How much do you miss native google services on WP?

[MikeSo]

I only use YouTube, and myTube (best WP8 app there is along with the WPCentral app, IMO) and the mobile website cover all the needs, so I don't miss anything.

 

[neo158]

I don't, if anything I'm trying to move away from Google services.

 

[MikeSo]

I thought I was going to miss Reader, that was my last Google holdout. But Feedly and Nextgen Reader have been more than adequate replacements. Sure, you still have to log in to Feedly with a Google account, but... *shrug* that doesn't bug me.

Yeah, I was using Reader too (in the browser) and thought I would miss it, but I use miniRSS and it's a great little app that covers all my needs now.

 

[Nimdock]

Zero. Not at all.

I am spyware free. :grin:

 

[Matt Mizenko]

Not one bit. Of course, Google did a good job of helping this along by killing off services I really liked, such as Latitude and Reader. But I am quite happily living without anything Google anymore.

 

[Aaron Bateman]

I miss maps, and used to use latitude a lot, but other than that nothing.

 

[Phone Guy 4567]

I alternate between Android & WP8 & the thing I miss most about Android is the Chrome browser when I use WP8. I also miss the notification centre which is really handy, & IMO works better then live tiles for SMS and email messages.

Although you don't really miss out on any of the main Google services by using WP, I find myself thinking why use WP over Android when a new version comes out. WP is slowly losing it's advantages with every new release IMO.

 

[Sekyal]

I have access to gmail for what I need, to check it and I have youtube if I want. I only miss a good google+ app, haven't liked any yet, but I'm not very active there.

 

[anon(123856)]

Hello, how are you?
It seems that Google and Microsoft haven't been seeing eye to eye.
I was wondering how much do you WP8 users miss Native google services, like google maps, gmail, google drive, music, YouTube and such.
Are the google services a big plus of the android system?

Cheers!

The native Gmail on Android was awful as far as I'm concerned so I guess I'll say I don't miss the Google experience one bit. Outlook works great for me.

 

[MikeSo]

Although you don't really miss out on any of the main Google services by using WP, I find myself thinking why use WP over Android when a new version comes out. WP is slowly losing it's advantages with every new release IMO.

To me, the main advantage of WP is the UI, the smooth and simple navigation, and the integration of Microsoft services - and to be frank, the lack of Google integration is a plus to me personally (though I certainly understand why others would find it a negative). Which advantage does/did WP have for you that Android is now closing the gap on with subsequent updates?

 

[christenmartin]

I was never a huge google user but I am phasing everything google that I do use out. Every time I use android I actually appreciate WP more. Alot of people like it, I guess I'm a lone wolf. Each to his/her own I guess.

 

[RJ Priest]

I haven't even given it a thought. I think that WP8 is a perfect example of how one can survive quite well without any Google services.

The only Google service which I have is Youtube, via Metrotube, and I hardly use it because 99% of my YouTube use is on desktop.

Not missing gmail or google search. I've come to love bing, and am happy to have resurrected my old hotmail account since the Outlook.com launch.

 

[gazmatic]

when you get into wp you miss google less and less

nokia here maps + here drive
outlook
skype
skydrive
office
yammer

what else do you need

 

[Corepc]

Google Services can Go ogle somebody else,

Bing it On

Youtube, but, I do not watch video over phone that is what the PC is for..

 

[Xpider_MX]

I don't like the android notifications, I don't like the Google implementation, I preffer the minimalist of tiles, I got notifications from what I want.

 

[SwimSwim]

Google Drive ~Never used.
Google Music ~ Never used.
YouTube ~ Metrotube does a fantastic job.
Google Maps ~ I'm not sure if I ever used Google Maps, to be honest, seeing as my first smartphone was a Lumia 900.
Gmail ~ I've fallen in love with Outlook, especially the alias feature. I'm slowly but surely transferring all my online accounts to recognize Outlook as my email address, not Gmail.

Overall, don't miss Google at all. Granted, I hadn't invested myself in any ecosystem before I got my first smartphone, the Lumia 900. I kinda got invested in Apple's with my iPad, but that only apps. I did pick up a Gmail when all the kids said it was all the rage, it critiqued me for using Yahoo (I'm 15, if anyone's curious). Thus, I made it my main email and I've been using it for years, so getting every account to recognize my Outlook will be a chore, to say the least.

It basically seems that I'm siding with Microsoft in the ecosystem wars, and I must say, it's a nice one at that. It still has its kinks, such as Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 utilizing different app stores, and integration between all of Microsoft's products and services needs more development (I.E: my color theme being able to follow me from device to device, whether it be a Windows Phone, a Surface Tablet, an Xbox or laptop, I want all my customization and setting to follow me via the cloud). But Microsoft's offering is very robust and done well, and its increasing presence in Microsoft products makes it a great place to be if you're a Windows user.

 

[fatclue_98]

How can anyone miss God-awful services with equally horrible looking apps? Combine that with a poor excuse for an OS (Android) and you get the upwardly mobile OS known as Windows Phone. Too bad we still can't attach a PDF as an email attachment, natively that is. Now that RIM/BlackBerry is in 4th place and sinking fast, MS really needs to put some focus on business users before Apple or Google picks up the scraps.

 

[ChMar]

Too bad we still can't attach a PDF as an email attachment, natively that is.

But you can attach pdf files. You can attach any file in windows phone as long as there is a program that opens that type of file. You will see it as a document in office hub and you can share it from there via email and thus have it as attachment. This is true for any kind of file for each you have a program that opens them because then they act as documents and appear in the office hub.

 

[Phone Guy 4567]

To me, the main advantage of WP is the UI, the smooth and simple navigation, and the integration of Microsoft services - and to be frank, the lack of Google integration is a plus to me personally (though I certainly understand why others would find it a negative). Which advantage does/did WP have for you that Android is now closing the gap on with subsequent updates?

Smoothness gets better with each release, still not as good as WP but getting closer. When WP was released Android didn't have a notification centre like they do today, at least not as polished as far as I can remember. The entire OS feels more polished regardless of OEM then when WP first hit the market IMO.

 

[mattemer]

The only thing I really miss is Google music. Especially now that they have the all pass play thing or whatever it's called. The library isn't as extensive as Xbox music I think, but it's nice that I can upload a huge chunk of my own catalogue as well as the all play google music flim flam thingy. I use gooroovster or whatever, which is nice when it works which is the majority of the time, but sometimes it just randomly crashes, plus I don't get the all play access.

I'd move to Xbox music, I had it before, but my wife and entire house is basically wired to google music, plus again, I can upload my own music to the cloud. If I could at least get an xbox music app on android (is there one?) I could more easily get over google music.

I have an Outlook.com account, and like how it works there, but don't feel I have all the options on my 928. Gmail has the nice new organizer, that outlook sort of does but I can't figure out how to use it on the phone the way it works on the computer.

still in the air about nokia drive+ vs gmaps. gmaps and navi was a slight bit more user friendly.

Given all of that, i'm still moving forward and trying to cut google out of my life. but I am sorry, sometimes google search really outperforms bing by a wide margin. at least for more complicated searches.