Is it me, or did the app gap recently become an app canyon?

[techiez]

Same here, I also did a reset to improve the mess that was 15007 (that worked) and lost Stacks for Instapaper. That app still worked perfectly, but the developer gave up on it, and apparently took it out of the store? Not sure of the exact process, but the result is, I lost an app that I used a few times weekly. No fun.

Still, I keep looking at those insanely priced Pixels and iPhones, and I find it hard to make the jump. Plus the Pixel 128GB is out of stock, and you just know that the next Pixel will be ten times better (this one was allegedly a hasty job by HTC because Huawei didn't go along with all Google's requests/demands). So still hanging on, but kind of wishing I had gone 128GB Nexus 6P way back when.

Go for oneplus 3T

 

[wgrs]

Seven! are you on a diet or what LOL. Minus the core apps (email/texting, etc) I run between 50-65+ with not a game in the mix, we rarely use most that often but when called upon they are at my disposal.

Most of my mobile time I spend on the iPad. I also use around 50 Apps, mostly core apps. 99% of iOS Apps are cràp, and the same applies to Android. Maybe there are some 5 apps I miss on the Lumia. Even my banking or WindowsCentral I do with the browser, no need for apps.

 

[MikeX74]

You say you're holding out for the Surface Phone, but I'm not sure how that'll affect the app gap in any way, except having a more advanced device to NOT have many apps for.

 

[slivy58]

Most of my mobile time I spend on the iPad. I also use around 50 Apps, mostly core apps. 99% of iOS Apps are cràp, and the same applies to Android. Maybe there are some 5 apps I miss on the Lumia. Even my banking or WindowsCentral I do with the browser, no need for apps.

I switch between all three platforms on mobile/tablets and today my combination is the L650, iPhone 6 and iPad Mini 4, tomorrow it may be my GS7, G4 and Galaxy Tab Pro, or maybe GS7, L830 and Acer Windows tablet, who knows. But from my perspective Android and iOS apps blow most of those I use on WM out of the water by a wide margin, mainly due the latter lacking many feature compared to the competition... Never mind the apps that can't even be had.

Accessing sites via web portal is OK sometimes but in my opinion it is no substitution for a well thought-out app, to me a phone that lacks apps starts to deviate from its smartphone status then becoming just that, a phone. Find in most cases dedicated apps will provide a much better experience than can be achieved through a browser bar none. And not to mention there a many instances where tasks cannot be performed without an app, like connecting my cameras or portable media streaming device wirelessly to my phone. Yep that'd be me but I'm sure there are many in the same boat with there being numerous more examples.

For sh*ts and giggles we did a little test, I tried two of my email accounts (different providers) and one popular chain store here in Canada using WM/Edge, and the results... First account wouldn't load because "Unsupported browser", second account loads but essentially unusable as is. Chain store, well a few months back it too gave me unsupported browser too but now we just stare at a blank page. So essentially Edge failed to deliver and it took me no effort at all, 3 for 3 is what it was, no more no less. Now we tried the same on Android/iOS with the results being leaps and bounds ahead, no not perfect in every instance but much more acceptable. So my unscientific study proves to me that Edge is incapable of taking up the app-gap-slack and WM NEEDS those apps to become viable, one can agree or disagree but the proof is in the pudding the way I see it.

 

[aybarrap1]

Excluding common apps (email, weather, calendar, calculator, web browser, etc) and games, there are about 6 or 7 android apps I use regularly...meaning multiple times a week if not in a day. There are probably about the same number that I use at least several times a month. More than half are not in the ms store. On several of them, the mobile web browser version is horrendous. For a few android apps, I can download things offline for later via wifi to save data, but no app on Windows Phone kills it (Amazon Prime music, vudu, google play movies, google play books). Granted my use of android has entrenched me to some degree, but still, when I can't get apps for vudu, Amazon, Walmart, and some other big names, it does not give me hope for Windows Phones. I love the look and feel of W10M, but if huge corporate entities will not make apps (or pull out like Amazon) for the platform, it is not a promising future.

Sent from mTalk

 

[Byrese]

I am still recovering from a hard reset I did over the weekend. I couldn’t bear to be in the slow ring anymore and bumped me back down to production. One thing that presented itself to me was not only the removal of many apps from the app store, but also many apps were no longer available from my library. Some apps I used to use regularly I no longer have access to where some of them I even paid the 99 cents to remove the ads. The app gap seems to get bigger by the day. I am trying my best to hold out for the “Surface Phone.” Wish me luck.

I hear you. That's why i keep my Note 5 around. The thing for me really are the ride sharing apps. My wife and I only have one car, so Uber, Lyft, ,Zipcar, and my local transit app are crucial for me. We have no Lyft, no Zipcard, no DART app (Dallas Transit) and the Uber app really sucks.

I can get by with no bank app, but even that too is becoming a problem.

Let's not get started about Outlook. It's WAY better on Android and IOS. I use it everyday and get docs from students and other faculty. The Android Outlook is a BIG plus for me. That alone will make me go back.

I dunno...i just came back from android and have seen lots of improvements. But I may pick up my Note 5 for a while. There's nothing i cant do with that thing.

FYI, Wordflow and this keyboard is terrible. Took me forever to type this. Smh


Sent from my Lumia 950 on mTalk

 

[Player Piano]

You say you're holding out for the Surface Phone, but I'm not sure how that'll affect the app gap in any way, except having a more advanced device to NOT have many apps for.

Exactly. For me, I have most of what I need at present. I would welcome more advanced hardware of course, and if MS plays things right it sounds like their mobile strategy is long term. When I say I am holding out for the “Surface Phone,” I mean that I am holding out long enough until they make some announcement, but if they remain silent until 2018 then iPhone it is for this guy.