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

[Robinsonmac]

Been awhile since I posted. As a long time WP user who switched to the GS7 back in April I must admit slowly but surely I have not kept up on reading this site & listening to Windows Weekly & What the Tech. It's weird because when I switched I was like " I'm still going to be all this MS...." well what really happened is I have slowly become less & less interested. I still windows on the desktop & just built a new computer last week for my home office.(as a side I also switched from AMD to Intel....) I guess I'm just missing it less, out of site out mind? I don't know.....

My point is pretty much once you leave I'm 99% sure I won't come back even if WP does survive in what ever form unless it can run Android apps. I won't reinvest in apps & switch to another ecosystem again. And this is even with the Android lag which initially wasn't an issue but after 3 months has become apparent & is not some made up thing. I also hate that there are apps that just install after updates & I can't uninstall(I know I can disable apps, but it is not uninstalling them...)

So I would say the grass is greener on the other side, but there are some brown patches....

That's been my experience

 

[anon(9668900)]

So I did recently make the jump to a OnePlus 3, and it's a really great device to be honest.

However, any advice about prolonging battery involves "turn off location, background data, motion data, brightness, this, that, etc." which I've never done on a Windows Phone to get it last the whole day (6 am - 11 pm).

Also, per-app notification customisation is somehow missing, and that really is ******* off.

These two are nowhere near being large enough to make me get rid of this phone for now. Windows on mobile is a perfect example of losing the plot.

 

[ramyZgHR]

So I did recently make the jump to a OnePlus 3, and it's a really great device to be honest.

However, any advice about prolonging battery involves "turn off location, background data, motion data, brightness, this, that, etc." which I've never done on a Windows Phone to get it last the whole day (6 am - 11 pm).

Also, per-app notification customisation is somehow missing, and that really is ******* off.

These two are nowhere near being large enough to make me get rid of this phone for now. Windows on mobile is a perfect example of losing the plot.

Battery on my Z3 compact is much better than on L930 I owned before. Altough I hate Android UX, I can't help thinking that everything works better and that I would bever buy WP again.
Did you tried Settings - Apps - Click on app that you want menage notifications for - Notifications ?
There you can disable notifications for selected app.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[anon(9668900)]

Battery on my Z3 compact is much better than on L930 I owned before. Altough I hate Android UX, I can't help thinking that everything works better and that I would bever buy WP again.
Did you tried Settings - Apps - Click on app that you want menage notifications for - Notifications ?
There you can disable notifications for selected app.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

I want to customise the notification tones.

Also, my Google fit motion tracking and accurate motion tracking are always on, something which was never a problem in Lumia because of Sensor Core.

Anyway, Dash charging is quite insane, my phone charges up to half a day of use in no time. So I don't feel the pinch as much as I might otherwise.

 

[N_LaRUE]

So I did recently make the jump to a OnePlus 3, and it's a really great device to be honest.

However, any advice about prolonging battery involves "turn off location, background data, motion data, brightness, this, that, etc." which I've never done on a Windows Phone to get it last the whole day (6 am - 11 pm).

Also, per-app notification customisation is somehow missing, and that really is ******* off.

These two are nowhere near being large enough to make me get rid of this phone for now. Windows on mobile is a perfect example of losing the plot.

At the moment if you get 5-6 hours of screen time you're doing well on any device. Most smartphones are designed for medium use. 6am to 11pm is a long day to go if you happen to be a medium to high user.

You shouldn't have to turn off anything on your device if it's used moderately. One thing I will mention, Google Play services can sometimes seem like the problem but a few apps, Facebook being one, hides itself in there and can burn through battery sometimes. Another would be backup of photos or backup of anything over mobile signal. Highly recommend switching backup to WiFi only.

If you have major dips in your mobile signal that can also cause poor battery performance as your phone is always looking for a signal.

There is no setting on Android to give each app it's own notification sound. Some apps allow you to do this in their settings, so you can check there first. Otherwise you can download an app like this - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bestringtonesapps.notificationsounds&hl=en which will allow you to customise sounds.

There are other apps available which may suit you better.

On Android there are always ways to do things.

 

[libra89]

My Honor 8 is arriving today! I'm excited.

I have been using my 640 in the interim and that has been hard. I feel like the joke is on me about battery life for it because I have been charging every day, usually. The irony of this is that I'm not even a heavy/power user. My iPhone goes through the same cycles and it doesn't do this. I'm hoping for the Honor to do it for me. It's been fun to try phones, but I'm really seeking that middle ground so that I can actually stick with something for more than 2 weeks.

 

[mgd 57]

I really don't blame anyone for leaving this ailing platform, I really wish it would work out as it should and could be a fantastic platform, but, here's one, I have 2 Windows Phones, 950xl and Lumia 1520, everyday phone being the 1520. When I got out my android LG g10 the other day which I have on contract here in the uk, a needs must simply because Windows is so so buggy, I had a gander through the google play store and found a windows 10 launcher called square home, if you need to go back to android and want the feel of windows plus the added bonus of pure speed, and reliablity get it. It's the most amazing copy of windows 10 I've seen, endless customizations, and I mean endless, you could quite literally spend an entire day tweaking it. I'll not blast on too much about it in case someone thinks I'm plugging it.
I'm giving this platform one more month and that's it. I have said before and will always say that windows 10 will always be beta and never right. Such a shame but with this lot, nothing will change, its a stick plaster mentality which is slowly ruining it for the remainder of the1% market of windows phone fans like myself. I see little point in holding on much longer.
Even 02, the biggest service provider in the uk have withdrawn the so called 'flagship' 950 from their stores from this month, they even returned their remaining stock..........not good!!!

 

[anon(6078578)]

I really don't blame anyone for leaving this ailing platform, I really wish it would work out as it should and could be a fantastic platform, but, here's one, I have 2 Windows Phones, 950xl and Lumia 1520, everyday phone being the 1520. When I got out my android LG g10 the other day which I have on contract here in the uk, a needs must simply because Windows is so so buggy, I had a gander through the google play store and found a windows 10 launcher called square home, if you need to go back to android and want the feel of windows plus the added bonus of pure speed, and reliablity get it. It's the most amazing copy of windows 10 I've seen, endless customizations, and I mean endless, you could quite literally spend an entire day tweaking it. I'll not blast on too much about it in case someone thinks I'm plugging it.
I'm giving this platform one more month and that's it. I have said before and will always say that windows 10 will always be beta and never right. Such a shame but with this lot, nothing will change, its a stick plaster mentality which is slowly ruining it for the remainder of the1% market of windows phone fans like myself. I see little point in holding on much longer.
Even 02, the biggest service provider in the uk have withdrawn the so called 'flagship' 950 from their stores from this month, they even returned their remaining stock..........not good!!!

I still see them available online, although it does provide evidence that the casual high street customer has little interest in them.

When I decided to use my android phone as a daily driver, I tried one of the Windows Tile launchers for a short while but I have to admit that the novelty soon wore off. Now I just use Nova Launcher with an icon pack and widgets. I like the Tiles on my Lumia 640 but I just didn't see any advantage over using what Android already had natively.

I'm still keeping my Lumia 640 to play around with Windows 10 Mobile on Insider, as like many I see it's potential, but realistically I don't see myself going back to using it as my daily driver anytime soon.

 

[anon(9668900)]

At the moment if you get 5-6 hours of screen time you're doing well on any device. Most smartphones are designed for medium use. 6am to 11pm is a long day to go if you happen to be a medium to high user.

You shouldn't have to turn off anything on your device if it's used moderately. One thing I will mention, Google Play services can sometimes seem like the problem but a few apps, Facebook being one, hides itself in there and can burn through battery sometimes. Another would be backup of photos or backup of anything over mobile signal. Highly recommend switching backup to WiFi only.

If you have major dips in your mobile signal that can also cause poor battery performance as your phone is always looking for a signal.

There is no setting on Android to give each app it's own notification sound. Some apps allow you to do this in their settings, so you can check there first. Otherwise you can download an app like this - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bestringtonesapps.notificationsounds&hl=en which will allow you to customise sounds.

There are other apps available which may suit you better.

On Android there are always ways to do things.

I get about 4 hours. It's not much. I don't use the Facebook apps.

It's OK I suppose, but this kind of speed in an Android device is quite surprising (along with the store and other things), and it makes me wonder why I even considered a 950 before eventually buying this.

 

[libra89]

I still see them available online, although it does provide evidence that the casual high street customer has little interest in them.

When I decided to use my android phone as a daily driver, I tried one of the Windows Tile launchers for a short while but I have to admit that the novelty soon wore off. Now I just use Nova Launcher with an icon pack and widgets. I like the Tiles on my Lumia 640 but I just didn't see any advantage over using what Android already had natively. I am currently using Nova Launcher so I can use an alternative icon pack and allow a bit more customization.

I'm still keeping my Lumia 640 to play around with Windows 10 Mobile on Insider, as like many I see it's potential, but realistically I don't see myself going back to using it as my daily driver anytime soon.

Yeah, I can understand you on this. With trying the 950 recently, I learned that there's not many apps that I am lacking on Windows 10 Mobile. However, missing the 2 apps I whine about a lot here. Doing the workaround for them works but it's annoying. I am counting down the hours until I see package delivered. My feelings have shifted. Originally when I had this idea to have the 640 as a DD for between devices, I was like ooh cool, this might be fun. The fun has died. It's not the worst, but it's also not enjoyable at this point. After this, it will be at least a little while before I do this again.

In some of your heads, you might wonder why didn't I just switch back to the iPhone. I could have but I didn't want to be bothered. This idea was fun, but no point of switching between three devices. Also, taking the cover off of the 640 is easier than finding the right paper clip to remove the sim out of my iPhone.

 

[digitaldd]

My Honor 8 is arriving today! I'm excited.

I have been using my 640 in the interim and that has been hard. I feel like the joke is on me about battery life for it because I have been charging every day, usually. The irony of this is that I'm not even a heavy/power user. My iPhone goes through the same cycles and it doesn't do this. I'm hoping for the Honor to do it for me. It's been fun to try phones, but I'm really seeking that middle ground so that I can actually stick with something for more than 2 weeks.

I've heard good things about the Honor 8, hope you enjoy it. biggest negative i've heard is many settings are buried deep in menus that are not where you would expect to find them in vanilla Android. Also Huawei's EMUI should get replaced with whatever Android app launcher you are more familiar with.

 

[libra89]

I've heard good things about the Honor 8, hope you enjoy it. biggest negative i've heard is many settings are buried deep in menus that are not where you would expect to find them in vanilla Android. Also Huawei's EMUI should get replaced with whatever Android app launcher you are more familiar with.

Thank you, I hope that I do too!
The funny thing is that I don't have an Android launcher I am used to. I got Nova, it's really nice, but I also have ASAP Launcher too. I like them both, but the fact that EMUI has themes is really cool to me. I have liked phones that I have tried with themes. In my case, that has been Sony and HTC. Less work for me lol.

 

[rinosaur]

Been just over 3 years with Windows (810, 925, 950) and I finally caved. I sold my 950 on eBay yesterday. I wanted this platform to work so bad because I loved the cameras, the interface, and consistency in a lot of things but the bugs to me are just as bad as the app gap. The OS, despite having the 808 CPU, feels bogged down. Apps take a long time to start up compared to iOS. Multi-tasking is atrocious, apps seem to be "reloading" every time rather than a fluid resume experience. I'll continue to check this site often for developments as I want things to work out but I've just lost hope.

I work in IT for a former major vendor of Windows phones providing 24/7 shift support for servers and applications. My team of 50 communicates through regular Skype but that Skype Preview app was too buggy and wouldn't update conversations regularly. The autocorrect is horrendous compared to what it was in WP8.1 .Other apps are crashing on a daily basis. I simply cannot afford to miss out on communication.

I am planning to get an iP6s after the 7 comes out in 3 weeks. I'm using an older 5s in the meantime. Yes, its the BoreOS, but at least I now feel so much better knowing that if any store or company makes an app I will be able to get it.

List of apps I wish WM had (in a respectable updated status):
Local news, Concur, Trulia/Zillow, HERE, Pluralsight, Sony Playmemories, Fuelly, Waze, LinkedIn, Hearthstone, Final Fantasy series, Autotrader, NOAA weather, and many retail store Apps

 

[anon(9668900)]

Thank you, I hope that I do too!
The funny thing is that I don't have an Android launcher I am used to. I got Nova, it's really nice, but I also have ASAP Launcher too. I like them both, but the fact that EMUI has themes is really cool to me. I have liked phones that I have tried with themes. In my case, that has been Sony and HTC. Less work for me lol.

The problem with such OS layers is that these OEMs take them too seriously and therefore the Android beneath all of these is condemned to rot. Case in point, Honour and Xiaomi. They announce upgrades to MIUI and EMUI periodically as if that's what everyone is looking for. Plus they have to maintain their new UI top work with all versions of Android they're planning to support (e.g. the Xiaomi MI3 also gets MIUI 8 and the upcoming Mi Note 2 also gets MIUI 8, but one runs Lollipop and the other, Nougat).

I couldn't get Nexus because I need a dual SIM device, so I went in for OnePlus 3 which at least has excellent CM and AOSPA support plus a near-stock UI.

 

[tgp]

Yes, its the BoreOS

I always chuckle, or SMH, or whatever, when I see people talk about how iOS (and Android) are so "boring". Boring isn't all bad you know. It reminds me of a (former?) contributor here who said something like this about WP, "Do we want the kind of excitement where when we tap a tile we ask ourselves, "Will this open the app or will it reboot my phone?""

 

[libra89]

The problem with such OS layers is that these OEMs take them too seriously and therefore the Android beneath all of these is condemned to rot. Case in point, Honour and Xiaomi. They announce upgrades to MIUI and EMUI periodically as if that's what everyone is looking for. Plus they have to maintain their new UI top work with all versions of Android they're planning to support (e.g. the Xiaomi MI3 also gets MIUI 8 and the upcoming Mi Note 2 also gets MIUI 8, but one runs Lollipop and the other, Nougat).

I couldn't get Nexus because I need a dual SIM device, so I went in for OnePlus 3 which at least has excellent CM and AOSPA support plus a near-stock UI.

This is a fair point, but I think this is probably one of those things that varies on the individual to how much they care about that.

OnePlus 3 is a solid phone, I think you made a good choice there. I like how they are near-stock but they add things in there.

I always chuckle, or SMH, or whatever, when I see people talk about how iOS (and Android) are so "boring". Boring isn't all bad you know. It reminds me of a (former?) contributor here who said something like this about WP, "Do we want the kind of excitement where when we tap a tile we ask ourselves, "Will this open the app or will it reboot my phone?""

LOL!
To me, iOS is boring, but I do agree with you. I like having customization, that is really the only thing that gets me about iOS. Otherwise, it's pretty solid. Felt like I had both with Windows Mobile/Phone. If iOS offered more customization over just changing the wallpapers and your ringtone, I might not be as much of a chronic switcher :winktongue:

 

[antiochian2010]

After 7 Years, Threw in The Towel.. iPhone 6s Plus

After seven years - I have finally thrown in the towel and changed to an iPhone 6s Plus.

Took awhile, and change surprised me since I am not an Apple lover. I still use my Surface Pro 3 with a vengeance and I love W10 in all formats. Also, in my opinion, the L950 is the best piece of mobile hardware I have ever used.

Up to this point, it was clear that Android had some good machines but a lousy OS; Apple had lousy hardware, but a solid; if unexciting OS. Both have had mediocre cameras. However, both offered a decent whole-phone service experience - which I was dearly hoping MS would catch up with.

So currently - MS still offers a better Outlook experience on iOS rather than their own mobile; outside of a few great apps and developers, apps either aren't available or come stripped down. The Universal thing doesn't seem to be taking off.

To add insult to injury, Nadella showing off his iPhone recently made me wonder why I was being so dedicated and patient with W10Mobile when even MS employees and management are publicly using other hardware?! Also, Paul Thurott's views of Windows Phone seemed to support my own misgivings and I thought Thurott had given the hardware a very fair chance.

As far as previous issues - Apple's hardware is pretty good - while a bit lightweight - the iPhone 6s Plus feels like a solid little machine and I have a caseology leather back. Camera hardware not same as 950 by any means - but I am getting VERY DECENT photos - which not being a professional photographer - I can live with. While the OS doesn't come close to Windows Phone IMO, it is still quite easy to live with - and I'm not as bored with it as I was dreading. For the few sacrifices I have made moving over - the total phone experience has made it more than worthwhile just in terms of apps I couldn't get before - and the quality of MS apps on the iOS platform. I don't feel left out anymore as far as service is concerned as I was with W10Mobile.

Android - while the OS has improved since 7 years ago - still wasn't on my map - even with the LG6 camera which now rivals Lumia/PureView. It still gives me the impression that the only way to make it workable is to Root and customize the ROMs - my fav for the brief year I had Android was CyanogenMod. Nice thing about iOS is like W10Mobile - it doesn't have to be jailbroken or customized to make it workable. Also - with the Beta iOS 10 (I'm enrolled), iPhone users can now junk Apple programs or other crapware that they couldn't otherwise up to this point.

This is only my opinion and I know there is a wide range of agreement/disagreement on this. But I think the beauty of W10Mobile is in the OS. The devices are already there and they're great. To add the missing link of offering an excellent service level - MS needs to find a way to let W10Mobile access full versions of Android apps - while maintaining the high standard of security. Maybe it's too early to tell, but I just don't believe developers inside or outside MS are going to ever support WMobile apps even with the Universal App platform.

All comments are welcome - be as hot as you want. My number of posts and history will show anyone here that I have been on the Windows Mobile platform loyally for years. I'm not a troll that has crept in to insult the platform or it's users. I don't blame anyone for continuing with it - I just wanted to offer my reasons for finally giving up on it. Cheers,

Antiochian2010

 

[tgp]

To me, iOS is boring, but I do agree with you.

I agree that iOS is boring in the way that term is used here, but to me that is not where the excitement in a smartphone comes in. I call it exciting when there are lots of cool apps along with an OS that is polished and "just works". That's where iOS and Android come in. Throw in some nice hardware yet. That to me is true excitement in the smartphone world!

 

[anon(6078578)]

I agree that iOS is boring in the way that term is used here, but to me that is not where the excitement in a smartphone comes in. I call it exciting when there are lots of cool apps along with an OS that is polished and "just works". That's where iOS and Android come in. Throw in some nice hardware yet. That to me is true excitement in the smartphone world!

One advantage with my android is finally having access to store apps so I can use the built in scanner. Handy when the nearest store one is not working or simply too far just to scan an item.

 

[libra89]

So I got the honor yesterday and it's pretty cool. Getting used to EMUI is interesting. I'm liking it. It's too early to say about battery life. Liking how it performs even though it has some quirks, such as suggesting that I should stop some apps because they are power intensive.

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