I keep coming back to Windows Phone

[omegadony]

for me I am not even sure i will replace my surfaces or Lumias with another Windows 10 product when the time comes (when they break for ex.)

Windows 10 has been a nightmare for me since day 1 on all my devices, the app gap for me i don't care but extreme unstability of Windows 10 mobile or pc is just too much

everytime there is a new update pushed into prod (not insider) there is something thats stops working or crashes...

also discontinuing the band does not help, not many wearable devices support Windows 10 mobile

past couple of years have been pretty disapointing for me in the microsoft world

 

[Witness]

The only thing... The only thing that gives me wandering eyes is the lack of apps or feature parity in them. Even then, it's not too many. If MS can somehow show the devs how building the app for WM, then using their porting tools to export to iOS/Android is a viable approach, MS would finally be competitive. Huge mountain to overcome. Some of the apps I need are:

• DJI Phantom
• Safeway (this really shouldn't be all that hard)
• Target Cartwheel (this really shouldn't be all that hard)
• GoPro (feature parity)
• Starbucks (feature parity; (this really shouldn't be all that hard)
• iMovie-like video editor
• Scotttrade
• Chase/Citibank
• Spotify (feature parity)
• Yelp (feature parity)

There are a couple others, but these are the ones that come to mind without looking at my iPhone that is sitting at home gutted in an attempt to replace the stupid battery for the past week and I haven't bothered to put back together.

 

[Billferreira]

Re: I Keep coming back to WP

For all missing apps that are important to me, there is a useful go-around thru Edge except for one: topo navigation. Not only is there no good app for this, there is no app that even tries. Like 99+% of the apps on Apple's app store, most of them are useless but Terra Maps is a gem.

We need to ignore absolute numbers. Apple/Google might each have a thousand useful apps at most. Windows mobile is missing maybe 100 important ones that Microsoft should just fund. Come on MS, this is chump change.

 

[vEEP pEEP]

I am still on WP. But I did come from Symbian only because Nokia got bought out.
Still love W10m OS.

But if Nokia came out with a high end phone on another OS, I would consider switching.

My preference is Nokia comes back to WP....

 

[rld082982]

Re: I Keep coming back to WP

I would love to... but I just don't see myself ditching Android. It's just too good, with the google suite of apps. Google now especially. I have a Lumia that I keep updated to check out all the new "features" but still can't seem to accomplish the simplest of tasks without something freezing up or crashing. It's pretty sad. I get disgusted after 5 minutes using it.

 

[Witness]

also discontinuing the band does not help, not many wearable devices support Windows 10 mobile

Discontinuing the Band was huge. There is no suitable replacement for it. Every other fitness band out there is missing several things or another with the Garmin Vivosmart HR+ coming closest, but no cigar.

 

[Jezza]

Right now I love the OS and it's UI. However, it's hard to say if I would stay on the platform when my contract comes up for renewal and this is solely due to not only an app gap, but app parity.

Some of the issues I face I can get around. For example I tend to do video calling on Facebook via my Surface, but one my phone I will opt for WhatsApp or Skype to get past this issue, but I really shouldn't have to. However, I have recently been selling a lot of eBay items and the thing I miss from the Android app is the ability to track bids and upload photos instantly without navigating a browser, this parity is a real frustration for me. The lack of Amazon video is a bit of a nuisance but not a deal breaker and it would also be nice, but not essential to play games like Pokémon GO, as well as have a decent tap to pay option here in the UK.

Other than that I have no major complaints, but there are times when I'm discussing a new and fun app with a friend only to find I'm lacking it from my phone, which is a bit of a downer in social situations, with this in mind I'm having to weigh up the pros and the cons. I really want to keep my fluid and fun UI but some functionality is hard to pass up and as such I'm keeping an eye on what happens with Samsung and the S8.

 

[anon(9812986)]

I haven't left Windows Phone, but I do have a problem that's fast approaching.

I'm still using a Lumia 830, and there are no current generation, carrier supported Windows Phones in my country (Canada). One national carrier still offers the 830, and there are no newer devices.

It is, of course, possible to buy an Alcatel Idol 4S outright from Microsoft, but to be blunt, I'm not in a position where that would be a wise financial choice for me.

Sooner or later, I'm going to decide I need a newer device, and I'm going to have a difficult choice to make.

In my opinion, the hardware gap is more significant than the "app gap" at this point.

 

[Vittorio Vaselli]

I love Windows Phone but because of app missing I am using an Android phone. My solution for missing the Os was to keep the 950 near the tv with a keyboard and mouse in living room and use it as my main pc. I do all the pc tasks with it but software development. I am also on fast ring hoping RS3 focus will finally be on Mobile.

 

[kambarrett]

I've had all three. Back to 950xl... I can live with the app gap, because the windows os works fine with most websites. Comfortable, intuitive, feel more like I'm in control of my ui, seamless with office on my pc... Just feels right.

 

[camaroz1985]

I just came back to W10M after 6 months on iOS and Android. It just feels right to me and works best for me. I had been using Windows Phones since 2011, which probably is a large part of that. I intended to take a year to try other OS, but I missed W10M too much, and couldn't stay away.

Through trying several devices for extended periods I was able to eliminate iOS from operating systems I would ever try again, and I know that if for at some point I wasn't able to use W10M any longer I would use Android, but for now and for the foreseeable future I will continue to use W10M.

I documented my journey in this thread, http://forums.windowscentral.com/ge...ourney-through-operating-systems-devices.html

 

[rlome]

With me it's still that I don't even want/need to go away from Windows 10 Mobile The app gap is non-existent in my case. Recently I had a pleasure of helping a friend unpack and start-up a new android phone and every once in a while I thought how I'm glad to be on Windows.

 

[black ramm]

Haven't left but every day MS gives me one reason after another to leave. I see and understand the vison for the entire platform. I just want to see them actually do it. At this point its put up or shut up. If mobile fails, move on and let someone who has the know how and follow through do it and stop wasting everyone's time and money with pie in the sky statements and turn around and say "Oh wait, that's "coming soon" I have been a fan for a long time and will continue to be a fan as long as there is innovation and boundaries being pushed...but if you are going to push fluff and vague time lines like a dangling carrot, I would prefer you to admit defeat and get back to what you do best and leave the mobile thing up to people who know what their doing.....IMHO

 

[Stefan Holder]

Still on the Windows Phone train here.. I've since dabbled in Android for a few months when my L1320 bricked last year; and although it was refreshing to have access to a vast amount of apps for everything niche I can think of, i wasn't satisfied nor comfortable. I sold my Android and came back to Windows Phone. Its where I feel at home. I can't bring myself to give up Live Tile UI. Its the most innovative homescreen on any platform right now. All the apps I care about and use, are available on Windows phone so i'm good. I'm here till MS come out publicly and discontinues Windows phone. Till then, I aint going nowhere.

 

[photobriangray]

Re: I Keep coming back to WP

Ready when I can get the support from devs. Windows 10 on ARM will likely be the thing that does it as most app isses fall away with a real OS. Home automation, banking, smart wifi systems, etc., all better on Android. I want to be back in the loving arms of notifications at a glance, better integration, Cortana reading me text messages over bluetooth and all that lovely stuff.

 

[gabytas]

Re: I Keep coming back to WP

I would love to go back to WP.....as a matter of fact i kept my old 830 just for revisiting once in a while.....however there are two apps that i need for my daily work and both are not available on WP....bummer.....i would go back in a flash if these apps were available

 

[Richard Bouchard1]

Build a Windows Phone that works on Verizon and I'll be back ! I presently have an IPhone 7 plus but I dislike the user interface and long for my live tiles and other user friendly features .

 

[nubbikins]

Re: I Keep coming back to WP

I LOVED my Lumia phones and the windows mobile platform. The fluid nature of the OS really stuck with me and I miss it immensely.

The lack of new phones really was what really spurred me into switching over to Android. I got that feeling of "If they don't care to make newer, more exciting phones, then why should I care to stay with them?" You can't buy a new phone if they don't make them. I don't want just another cheap phone, I want a premium feel to it. The two big reasons most people go with Android/iPhone are because of the "premium" feel or because "it just works". I kind of feel like MS has given up on mobile for now. The re-trench is pretty deep right now. That may change in the future once Win10 matures a little bit.

The lack of some apps does get a little tiring in Windows Mobile but it's workable. Half of the apps you see in Android or iPhone are just encapsulated mobile sites anyways, not actual "apps". Easiest way to tell? Does it have push notifications? If no, then it's 99% likely to be just an encapsulated mobile site.

I know that I can visit the mobile sites on Windows 10 Mobile, but half the time the mobile sites, that I use most often, wouldn't "work" correctly on Edge or on IE Mobile. For example, the mobile site for Citibank would constantly give me errors and not want to let me sign in on my Lumia 1520, but I could grab my friend's iPhone and go to the mobile site and voila, instant sign-in.

The only thing that would ever bring me back would be the Surface Phone. They really need to come out with something that is an "ooooo...ahhhhhh! I can't live without that!", shiny object syndrome device in order to draw people into/back into the ecosystem. Probably one of the reasons the Surface line is doing as well as it is.

 

[evillama]

Advertising, free giveaways, heavy carrier pushes (and trained staff who promote it, not make fun of it), and corporate usage - all would help get the platform readopted.

 

[TheRealScottR]

I haven't left Windows Phone yet, but the writing is on the wall. I'll likely jump ship next time I'm in the market for a phone. Here are things that would prevent me from jumping.


1. Run Android apps on the phone.
The app gap is never going to close. Just focus on running Android apps on the phone and forget about bringing developers over. You can't do it unless there is money in it for them, and with less than 1% market share it isn't going to happen. Not sure how you get over this hump. I'm not an app freak, but there are many apps that would make my life more convenient, and a few apps where I borrow an Android phone to actually get things done (DJI drone control, Google WiFi). Does this make business sense for MS? Not sure, but as a consumer I don't care.


2. Improvements to Maps
I theoretically like the new sharing favorites feature in Google Maps. I actually prefer Windows Maps, but they have stagnated in their development of that platform. Maps is a huge draw for me. The platform with the best maps functionality is going to sway me Biggly #TrumpVoice . Specifically, I want to create collections, have those collections be available on the PC and my phone, and be able to share those collections with others. As I was writing this, I noticed that they finally added collections to maps for mobile. Great! This will be super helpful.


3. Fix Bluetooth and WiFi Connection Issues
Not sure if this is a real problem, or if life is any better on other platforms, but my windows devices seem to have trouble connecting to bluetooth speakers consistently, and the Wifi is also inconsistent. Is this hardware or software? I don't know, but it sucks now.

4. Improve Calendar and People Management
People Management and Calendar Management. I like the way it's done in Windows Phone for the most part. Haven't been able to duplicate it in Google world. And this is a big deal. Managing the family calendar and all of our contacts is probably the most important feature. I want one family calendar and contact list, while keeping each individual family member access to emails and everrything else separate. Windows doesn't even do this very well, but I've figured out a workaround that fits my needs. If Windows continued to improve and made this easier, it would be a big factor.

5. Groove Family Plan
No family plan has me looking at switching platforms. I understand that I can probably access other music services on Windows Phone, but I like everything about Groove except no family plan. I just share one account as a workaround, so I'd actually pay extra to separate things, and not having this feature dumbfounds me. I also know Groove is available on other platforms, but I just like the way it functins on Windows better.

6. Better Family Management and Sharing
Seems like we are close with Windows phone, and not sure if other platforms are better, but this is huge for me.

7. Better Photo Organization
Photos are the other big thing. I hear raves about Google Photos. MS needs to keep up on this.

I don't care about business functionality. I want my job to be in the background when I leave for the day. I understand this may be where windows is headed, and that is disappointing.