The Windows Phone App Gap Thread

[rdubmu]

Sad part is that the MS apps perform better on the other OS's, especially Outlook.

outlook on windows 10 mobile is much better than the iOS counterpart. The calendar and the ability to pin folders makes it much better. It's cleaner as well.

 

[Ed Boland]

subscribed

 

[Ma Rio]

I really hope you're enjoying all those gorgeous apps, oh how sweet they are! They aren't regular apps, they're gonna cook meals for you, they're gonna make your bed, they'll sing you a lullaby so you can sleep well. I don't get why anyone uses WP when all WP has are some third party stupid ugly apps.

 

[jhoff80]

Time to ask the app authors when they are going to release a windows version. With products like Xamarin it shouldn't be too hard.

Clearly you don't actually know what Xamarin is. Xamarin is a tool that lets developers write an app that works on Windows Phone, iOS, and Android using C# or .NET and compile it to the device's native language. However, if the app is written in Java, or Objective-C (or Swift), etc. then it does nothing for Windows users. It does absolutely nothing to help most developers in releasing a Windows version, that's for sure.

 

[realwarder]

iPhone users spend money freely. Windows Phone and Android users do not. There are probably no markets where the Windows Phone market is more lucrative than the iPhone market, or even close. Android is profitable through its sheer size, but yet not to the level of iOS which has maybe 1/4 of the number of users, if that.

And Snapchat etc. make money.... how? For companies like Amazon, Windows actually has a massive advantage: Microsoft permits third party payment systems unlike Apple. So you could have say an Amazon Kindle app that actually allows you to buy a book without Microsoft taking 30%.

However, that aside, I do agree with you that Apple owners have the biggest pockets and spend the most per user. They'd have to since they buy the most expensive hardware.

 

[njnbat]

I guess Microsoft has tried everything. First they introduced windows mobile and windows phone 7. Then they followed an android strategy of having windows phone 8 in every segment from 520 to 1520's. Now they are trying an iPhone strategy of making phones for fans and loyalists by introducing 950 at prices only the loyalists will buy. None of them worked yet for them and still the still app gap and lack of developer support will haunt them for the years to come. Who knows what nadella might have in his mind now after writing of nokia.

 

[venki m]

How is the app gap getting worse? It's actually getting better but at a slow rate. If it was getting worse we wouldn't be seeing all these new apps coming over. Even something simple like ibasket for ios coming over shows it's getting better. It's not fixed no doubt but don't get the getting worse part. Definitely will take time. Hope continuum gets people interested it seems the one thing reviewers can agree is cool about the 950.

It's getting worse because most of the app available in windows 8.1 are not available in windows 10 mobile.. Microsoft should release OS by adding more app in the store... Now people hesitate to upgrade to windows 10 mobile and Microsoft will loose wind fans and the market goes down eventually windows 10 will be failure again.....

 

[mnsiw]

IMO they must address this issue first, Windows 10 Mobile, universal apps, Cortana will not help unless they do something for this app-gap problem. I don't have my Mac to phone streaming, bank and landline app on Windows Mobile, while available apps are not as good as on Android and iOS :-(

 

[wpguy]

As long as I have Spotify, Audible, OneNote, Cozi and PocketBible, I'm good so if VZW doesn't have a flagship WM phone in February, I'll wait.

PocketBible isn't available in the Windows Store for Win10 devices, though it works fine on my 925 and tablet. (Can't get to the app's settings on the tablet, though.) I have them installed because they were installed in W/WP 8.x when I upgraded to 10. Laridian is working on a UWP app, but I'm contacting them to ask they publish the existing apps for Win10 and W10M until the new app is ready.

Edit: Store links for PocketBible
Win8.x/10: https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9wzdncrdfxz2
WP8.x/W10M: https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9nblggh0cjr7

Update: PocketBible for WP8.x is now available in the Windows Store for W10M. The UWP version is still in development.

 

[Slovenix]

Lumia 950 and XL running Android will get you apps

 

[xandros9]

Lumia 950 and XL running Android will get you apps

But there is no such thing as a 950 or XL with Android.

 

[Slovenix]

But there is no such thing as a 950 or XL with Android.

Exactly. *cries*

 

[xandros9]

Exactly. *cries*

Aren't there better phones though with Android?

 

[RhinoFreak]

I have to say, us windows fan need to put efforts to make sure our beloved OS doesn't die out.
We need to spam the inbox of developers asking for "update" or "windows version" in case it's android of iOS exclusive. They should soon realize the demand is real, and trust me this idea sounds stupid on paper but windows 10 mobile is right around the corner. New Lumia's have just launched. If there's a time that developers will consider making apps for windows is THIS time.
Let's put in our efforts.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[Geo Hutchings]

It's starting to get to me too. I am on the verge of calling it quits for Windows 10.
Over the weekend I went out to a bar I usually go to. They have one of those Internet-connected jukeboxes, where you can use an app to pay and select songs, see what's next etc. Naturally, there is no app for Windows Phone (or Windows 10), but I'm used to it, so I put in my dollar bills in the machine and select on the screen in the bar. Not that big a deal, but it's been annoying anyway. I have a Moto E at home that I sometimes take to places where I know I will want a particular app, but I didn't have it with me.

This time though, we were sitting around at the bar and decided to do a little impromptu karaoke. Everyone (except me, of course) pull out their phones to check what is coming, and select some songs. I, of course, had to walk over to the machine and insert bills. But what came next was really irritating and symptomatic of the app gap. One guy starts a karaoke app on his Android phone, that automatically syncs the lyrics to what is playing on the jukebox. That was really cool and fun, and we had a blast.
THAT is what the app gap is. It's not just the Snapchat and the banking apps and the store apps, though it is all of that too. It's the smaller apps. The fun ones. The ones that enhance your life in some way. Why would I pay hundreds (thousands, if you count subscriptions) for a new Windows phone, when I keep losing out on things like these?

My Verizon contract will be up in a few months. I was hoping that Windows 10 Mobile will have the bugs worked out by then, but when things like these keep happening, I keep wondering why I should even bother. I love the OS, but at this point the app gap is worse than it has ever been. It's just no fun anymore to have a Windows phone.

Contact the company that makes the app

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Aren't there better phones though with Android?

No, since they use android.

Personally I am not going to leave an OS i love for some apps. That's like having a wife or husband you love and you cheat with a younger model for the thrill.

 

[RhinoFreak]

No, since they use android.

Personally I am not going to leave an OS i love for some apps. That's like having a wife or husband you love and you cheat with a younger model for the thrill.

That's an interesting way to look at things.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[Laura Knotek]

No, since they use android.

Personally I am not going to leave an OS i love for some apps. That's like having a wife or husband you love and you cheat with a younger model for the thrill.

The difference is that nobody makes a lifetime commitment to an operating system. Operating systems aren't any different than cars, TVs, clothes. They are used solely for what they can do for us, not because of any other reason. In fact, many people use multiple operating systems. I belong to two Linux User Groups. Many members of the groups prefer Linux, but they still use Windows, mainly for gaming. They don't hate Windows or feel like they're cheating by using Windows. Whatever best suits their needs is what they use.

 

[mj0]

The app gap will be getting worse unless some drastic changes occur. Changes that will have to start with a massive bump in market share for Windows Phone devices otherwise there's really no point in a) developing, and more importantly b) maintaining an app for what few Windows Phone users exist. The situation also differs from country to country - some countries, such as Italy, have a comparatively high Windows Phone market share whereas others, such as the US, more often than not categorize Windows Phone as "others" together with UbuntuOS, FirefoxOS, Sailfish, Meego, etc.

I'll give you a few examples. I currently live in Germany where market share for Windows Phone devices is more than double that of the US (If I'm not mistaken it's around 8% right now, with iOS being around 17% and Android around 74%). It's obvious that the situation for big multinational corporations such as Facebook (crap), Google (not available), Twitter (crap), Snapchat (not available), Best Western (crap), booking.com (not available), etc. doesn't differ from other countries. You would think that an 8% market share might be an incentive for German companies to consider Windows Phone when it comes to their mobile apps yet even the local German apps are either non-existent or differ dramatically from their iOS/Android counterparts:

• lieferando & lieferheld (not available - order takeout for delivery from a restaurant nearby and pay via PayPal)
• eBay Kleinanzeigen & Shpock (not available - classifieds with eBay Kleinanzeigen being the local top dog)
• Deutsche Bahn Navigator (available - long distance and regional trains - no support for mobile tickets on Windows Phone)
• MVG Fahrinfo (third party app available - local public transport in Munich - no support for mobile tickets on Windows Phone)
• DKB Banking (not available - banking app with support for mobile banking via pushTAN on Android/iOS)
• Barclaycard (not available - banking app, mobile site is a major PITA and slow as can be)

Back in my Windows Phone days I've inquired with quite a few of those whether there were any plans to support Windows Phone anytime soon, and the answer was always along the lines of "no, it's not worth it, maybe at some distant point in the future". Which can be roughly translated to: there's not enough users to justify the expense, maybe if Windows Phone gains significant market share at some point in the distant future we'll consider thinking about it.

Bottom line: it's not worth the hassle. If I was running a company and had to make a decision how much money to spend to develop an app for my business I would certainly not thing about Windows Phone twice. It's just not worth it, and quite frankly I don't see the point of universal apps since tablet/laptop users will simply use what they're already used to: the website.

 

[triageatdawn]

People who introduced me to WM are thinking of giving up too and switching to iPhone. Like they said - all MS apps are already on iOS. I don't know what to say guys. It's sad. :unhappy: