Switching platforms? | Thinking of leaving?...comment here!

[RayWP7]

"Grass is greener..."

A month ago, after years (since day one launch of Samsung Focus) of being a WP user I decided to try out an Android handset. I bought the Samsung Galaxy S6. It was a sexy device. Unfortunately, after one day of use, I was frustrated with the lack of my live tiles and annoyed about the rigid icon placement and just overall experience. Again, nice phone. Just not for me. I returned it the next day. After my attempt and an attempt by my brother to use Android, my family is sticking with WP.

I am starting to grow frustrated by some of the apps that would be helpful, but its not enough to make me abandon ship. I purchased a 950 and haven't looked back (particularly after buying one of the MOZO shells).

My advice to people who would switch: buy a cheaper device first and give it a go. That way if you return it its not a problem. I paid cash for the S6 so it wasn't a big deal for the store to credit the return whenever, but the sales agent was quick to make sure that a few days time was ok since most people would use the return to buy another phone. She wanted to know if I'd rather exchange or credit (and therefore guarantee I spent money there). Trixy helpful woman.

 

[robfuzz]

Hi. First post here. Just wanted to add some hopefully not too rambling 2 cents.
I'm a fairly recent convert to Windows as a personal daily driver and I'm (mostly) happy with it after years of iOS and Android and I want to explain my own experience. I had iPhones since the 3GS up to the 6. I amassed hundreds of apps. On my phone I'd have a hundred photo apps alone. I could gorge my heart out. It became a full time pastime playing with apps. Even though I only regularly used a handful, I needed to know everything could be available. I had a friend once call my iPhone "my little friend." I had Apple everything: every iPad,Macbook,Watch. One day I saw the first Surface tablet and I was intrigued and mentally filed it away. Then last year I took the plunge and got the Pro 3. As an artist I loved the idea I could draw and paint and do all my computing on the same device. I loved the type cover. I wasn't ready to jump all-in to Windows though because of the "app gap." The other piece of kit I always envied,as an artist,was the Galaxy Note phone with its stylus so last summer I jumped in with that, surrendering years of iOS. It was an adjustment but I found it complimented the Surface experience more than the iPhone which really works best when you're all-in with Apple,imo. The problem with my new Android phone however didn't become apparent to me until months later when I realized I was spending tons of time tweaking my phone....because I could! I went through many launchers and themes, creating my own icons, etc. Becoming more and more devoted to my Surface I then wanted my Note phone to mimic a Windows experience more and more. I found the Windows 8 launcher and after hours and hours of fiddling got it so someone actually thought I had a Windows phone! I couldn't ignore though how much time I was spending on all this. So, even though I knew I'd have access to less apps and less social support I figured if I was trying so hard to get a Windows phone experience I might as well try a Windows phone. I knew I loved the live tiles but how much fussing could I do with this phone? I discovered....not much....thankfully!! Aside from adjusting a tile to a few different sizes and having my background being full screen or tiled, that was it! Not as restrictive as iOS but not as full-time geeky as Android. It's been a slightly awkward transition...but also a relief. I miss some apps but have found workarounds and I strangely have hope for the future of Windows Mobile. I've discovered I love the experience of this phone OS. Its focused, like iOS, but its an interface that works with me instead of just presenting me with a boring rack of app icons and saying "good luck!" Now I have only a few dozen apps and am quite content. I have my life back. People seem to want all the apps they can get, like a buffet. Its like "57 channels but nothing's on." I have a coworker with probably 500 apps on her iPhone. She has to use her search bar to find one. With Windows I would make a guess that the most painful areas are with gaming and socializing. When I look at the top selling apps for iPhone its all games and social apps. So I don't deny that would be a problem if you need those. I like a puzzle app or two and Twitter, but that's about it so I can get by. Having said all this I don't think Windows 10 Mobile is off to a great start as there are many bugs and problems. But I'm patient. If I'd been a longtime Windows Phone user I might not be, so I understand others' frustrations. I guess I like rooting for the underdog.

 

[broar94]

My Lumia 925 is finally giving up on me. Windows mobile insider worked well while it lasted with a few forgivable gimmicks. I am wondering what to do now. Do you guys think Lumia 640 XL would be a good cheap alternative till the supposed Surface phone comes out? It is available for a great price on Amazon India. Only worry is the 8gb internal memory. Lumia 950 and 950 XL just don't seem worth it especially considering the price hasn't dropped at all in India as compared to other countries. And I really do not want to switch to Android.

Well you know what to do... Nokia will not drop that 950 price anytime here. 640xl is extremely good how about the 650 though it has lesser battery?)

 

[Reflexx]

I guess Mary Jo Foley finally left Windows Phone. She was one of the last big WP people to give up. She now joins Tom Warren and Paul Thurrot as people who would like to stay with WP because they love the UI, but can't really justify it anymore. Especially when the MS experience is in some ways better elsewhere.

 

[billy269]

Strongly considering buying a Zmax 2 at $80 to give Android a try. I love my 640, glance screen, Lockmix (best lockscreen app ever), tile layout UI, and live tiles, but the app situation is godawful. I cannot believe that MLB At Bat is gone now. I tried to find a workaround but there are no browsers that work with flash on WP. I would like to watch MSNBC live, but there is no app or flash so I cannot do that. I dislike the look and layout of Android, even with a launcher, but I think that is a sacrifice I am willing to make in order to have the freedom of using my phone for things I would like to use it for...

Anyone know of any Android alternatives to Glance Screen and the Lockmix app?

 

[garak0410]

I guess Mary Jo Foley finally left Windows Phone. She was one of the last big WP people to give up. She now joins Tom Warren and Paul Thurrot as people who would like to stay with WP because they love the UI, but can't really justify it anymore. Especially when the MS experience is in some ways better elsewhere.

I emailed Paul a few times during my agonizing switch to Android from Windows Phone back in October. I could tell he was agonizing as much as I was that he was contemplating moving off of WP. I, like him, still have a Windows Phone or two to keep up with it, but it is no longer my daily driver.

 

[Attic Muse]

Re: Finally had enough and left the 950xl

The guy who thought that putting a picture on tiles not behind the tiles should get fired and never hired by anybody anymore. How in holly hell they thought it was a good idea to put a picture to the place where all the info was??

Different strokes for different folks. For me, that is by far one of the most visually appealing things about Windows Phone over iOS and Android. Maybe it's because I prefer more minimalistic wallpapers, so there was never too much "noise" distracting me from the info on the tile. But yeah, I much prefer that to iOS with a wallpaper that gets covered with a bunch of different coloured icons, and you can only see the image in the gaps between.

On the topic of switching platforms though: I'm really starting to consider it, but I'm very torn. I'm pretty invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, and I like the direction they're headed, I just don't know if I have the patience to keep with them while they get there. Currently using a Lumia 925, and while I was a little disappointed to hear it wouldn't get the official W10 update, I was already on Insider builds so I figured I would just have to continue with that. But now I find out that I won't be getting any further Insider builds either, which has me a little miffed. The experience is not totally awesome, but I was holding out expecting it to get better and hoping that new features like Messaging Everywhere would make it worth it. Without that though, I'm really driven to wanting a new phone. The issue is I can't decide what to get. I can trade-in my 925 and get a discount on the 950, but I've heard pretty polarizing reviews about it: for some people it's totally amazing, and for others it's a hot mess. And I don't want to go for a low-end device because I really want my phone to work and work well, I want it to fly, little to no compromises.

So that doesn't leave me many options within W10, making me look outwards to Android (had an iPhone before my 925, doubt I'll ever go back). The Nexus 6P looks like an amazing phone, and I can get it for basically the same price as the 950. At first I told myself I didn't want to get something so "popular", because I've enjoyed being a little unique and different with a Windows phone. But then I realized, in all the time I've had my 925, the only times I've actually stood out from my friend's phones was when I couldn't get an app, or my app was outdated, or something similar. I don't think there's ever been anything that has set me apart for good reasons. So while I think I'll miss the tight integration with my other Microsoft devices, it does seem like as time goes on they're adding more and more compatibility with Android, and I wouldn't be surprised if they released their Messaging app on it, bringing Messaging Everywhere along. So maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

 

[azteca911]

Sadly my 1520 is dying. I will be looking at a Nexus 6p this weekend. I will keep my eye on the upcoming Surface phones with the idea of coming back to Windows phone one day.

 

[libra89]

Strongly considering buying a Zmax 2 at $80 to give Android a try. I love my 640, glance screen, Lockmix (best lockscreen app ever), tile layout UI, and live tiles, but the app situation is godawful. I cannot believe that MLB At Bat is gone now. I tried to find a workaround but there are no browsers that work with flash on WP. I would like to watch MSNBC live, but there is no app or flash so I cannot do that. I dislike the look and layout of Android, even with a launcher, but I think that is a sacrifice I am willing to make in order to have the freedom of using my phone for things I would like to use it for...

Anyone know of any Android alternatives to Glance Screen and the Lockmix app?

I don't know about lockmix but the Nexus 5x and 6p both have Ambient Display, which is very similar to Glance. I believe there are some other Androids with similar things but it all depends on the phone.

 

[tgp]

Re: Finally had enough and left the 950xl

At first I told myself I didn't want to get something so "popular", because I've enjoyed being a little unique and different with a Windows phone. But then I realized, in all the time I've had my 925, the only times I've actually stood out from my friend's phones was when I couldn't get an app, or my app was outdated, or something similar. I don't think there's ever been anything that has set me apart for good reasons.

This is something I've never understood about WP fans' claims to like to be different. I do realize that in certain cases there is something to be said for standing out from the crowd, but to me a choice of smartphone is not the place. There are no advantages in real everyday life. The issues are exactly what you've seen: smaller app supply, harder to find accessories such as cases and screen protectors, and less resources for help and replacement.

 

[wgs84]

Re: Finally had enough and left the 950xl

This is something I've never understood about WP fans' claims to like to be different. I do realize that in certain cases there is something to be said for standing out from the crowd, but to me a choice of smartphone is not the place. There are no advantages in real everyday life. The issues are exactly what you've seen: smaller app supply, harder to find accessories such as cases and screen protectors, and less resources for help and replacement.

Too right. When you buy a phone or anything, you choose the one that does the job the best for you. I think it's absolutely foolish to buy a certain phone just so that you can show it off. And even then, I find that nobody really cares about what phone you use, other than fanboys who throw around dumb terms like iSheep or lagdroid.

 

[Robinsonmac]

What widget did you use for calendar? Are you using Outlook calendar or moved everything over to Google calendar? Calendar has been my biggest hurdle so far in trying to set up something on Android. Thanks

It's called Simple Calendar Widget

 

[Compiux]

I had to switch since I broke my L1020 screen and my carrier no longer sells WP.
I acquired a Huawei G7 and I am satisfied with the phone. The EMUI could be better but it's functional and easy to use. I do miss the customization of Windows 10 mobile home screen and the live tiles but that's life.

Concerning the performance, the phone works smooth. Sometimes it has lagspikes but it's unusual. I am planning on installing Cyanogenmod somewhere in the future but for now I think the phone works great. Android is a pretty solid OS, I avoid using google service because I like MS services better, but sometimes I can't avoid it (bing app is region locked, and the outlook app is not better than the stock gmail app).

Overall, I think both platforms are good... WP is behind with the app gap and whoever says there is no gap is lying to himself (I have several apps on my android that were awful or nonexistant on WP) but if you compare the OS side to side they both are very similar and strong, there are pros and cons on every side. Had WP no app gap I would have done everything I could to stay on the windows side, but I had to switch and I am satisfied with the change. If in the future things change then I will gladly come back

 

[bluefirestarter]

I've been a Windows Phone/Mobile fan since WinMo6 but I decided Tuesday to make the jump to the iPhone 6S Plus. I tried a Galaxy S7 Edge for a day but I don't think I've ever hated a piece of technology so much in my life. I promptly returned that train wreck and switched to an iPhone. I'm gonna hang onto my 950XL for testing purposes. Hopefully the quality of the new builds improve because the quality of the recent builds were so frustrating you could tell they almost don't care anymore. Really gonna miss the live tiles and wireless charging but I need a phone that works (and yes I put it back to stock and it was still glitchy and awful) sigh

 

[slivy58]

My decision to move on for real has just begun, put all three of my WPs on the auction block today and the saddest part about it, I’ll be lucky to get a dime for either one of them

 

[Guytronic]

My wife was just gifted an iPhone 6+ in lieu of the 640 I gave her.
She has always said she cared little for what smartphones had to offer.

What I've noticed in the last 2 days is she is on the iPhone more than her beloved Windows notebook.
She hardly ever used her Windows phone that I got for her
I have always tried to point out things that the WP can do to no avail.
The battle is finally over...

 

[casab1anca]

I'm back on WP after returning the iPhone 6S for the third time in the last 6 months. Every time I switch thinking the grass is greener on the other side, but it really isn't. My 950 is working better than ever after I downgraded from Redstone to 10586.218.

What's good about the iPhone:
- Battery life is stellar.
- Both the OS and apps are very stable and rarely stutter.

What's bad:
- iOS has lots of little quirks and bugs just like any other OS. It's not the flawless OS that everyone makes it sound like. Apple Maps suddenly stopped showing traffic overlays on the map and I couldn't figure out how to fix it (a reboot didn't help).
- The iOS keyboard sucks. SwiftKey is better but still no match for the WP keyboard. My typing speed tanked on the iPhone as I was making so many more mistakes.
- Because iOS doesn't have a back button, there is no standard way to dismiss the keyboard. In some apps, you can just tap above the keyboard to dismiss it. In some others, you have to swipe down. In yet others, there is absolutely no way to hide the keyboard without cancelling the current operation.
- The mail and calendar experience is poor. There's no way to have separate notification counts for different inboxes. Calendar invites show up as attachments in email and you have to go to the calendar app to respond.
- It's 2016 and iOS still doesn't support photo sharing via Bluetooth.

I don't use a lot of apps and the handful that I need are available on WP. What matters to me is the core experience (phone, contacts, email, calendar, keyboard) and for that, it seems like WP is still king.

 

[Guytronic]

My decision to move on for real has just begun, put all three of my WPs on the auction block today and the saddest part about it, I’ll be lucky to get a dime for either one of them

I have 2 Windows phones for sale right now myself.

 

[costas60]

I have 2 Windows phones for sale right now myself.

hopefully I can now find some
cheap 950's on fleabuy

 

[Erik Timko]

Re: Finally had enough and left the 950xl

Different strokes for different folks. For me, that is by far one of the most visually appealing things about Windows Phone over iOS and Android. Maybe it's because I prefer more minimalistic wallpapers, so there was never too much "noise" distracting me from the info on the tile. But yeah, I much prefer that to iOS with a wallpaper that gets covered with a bunch of different coloured icons, and you can only see the image in the gaps between.

It was nice but minimalistic wallpapers were the only ones and not even all of them that could be used as wallpaper on WP 8.1. The wallpaper had to be dark because with light wallpaper you couldn't see anything on tiles. I like how in Win 10m you could choose where you want to put wallpaper. But still it took MS more than a year to even give us the ability to use wallpaper and another year to let us choose where to put the wallpaper. I loved to customize my device with wallpapers and tiles layout but with WP 8.1 I found the wallpaper customization very limited because of the placement of wallpaper.