Is lack of apps the real WP problem?

[Shashank Garewal]

I own a Huawei Mate 8 and a 950XL. I have always preferred the Windows Phone OS over Android. I don't know why that is, but for me it just works the way I like an OS to work.

But I stopped using the 950XL about six months back, simply because the apps available on Android (and that I actually use) were not available on WP.

And so it is that I have thrown in my lot with Android - not because of the OS, but because of app availability on the platform. And that's so sad for me, knowing that MS is really at the behest of app developers (or lack thereof).

Is the situation ever likely to change? I really hope so, because every day I wish I could go back to my WP.

Mart

 

[Windows_Phone_Joe]

Windows OS isn't the problem. Yes it could always be better, but I like the fact that it is very similar to the desktop OS. I don't have to do something totally different on one device faces the other. As for apps, some of my favorite apps are third party like Perfect Tube, Tubecast for Youtube, Poki (getpocket.com) and Slim for Facebook. One app I really like and is on other platforms, is CNX Player. And let's not forget VLC Player also. I have to say that mobile sites work really well on Edge. On occasion I like to use Monument Browser as well. The app problem is really the original app developer not wanting to create an app for Microsoft. They hide behind saying that there isn't a market for Windows 10 mobile. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm still on it, and I am one of who knows how many. I am not a percentage, I am one of many who simply Love the Windows OS.

 

[eddieDOTexe]

I couldn't do an iPhone in the days of iPhone 4 because despite its size hamburger buttons and what not being all over the place required two handed usage. Which I despised.

And now.. well
Here we are.
With Windows 10
Doing exactly what made me switch away from iOS to Windows.
I figure if I'm going to have the same headaches I might as well have something that isn't going to crash and restart every time I turn on Wifi HotSpot and Bluetooth at the same time.

 

[Yazan Annab]

it is annoying when you go to any web or service and you only find links to apple and google store and no mention of microsoft. many gadgets do not have apps on windows phone, drones etc.
i do not see that changing. since microsoft plan is to merge everything into windows 10. so the plan is to get developers use windows store for PC since there are more windows PC users than windows phones. and then when they release the surface phone it would be able to run the full windows and the apps that are created for windows PC.
the way microsoft is going, i dont think this will succeed.

 

[brunoadduarte]

For me it is because it's what drove me away...

In regards to the bigger picture, it's the endless retrenching and strategy change, IMHO. How can devs and users alike feel confident on the platform if its own creator changes his mind every year or so?

 

[Chemy JMHT]

Here you have a lot of good reasons, I will try to summarize what I think is the problem.

I guess it's a chain of bad things:
1. Microsoft HAS to do a good marketing, so the people, manufacturers and developers got interested on the product.
2. Microsoft need to encourage the manufacturers and developers to release products and content, give them support, it means a lot of training for free for them.
3. Microsoft needs to understand that the biggest market is the cheap/budget market, so their prizes should be way lower than most on market and offering the best possible, maybe even not getting profit of it.
4. Microsoft needs to bring something totally new each time and keeping doing it year after year.
5. Microsoft needs to be allied with the most brands, people, manufacturers, reviewers,...

If one of those points fails at almost any point, your product won't go anywhere, if the developers doesn't see any interest on the Phone they won't develop any app for it, if the manufacturers don't see enough people buying they won't produce over that platform, if any of those don't receive support from Microsoft, then making will be too difficult and the income from the product won't be the expected...

 

[sd4f]

the way microsoft is going, i dont think this will succeed.

This became slowly evident last year. There was a fair bit of hype from microsoft with Universal Windows Platform. It seemed good at first, but when you think about it, the problem is the use cases between mobile and desktop generally aren't the same and the overlap is quite small. Some of the biggest phone apps don't exist on desktop to begin with and wouldn't benefit from it either.

So it's hard to say what will bring users to the platform. It certainly isn't succeeding. Hopefully there will be some news for Build 2017, however, I get the feeling with the MS edition SGS8, there probably won't be any news.

 

[Ejay Lozano]

Lack of apps and available hardware for the OS. They did it right, and strong with Windows 8/8.1. Once W10 came out it started struggling bad. Apps shutting down, waiting for a flagship phone took so long.

 

[oelapoel]

I am using 950 XL on production build

problems:
1. I cannot install xap (transfer files are fine between pc and phone, but when installing xap, it gives out error)
2. cannot get VPN to work since 3 builds ago (prior was working fine)
3. bbm app (I know its ancient but a lot of my customers still use this app)
4. No way to jailbreak (related to problem number 1). All i need is to be able to get into system files authorization so I can put my own HOSTS file

after many years being loyal, i think next phone will be android. so yes, app gap is huge. lack of apps sometimes are fine, BUT basic function like vpn for example is deal breaker. The only thing making me keep my L950XL is the super camera quality at this stage..

 

[cyan1two]

I own a Huawei Mate 8 and a 950XL. I have always preferred the Windows Phone OS over Android. I don't know why that is, but for me it just works the way I like an OS to work.

But I stopped using the 950XL about six months back, simply because the apps available on Android (and that I actually use) were not available on WP.

And so it is that I have thrown in my lot with Android - not because of the OS, but because of app availability on the platform. And that's so sad for me, knowing that MS is really at the behest of app developers (or lack thereof).

Is the situation ever likely to change? I really hope so, because every day I wish I could go back to my WP.

Mart

No, I don't think this is the problem. There are no more Windows Phones there, how can you grow apps when there are no phones to use them on? Apps are used when people are on the go, and not when they are on the desktops.

Second, how would MS expect any one planning a trip, use their maps on the journey on a desktop. The best gadget for apps like maps (Windows) is to be used as GPS on one's Windows phone and not when you are at home on their desktop.

If MS wants to grow apps let them first grow the Windows Phone arm of their business. Can't they see that Android apps growth is not for the desk top but for their mobile or cell phones. I may be wrong, but that is where their apps, most of them are in use.

MS will not loose anything if they can come back at full steam into Windows Phone coupled with a lot visible adverts on TV. Windows Phone fans will buy a good smart phone made by MS and partners.

 

[agrum]

Ask the CEO. Even himself is clueless answering this question.

 

[mrpuny]

I've been running hot and cold on Win10M for a while now. That's not really fair. I really like Windows "phone". Been using it from a Lumia 710 running WP7.5 to a Lumia 640 running production Win10M. Like some of the posters, I have both this Windows phone and an Android (Honor 5X). I had suffered through early builds of Win10M and then switched to Android last year. But I kept the 640 around and used it as a mini Tablet. A few months ago, I swapped my SIM back into my 640 and used it as a daily driver until just around the time that the "Microsoft Edition" S8 news started coming out.

That news wasn't what made me switch my SIM back to my Android phone. It was an "app gap" thing. Not any sort of major app but a completely local app. In my city we have a local burger joint that's way awesome. They're operate out of an old ice cream stand sort of building and close up over winter and reopen in spring. They have an app which among other things implements their loyalty program; of course their app is Android and iOS only. Well, they reopened not long ago and it was time to switch.....

So the app issue, for me is the biggest thing in one sense. I know some people still are having issues with Win10M, but on production with my 640, the basic phone functions I need day to day (calling, messaging, browser, other basic apps) work fine. But in a deeper issue, the problem is that Windows on phones isn't nearly popular enough to be considered for all the varied sorts of apps that someone might want or need.

When it comes to desktops, Windows is the default. Chances are, if you need a commercial desktop class program, it's on Windows. It may also be on the Mac, and there may be programs on the Mac that aren't on Windows, but those two platforms are the biggest. Then you have the various #3 players over the years - Linux (GPL/Linux?) being top of that list, but never a serious player on the desktop though it has had success in other markets. (And the Linux kernel shows up in Android and various devices like Roku, Tivo, etc.)

So you get to mobile, and Windows Phone. Sure, Microsoft had PocketPC PDAs and Windows Mobile 6.x and earlier phones, but if you take the modern touchscrenn smartphone era starting with the iPhone, the iPhone came out in June of 2007. Android launched commercially in Sept. 2008. WebOS launched in June 2009 and was acquired by HP in April 2010. Windows Phone 7 didn't launch until Nov. 2010. Think about his timeline. Microsoft didn't get it's touch centric mobile OS out for over 3 years after the iPhone, 2 years after Android, and over a year after WebOS launched and 6+ months after HP bought it. In mobile years, it was an eternity too late, and if it wasn't for being backed by Microsoft's war chest, would have been DOA.

When you're that late, you need to be working harder, smarter, better, faster than everyone else to have even the slimmest chance to catch up and move ahead. And you've got to be prepared to "bleed". Or walk away. To be fair to Ballmer, he did "bleed" - threw money at the situation and got Nokia to commit (via Elop). But lets face it, he was also the captain of the ship and the buck stops with him as to why they were in such a dire situation in the first place. Then after Nokia HQ leveraged the situation and got Ballmer to buy the handset group, Nadella took over as CEO and apparently thought that even though Microsoft (via the Nokia acquisition) had nearly 100% of the Windows phone market, they could quickly walk away and let 3rd parties fill it in. And what do you know, that didn't work.

Circling back to the S8 situation. What if Microsoft (understandably) wanted to get out of the hardware business, but recognizing that they needed to transition back to an arguably healthier (or at least more compatible with their desired business model) 3rd party hardware situation did something like the Google Nexus platform approach. Contract out with companies like Alcatel and HP to do handsets that Microsoft could sell under their Lumia brand. "Microsoft Lumia by Alcatel", "Microsoft Lumia by HP", etc. Help defray some of the cost/risk for these companies, while helping position them for eventually taking over the markets.

 

[nasellok]

I own a Huawei Mate 8 and a 950XL. I have always preferred the Windows Phone OS over Android. I don't know why that is, but for me it just works the way I like an OS to work.

But I stopped using the 950XL about six months back, simply because the apps available on Android (and that I actually use) were not available on WP.

And so it is that I have thrown in my lot with Android - not because of the OS, but because of app availability on the platform. And that's so sad for me, knowing that MS is really at the behest of app developers (or lack thereof).

Is the situation ever likely to change? I really hope so, because every day I wish I could go back to my WP.

Mart

The fact that the Windowscentral app redirects me out of the app, and ro the browser ro post this says it all.......100%, no doubt. I've been a user for 3+ years, Lumia Icon, and Lumia 950......love the OS, and MS services, hate the app store. I would stay, 100% certainty if they worked to get Android apps working as they promised to do with Project Astoria. They banked on developers porting IOS code, it didn't work, now open it up, even Blackberry was able to do that. It would integrate perfectly with ARM Support, CShell, and win32 legacy......if you added .apk support, or just released a dual booting device, or a crazy virtual machine click of an app android launcher, there would be no reason to use anything else.

Too bad its not happening, now I'm forced to use a GS8.....back to Android, hopefully it doesn't suck as bad as I remember.

 

[hemanlive]

I don't have anything else to add here. Except that I am still a windows phone user with no android phone. But am soon going to make the switch. From all the news coming through, I am afraid that will be a FINAL move, with no hope ofcoming back to windows mobile anytime in future.
Unless MS releases the surface phone NOW. it truly turns out to tbe 'The Ultimate Mobile Device' and is still priced reasonable enough (read less than 600-650 USD). Otherwise, RIP windows on mobile.

I own a Huawei Mate 8 and a 950XL. I have always preferred the Windows Phone OS over Android. I don't know why that is, but for me it just works the way I like an OS to work.

But I stopped using the 950XL about six months back, simply because the apps available on Android (and that I actually use) were not available on WP.

And so it is that I have thrown in my lot with Android - not because of the OS, but because of app availability on the platform. And that's so sad for me, knowing that MS is really at the behest of app developers (or lack thereof).

Is the situation ever likely to change? I really hope so, because every day I wish I could go back to my WP.

Mart

 

[PerfectReign]

Just thought of something. I was trying to deposit a check from my Elite X3. I kept getting "unable to process try again later" messages.

In frustration, I turned on my SGS5, waited for all the notifications, launched the banking app and deposited the check.

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

Sent from mTalk

 

[xkimo]

I am thinking about leaving because the apps I want are not available and some of the ones I have are being discontinued. I am currently using a 950xl. I am testing android phones to see how hard it would be to leave MS and it is seeming pretty easy with all the apps I've been using over there that are not available on the Windows Mobile 950xl.

 

[mayconvert]

I don't need a thousand versions of the same game or note taking app. I do need one good version of each serious app. Microsoft needs to get out there and fund their app store, it is chump change. If they expect business users to support their vision of Windows mobile, the non-business apps are required or folks will refuse to use the device. People are not going to carry two smartphones.

I get what you mean, no one needs 1000 note apps, but it's nice being able to go thru note apps until you find that One that does exactly what YOU want in a note app.
No one is going to install 5 different note apps on one phone. But with CHOICES, people can find the Note app they Really want and like. THAT is why there are 1000 note apps to chose from. Choice, not just a take or leave it 2 app option.
I love One Note, on iOS and OSX (and android), hate it on WP. It's slow and pretty much terrible.
I wish someone would take the Native Windows Phone Calendar and make it for iOS/Android. I LOOOOVE the MS native calendar app on WP.

 

[nmrajarajan]

It is. Period.

 

[In Fla]

It is not a lack of apps, it is because it is a slow, unreliable system that never gets fixed.

 

[pbp_57]

yes, it is. Just before week I switched to android because my work related apps, banking, stock market app etc. are not in Windows store which I need all the time and looks like they will not develop for Windows Phone. Other thing is some usable basic app are there but developer are not improving them now.
and its irritating to keep two phone, one Windows and other android or iOS.