I keep coming back to Windows Phone

[daemano]

Also never left.

L950 fills nearly every square.

• The UI is ergonomically superior to both my work iPhone 6S and my buddies Samsung Galaxy.
• The camera still take excellent pics on par with the best in category.
• Got a Mozo charging replacement back. Dressed it up nicely.
• The App gap only hurts bad if you use a ton of social media stuff, which I don't. The web offers more functionality anyhow.
  • For content creation I use a PC (Adobe CC mostly)
  • Gaming I use a Win10 Tablet or my monster gaming rig
  • Almost all futurists agree that apps will be replaced by bots in the next 2-10 years. MS is ahead of the curve here.
• Microsoft's Office ecosystem is still a decade ahead of both Google and Apple if you want to actually get things done, not just school projects (MS Office, Visual Studio, Onedrive

Both Google and Apple are doing a great job of selling their message to consumers. Grandma, mom, and sis. Microsoft has pivoted to enterprise and content creators and is looking to how people actually use PCs to get things done. I'm sticking with Windows until some other company gets just as serious about productivity and not just social communications and novelty apps.

 

[QuietNine]

I'm in the process of switching to Android right now. Looking at the LG G6 (i cant do the edge screens or the price of the galaxy S8).

For me, Windows far and away has the best UI/UX, app model and vision. BUT.

Edge browser doesn't have adblock extensions on mobile. I can't use UC Browser or Opera because of the direct ties those browsers have with Chinese government.

Apps. Everyone has the ones they cant live without. Some of mine are Amazon / Kindle, MyFitnessPal, and my bank (that mobiledeposit yo). Whatever the encrypted messaging system of the month is. I hate to say anything positive about Google but Waze is pretty useful. I am getting into smart home stuff and really, Microsoft isn't on any companies radar for management apps.

Wearables. I run. I want, more than basically any feature besides always-on-display and calorie / HR tracking, to have music storage on my wrist so I dont need my phone with me. But I dont see future wearables that have music storage also supporting W10 (unless fitbit steps up, but how long will that last), and I am not confident on the timeframe for a MS watch or that it would even support this feature.

Music. Groove has had its ups and downs but I am a big fan of unlimited downloading for offline playback, so I'm in. But the actual phones? No DAC's for wired connections and no APT-X for bluetooth connections. This basically means Windows phones have major bluetooth audio issues with good stereos and sound inferior to their iPhone and Android counterparts no matter how you choose to connect the phone.

Auto. Microsoft is clearly not getting in on MirrorLink, while headunits everywhere brag that they support AppleCar or AndroidAuto. Where is Microsoft on this?? See previous problems with Music and not having something like Waze.

^^Literally every single one of those problems is solved by changing platforms. In testing android pretty extensively in VM's, I've been able to make Android's main screens and app drawers look and function exactly like my W10M screen, with the only loss being some counters on email / messaging tiles.

So i will root for MS, follow the news intently, but I need things they cant currently provide. I know theres a lot of Nadella haters, but I am glad I'll have Microsoft services on my new platform.

 

[oiler_head]

** If MS "could" close the app gap for critical apps, spend some bucks on marketing, i believe WP can bring IOS and Android to their knees**

Is it just me or you folks too get the same feeling or dumping IOS/android and moving back to "home"
What do you guys think? Please share views and opinions..

I would switch back to WP in a heartbeat. I only ever switched to Android (hate it!) because TMO never had a compelling W10 phone and the L925 I was using didn't have the hardware that TMO required for adequate coverage.

However app-gap cannot be ignored. While I could do some basics with WP, not being on WP has put the smart back in smartphone. Having the knowledge that the obscure service that you use likely has an Android/iOS app if they have a mobile app is appealing.

I wish MS would've purchased Cyanogon and/or forked Android to support a WP experience...or got android apps to run on WP in some sort of container (maybe something like BASH on Windows even) and then app-gap would be a thing of the past.

Camera, GPS, mapping, integration with Windows OS are all so much better on my L925 than my LG G5.

 

[horbeme]

i recently did the same thing and i truly miss the simplicity of Windows phone. the app gap was never an issue for me but it is nice having certain apps, but thats not the reason i switch. my wifes and my L950 just after a couple of month started to give problem and we've been dealing with it. i got bad to a point the phone wont stay on, turn on or keep a charge. for me its just temporary until MS come out with something else and i have to say i am very disappointed. the features i have now on my Galaxy S7 shouldve been on windows from a Major player in the software field. i will definitely return once i see what new coming out

 

[hoodliedoo]

Re: I Keep coming back to WP

1. Finish Windows 10 Mobile
2. A true consumer hero device

I bought a 950 shortly after release and was finally pushed over the edge. Windows 10 wasn't anywhere near done and the phone hardware was uninspiring at best. I switched to iPhone late last year. The app gap didn't bother me too much or I would have switched long before then. iOS is boring, but it works. My problems with iOS exist around the margins rather than with core functionality. When Windows 10 hits that level of polish, let me know.

 

[mmcpher]

I never even left, so feel free to disregard this long-winded recount. I'm an AppGap Two-Time Loser, coming to WM from BlackBerry. From my initial BB-as-Daily-Driver pov, I was keenly aware that BB was like the 4th-Choice-If-Ever-We-Get-Around-To-It, so far as developer dollars, creativity and resources went. It was a constant struggle, made a little lighter at least by the ways we were able to sideload and get some Android apps to run on BB devices (this was well before BB started to offer Android OS devices). In my misguided view, the fundamental problem with BB was that the mobile OS didn't have a complimentary desktop OS the way it's competitors did, which I mistakenly thought would necessarily keep the developers continually incentivized to develop, maintain and update apps, as it was a way to keep plugged into the vast desktop market. So I looked at the alternatives (Android, iOS and WM). No one then or since has matched BB's handling of email, not even BB itself today. But even with the limited access to sideloaded Android, the BB app ecosystem seemed increasingly behind the curve. What i resolved to do was to follow BB's courtship with Android, as a means of testing out Android itself as an eventual possible replacement. My less-than-ideal experiences with Android apps I assumed were a function of the sideloaded nature of the apps, and later when I got a Priv, the imperfect conflation of BBOS with Android. But since then I have used several "pure Android" devices and have discovered that while there are a whole heck of a lot of them, Android Apps as a class are not uniformly better than their rivals'.

My experience of sort of sidling towards Android was not satisfying and the drifting away from BB felt sad and shabby, so I looked at iOS and WM. Apple I ain't. The devices, while intermittently pretty and shiny, never moved me and I was always off-put by the way they locked me (the OWNER) out from fully accessing and customizing my own device for my own private use. I am not the kind of guy to dreamily accept either "Steve Knows Best What's Best for You" and then, "What Would Steve Allow You to Do with Your Own Device". So I balked at iOS as a daily driver. I have since then set up, maintained and updated iPhones for a number of people, so I have experience with the iOS. So I took the WM plunge and came to appreciate, then prefer, and then love the Live Tiles and customization of the WM OS. Over time, I was able to best approximate my original optimal mobile email experience on BB, on WM devices. So while still using BB, BB/Android devices and rejecting iOS, I made the switch to WM as my daily driver. My mistaken assumption was that i was also closing the AppGap with this move. It seemed unthinkable that MS would not use its considerable market, financial and developer relationship resources to re-prime the app-developer pump and quickly arrive at effective app equilibrium with Android and iOS. To do otherwise seemed like corporate insanity or malfeasance of some kind.

So I flirted with iOS and cheated with BB/Android but have stayed with WM. What would cure my wandering eye is if MS would commit to approximate app parity and then stick by it. Instead, what we get are these repeated statements by MS that they stand behind and with and beside some sort of Mobile future, all the while and at the same time undermining it's own statements by purposefully excluding WM devices from its general promotional efforts, in sometimes studied ways seemingly designed to alienate WM users (and by short extension WM developers). What has kept me dividedly at home with WM, has been the faithful work and frequent releases of new and improving WM Insider Builds.

At the end of the day, I still prefer the WM OS over all others, and there isn't much difference between the hardware. I guess I only need some assurance that I won't be abandoned by MS to stay put.

 

[forgedbygeeks]

So, I was a WM/WP user going all the way back to WM5.0.

Late last year, I switch to iPhone7+. This was mainly done for business reasons. I needed to have access to the native Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube Creators, and many other social media apps that would give notifications fast if I had any comments or other content changes on my social networks. With Facebook specifically, you have to respond with about 10 minutes or you lose some natural feed presence with your posts. This was impossible to do on WP without the app.

I overall like the iPhone. Its nice finally having a broad array of games to try and play on my phone, but the email experience on iOS and Siri is crap. Safari and Chrome on iOS also have a lot of weird bugs with some websites where if you accidentally force touch on them it can break them until you dump your entire browser cache. The email experience specifically and the general lack of Cortana integration is so bad that I actually ended up partially switching back to WP with my Lumia 950XL.

I now use my WP for Cortana, Groove, Email, and BaconIt.

I use iPhone for everything else.

So, what would get me to full switch back to WP? For starters, something like the rumored Surface Phone. Full x86 app integration so I can do quick edits to some of my art on the road using InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop natively on my phone. Apps for Social Networks and specifically Business apps for YouTube and Facebook.

I also want to see MS start to make their own phone a first class citizen. I am sick and tired of seeing MS release new apps and stuff on iOS and Android first and then WP later or never. Apps like Microsoft Pix and the new Wordflow Keyboard being iOS exclusive just pisses me off and makes me question if they even care about their own platform.

Finally, they royally screwed up the WP10 launch. It was completely unstable and full of stupid bugs. It should have been delayed. They have since mostly fixed it (I still regularly get weird notifications about my email settings being out of date for no apparent reason), but I am seriously concerned they may do this level of breaking change again. That makes me really cautious about ever only having a WP available.

 

[Shad0wguy]

I left WP when some of the apps I used regularly dropped support. I still prefer the UI of windows phone and would gladly return if the apps were there.

 

[John Wolf1]

For those that say app gap is not a problem I say just wait until it is. You need to look at the overall dev support and WP does not have it. Weather it be IoT, or Wearables, banking and so on. You just never see "supported on WP". The gap may not bother you now, but it will eventually because of the overall lack of support and now there is a real hardware gap too. Go into a Microsoft store and try and find a phone.

 

[anon(50597)]

For those that say app gap is not a problem I say just wait until it is. You need to look at the overall dev support and WP does not have it. Weather it be IoT, or Wearables, banking and so on. You just never see "supported on WP". The gap may not bother you now, but it will eventually because of the overall lack of support and now there is a real hardware gap too. Go into a Microsoft store and try and find a phone.

I can say with 100% certainty, and I know I'm different than most people, that the app gap means nothing to me.
Banking. While my bank does have a WM app, if it didn't I've never had a time where I NEEDED to bank on my phone and couldn't wait to use my tablet or PC.
Wearable. Don't wear them. Don't need to track how many steps I take, etc. I walk a lot, am healthy, and that's good enough for me. I would rather wear a quality timepiece and have a collection of watches I use. I appreciate their craftsmanship over a fake watch.
IoT?

Again, I can appreciate people who chose to use certain apps for whatever reason, but please don't say that the app gap will bother me some day, because it won't.

Sent from mTalk on my SP4

 

[anon(50597)]

This thread really exploded today! Lots of great posts, both pro and con.

I'm really quite different than the people who used Windows mobile for years and now have left or thinking to. I've used every platform for years and just slightly dabbled in WM. Now I'm here and I believe to stay. You can have Android and iPhone, they don't give me the overall experience I get with WM. For me its about quality, not quantity. Plus, I believe MS is heading in the right direction for the future. I'm thoroughly happy with my choice.

Sent from mTalk on my SP4

 

[Lioneros]

At first I had Android phones, mainly Samsung Galaxies, then I used Iphones and finaly, 2 years ago I tried my first Lumia - Lumia 930. Although It wasn't expensive, It gave a performance that none of the phones before could come close to. Incredible speed, no freezing, no reboots, no frozen apps,clear view of what is currently running and a great camera. Now, 2 years later I still use the Lumia 930 and still think it's the best. It fell many times on the ground, from many angles and still runs as the first day. The only fear was that it might stop working now and I would get no replacement so I bought Lumia 950 XL just as a backup.

And about the app gap that everyone is talking about... I have currently 362 apps installed. And do you know how many do I use on daily/weekly/monthly basis? Work and free time together 25-30... So what app gap are we talking about here?

I just hope very much that MS doesn't give up and keeps on making WP phones and WP 10 operating system. It's simply unique and the best. I will always be your customer.:smile:

 

[taynjack]

Re: I Keep coming back to WP

Have you tried a 640xl? Very good battery life, sufficient camera. It is a little big. Seems the smoothest phone as a hear few complaints like I hear with the 950 series. Just my two cents. I often get a day and a half of battery life. If I forget to charge it at night, it isn't the end of the world. If I'm just doing calling and texting, I can easily get two days out of it, with Bluetooth and wifi on constantly.

 

[Shandybang]

Ive had the Lumia 930 & 950,
loved them both, but Im using a iPhone 7 at the minute because of the apps and its so easy to use.
For me to come back to Windows mobile, the app gap needs reducing drastically.
Microsoft needs look after its own consumers before Apple and Androids. (Microsoft apps on IOS are so much better than
on Windows mobile)

 

[anon(5333937)]

A lot of assumptions on your part sir, the service you get greatly depends on the area you live in. Co-workers here in Atlanta constantly have issues with service using T-Mobile, I however get great service in the area with ATT. Also you mention unimportant apps, well in my field (IT) there are apps created for android and iphone that simply aren't there on Windows phone, for instance MangeEngine which we use at my company.

I finally jumped ship when the Note 7 came out (loved that phone) but due to obvious reasons (pocket bomb) I now have the Samsung 7 Edge which is just as nice and loaded with features my windows phone never had. I miss the WP operating system and my Lumia 1520 very much!

The real issue for me is apps that are made by Microsoft are more often updated and work better on an android or iphone devices than on a Windows Phone device. That's ridiculous and was the last straw once I discovered this, because I could no longer support a system that in a sense didn't support itself.

So in a nutshell the app gap was the main problem for me that probably came to a tipping point around the time Pokemon Go came out (lol), I would definitely come back though because out of all 3 operating systems, windows is still my favorite!

 

[Derausgewanderte]

Long time WP user. Got my first smartphone with a LG quantum. Then switched to Lumia 920 and then Lumia 830. I got frustrated with lacking W10M support from att and switched to a Lumia 640XL. I gave up last year because of missing apps and wear support. I switched to a Moto G4 plus and I'm pretty happy (plus Huawei watch). I still believe that W10M is a superior OS and would switch back if MS came back with something that finds the support of developers to fill the app gap.
It happens fairly often that l look at good deals for a W10M phone to give it another try. For now I wait for a new try by MS.
I miss the great look and feel of W10M.

 

[Evanway]

I'm a Brazilian Windows Fan. Have been a insider for desktop and mobile, and still love and defend the platform. The problem is that there's almost no support in Brazil for windows mobile, so I have two problems on switching phones, first that there's no high end Windows phone to replace my L930, second is, even though I import one, I would have no support in case of any problem. So, in the very likely event of having to switch phones in the near future, I would be forced to go iOS or Android. That's truly sad.

 

[slepr]

....
Is it just me or you folks too get the same feeling or dumping IOS/android and moving back to "home"
What do you guys think? Please share views and opinions..

Well, having been on Windows Mobile since WinMo5, before the days of iPhone and Droid, I am truly saddened that MS is letting us die on the vine from a hardware for Mobile perspective. What keeps me going is the continued development for Mobile on Windows10 (i.e. Cshell, Full Windows on ARM, etc). I dream of a Surface device with a foldable screen ( ala Westworld device ) that runs full Windows, has a sim and flawlessly moves between Mobile when folded small, Tablet when opened/unfolded, PC when running in Continuum mode all courtesy of Cshell. I dream of a day when the draw for such a device sparks interest from Joe iPhone and Jane Droid, and subsequently draws developers back to fill up the gap with UWP apps. Pie-in-the-sky dreams? Sure, but that is the Hope that keeps me going with my X3, SP3, XB1, Band2, etc.
After many years and the gradual loss of apps that I find useful I finally broke down and bought a Galaxy Tab S2 so that I could at least occasionally use those apps

 

[DaRazorback]

I am a long time WP user, have used many lumias.
But due to 'app gap' and some other issues, i changed ships.
As of now, i have an Iphone 6 from work, a One plus 3 as personal daily driver AND a 640 XL which i use occasionally when i get all nostalgic about WP :grin:

To tell you guys the truth
# Iphone is good when it comes to stability, apps, restoring from backups etc - but i always feel it is an overpriced phone with less user controls. It feels like a toy
# One plus 3- very good camera, real fast charging but what puts me off is occasional heating up issues, battery drains real fast, hangs/freezes and occasional unexplained reboots. Is short, i cannot count on this device. Battery may drain unexpectedly, etc..
# Lumia 640XL - love the UI, the plastic feel ( i hate metallic feel of the phones), very good camera, OS fluidity.. Occasional lags, app crashes are common but not show stoppers. I feel its real value for money **If you don't have issues with App gap**

To Sum up, i love WP, have always loved it. BUT MS screwed it up
App gap can get frustrating sometimes.
I am not a big fan of apps. I mostly use twitter, mails, whatsapp, maps etc. All these seem to work well. BUT some apps like uber, banking apps ( Indian banks) and MS office seems to suck real bad !!!

** If MS "could" close the app gap for critical apps, spend some bucks on marketing, i believe WP can bring IOS and Android to their knees**

Is it just me or you folks too get the same feeling or dumping IOS/android and moving back to "home"
What do you guys think? Please share views and opinions..

The app gap has never been a big issue for me. However, right now, money is tighter than is used to be. If they offered it on a carrier on contract, I'd get it yesterday. I miss Windows Phone/Mobile

 

[StefEBear]

I'm a fan of Windows Mobile.
I am also only using my phones as a consumer. I'm currently using a Lumia 950XL as my daily but have an Android phone because, here in Australia, there are no windows apps for the services I need/want to use. Edge, while decent can't always render websites correctly (look at m.bom.gov.au)...
As much as I love the way that Windows Mobile works and looks, I can't get past the ever growing app gap for much longer. Once the Lumia dies I have no option but to move to Android (I'll never purchase an Apple product)