Microsoft is making a ROM that allows Android smartphones to run Windows 10 for phones

[r0st4]

With all this talks about having both Android and WP on one device... Am I the only who honestly thinks that this is not how it's gonna work? If I read it correctly, you'll be able to install WP over Android but that means there's no more Android OS on that device! You successfully flashed your phone and tadaaa you've got yourself a Windows Phone. And that's it.

I guess it will be possible to flash it back to Android but I'd bet that would mean deleting all WP data from that device. So you'll never be able to enjoy both systems at once. Nor their features.

 

[a5cent]

^ you probably only skimmed over this thread. That has been clarified quite a few posts up already. A device will run either one or the other OS. Never both.

 

[DavidinCT]

Not sure we will see too much of this in the US with carrier locked/branded phones. This will be blocked from the US carriers

It would be a support nightmare for carriers, and I am sure they will go OUT OF THEIR WAY to block it.

 

[tgp]

Not sure we will see too much of this in the US with carrier locked/branded phones. This will be blocked from the US carriers

It would be a support nightmare for carriers, and I am sure they will go OUT OF THEIR WAY to block it.

Good point!

 

[bo_woods]

But if lots of ppl decide to show interest in coverting their androids to windows phones and start to prefer it,then OEM's will simply say, if this is the os our consumers want then lets just put windows on our next flagship in the first place, so our buyers dont have to convert

 

[godsgreat_87]

So wil google sit idle?? They might also come up some plan to install android over wp devices

 

[Blacklac]

So wil google sit idle?? They might also come up some plan to install android over wp devices

Sorry, that wont ever happen.

 

[tgp]

But if lots of ppl decide to show interest in coverting their androids to windows phones and start to prefer it,then OEM's will simply say, if this is the os our consumers want then lets just put windows on our next flagship in the first place, so our buyers dont have to convert

Yup makes sense. But at the same time, how many smartphone users flash, root, jailbreak, sideload, etc? I'd guess not many, relatively speaking. Even if flashing to WP becomes a reality, will it make a noticeable difference in numbers?

 

[a5cent]

So wil google sit idle?? They might also come up some plan to install android over wp devices

Windows secure boot and the TPM chip in every WP device makes that technically impossible without explicit support by MS... which Google won't get.
Google doesn't have that level of control over Android.

 

[muneshyne21]

Gamer changer. Hopefully in the future we can buy any Android flagship and install WP10 instead of having to wait for a Flagship WP to come out! The only issue would be firmware support. This might eventually be covered by the folks at XDA. This is probably the smartest idea ever to grab some of the Android pie. Since those rooting their phones have the flexibility to revert back, it allows them to try WP OS for free. Even if only 5% of them like the OS, that would be a scary chunk of the global user base.

 

[Blacklac]

This actually makes me sad the Nexus line isn't inexpensive anymore.

 

[bo_woods]

Yup makes sense. But at the same time, how many smartphone users flash, root, jailbreak, sideload, etc? I'd guess not many, relatively speaking. Even if flashing to WP becomes a reality, will it make a noticeable difference in numbers?

True

 

[hotphil]

Excellent. I shall pick up a few Xiaomis.

 

[ajaya p]

Microsoft almost share many features to android. So I wait if Microsoft share there Lumia camera to android. I am sure i switch to android phone.

 

[rockstarzzz]

So wil google sit idle?? They might also come up some plan to install android over wp devices

​I will be glad, if Google comes up with a plan to even install its Google Apps on WP devices - that would be a good start. Forget getting the entire OS for WP users.

 

[DavidinCT]

As I love this concept (want a LG G3 with WP on it), I wonder how it will be done ?

Could I take a perfect clone of Android, then put WP on it and capture a perfect clone of WP so I can put Android back on it ? So when I install the OS, it's EXACTLY how it was before with out having to restore any more stuff.

Would be nice, swap OS's per day if you wanted and all those apps you cant run on WP, for the day I need it, I would use Android...

Even better if you can back them up on a MicroSD card in the phone, click a app, restore WP, and do the same thing to Android....

Used to do the same thing with WIndows Mobile builds, had clones of the phone with a backup software so I would always have 3-4 builds on my MicroSD card, and if I wanted a feature or lookl, just restore and go !

 

[Mike Majeski]

Would love if this was available to all android phones. Have an old Galaxy Avant sitting around that is pretty much useless with Android and Touch Wiz. Would probably be a decent phone with WP installed.

 

[tgp]

Could I take a perfect clone of Android, then put WP on it and capture a perfect clone of WP so I can put Android back on it ? So when I install the OS, it's EXACTLY how it was before with out having to restore any more stuff.

Yes, that's actually quite simple, as long as a custom recovery is available for your phone. The stock recoveries generally don't have that capability. It's called a "nandroid" backup. Restore the nandroid backup, and everything is exactly, and I mean exactly, as you left it.

That's what some developers use. They make a nandroid before testing a new ROM or even an app, and if something goes south, they just restore the nandroid.

 

[DavidinCT]

Would love if this was available to all android phones. Have an old Galaxy Avant sitting around that is pretty much useless with Android and Touch Wiz. Would probably be a decent phone with WP installed.

Not sure you would see this across the board, As each phone needs drivers for everything. Unless MS made a installer like Windows is now (has drivers for each chipset used and would use as needed), I would not count on it coming to older devices.

And it would be limited per hardware too, as really old phones would perform really bad with WP, so I would bet older phones would be blocked if it could not run good.

Yes, that's actually quite simple, as long as a custom recovery is available for your phone. The stock recoveries generally don't have that capability. It's called a "nandroid" backup. Restore the nandroid backup, and everything is exactly, and I mean exactly, as you left it.

That's what some developers use. They make a nandroid before testing a new ROM or even an app, and if something goes south, they just restore the nandroid.

Now we just need something like that for Windows Phone :-/

We used to be able to do it in Zune (when you took a update it copied a complete image of your phone, with a script you could trick it to backup at any time and restore at any time) but, that is long dead.

The backup option in WP is worthless for a case like this, as you might restore some settings and your app list, you still have to re-download everything and lose app settings. We need a perfect clone and restore option for WP...

 

[tgp]

Now we just need something like that for Windows Phone :-/

You know, for all the issues that come with Android being open, it does have its advantages! :wink:

I have to wonder though if the same recovery backup wouldn't work for a flashed WP ROM. I guess that all depends on what gets overwritten by the WP ROM when it's installed. If the stock recovery stays, the nandroid backup might work. I believe it's basically an image.

We have imaging, or cloning, software at work that we use on customers' hard drives before we start doing something major in case we need to "undo". Would the same thing work on a flashable WP? I don't know; it might.