems to get trumped by the masses. So, if you don't follow the masses you are obviously an outcast in some way. Kind of like admitting on here that you still use a Windows Phone (which I do and I am fine with it).