The Windows Phone App Gap Thread

[cracgor]

Also not all developers look for market shares and stuff before. Otherwise we wouldn't see all these free great apps in windows store.

If I was a developer and I got even 5 mails a day asking for a windows version I'd definitely consider.
Especially since Windows 10 mobile is right around and many new devices are launching on it. It's a great time to develop for windows 10 mobile.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

The reason we have some of the apps like mytube or 6tag is because the actual companies won't develop. That only works until an app has to be made by the first party like a bank, airline, or even snap chat. Even if every windows phone user that actually cares about the platform emails every company...how many emails is that...100? 1000? They will still see the app statistics and abandon the OS after a couple of months. That is why we lose mint.com and others. They see how few people are using them, the work to update them and make the correct choice. Like Nadella, we should just let windows mobile die.

 

[feereless]

the chase mobile site works just fine btw. its not the prettiest thing, but it works.. the only thing you cant do is do the check deposit thing.. i guess thats what ATM's are for.

 

[editguy]

Every post in every thread cracgor makes is negative about MS. Just go, you hate MS, we get it. Go troll somewhere else.

 

[MikeSo]

the chase mobile site works just fine btw. its not the prettiest thing, but it works.. the only thing you cant do is do the check deposit thing.. i guess thats what ATM's are for.

This sums it up. Yes, we can do workarounds, with fewer features that are less useful. Instead of using an app on the smartphone we pay thousands of dollars for, like other smartphone users, we can go to the ATM. Woohoo! That's what the "app gap" is.

Most of us put up with it because the OS has been a pleasure to use. Many of us are starting to think it's not worth it.

 

[douggrif]

Regarding the lack of banking apps on Windows 10, thanks to SafeSchoolsCzar comments on simply pinning the web page! Works like a champ. I also miss Stitcher but I have managed to pin all those podcasts too. I also would like to have the Olive Tree Bible available on Windows 10 mobile but I have that on my laptop and home computers. Unlike a lot of folks I am moving over to Windows 10 mobile for the great hardware (Lumia 950XL) best camera, and great OS. I am enjoying finding workarounds to what I was use to on the Samsung Note 4. So far, so good, thanks for all the great forums,

 

[jobinthomas]

seriously? that's what ATMs are for? Gee I didn't know that. The whole point of the apps are for mobile check deposit. I will never understand this level of Microsoft defending. Sheesh.

 

[Spicymikey]

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.

Sorry my friend. It's gotten MUCH worse in the last 12 months. It's not even debatable. I've lost at least 3 or 4 important apps this year which really make my life easier (i.e. banking apps, etc.). I want to think we've hit bottom now that Win10 is out on a phone, but I wouldn't bet on it quite yet.

 

[douggrif]

Ever heard of transferring funds among accounts? I manage my money and the bank apps make that easy. I haven't written a check in over two years as paying bills and personal checks on line is great. Every time someone sends me a personal check guess how I deposit it? Any more questions?

 

[feereless]

I guess im just not one of those people who NEEDS an app for everything... I'm not buried in my phone 24/7. i have the apps i want/need. but i can understand the frustration in people who need apps. besides, who writes checks anymore

 

[douggrif]

I also am interested in being able to make WiFi calls via my Lumia 950XL as I do not have AT&T cellular service at my rural address.

 

[asikis]

I guess im just not one of those people who NEEDS an app for everything... I'm not buried in my phone 24/7. i have the apps i want/need. but i can understand the frustration in people who need apps. besides, who writes checks anymore

I am also on the same side as you. I do not even use Facebook on phone, to be honest. BUT I expect at least the MSFT apps to work on par, if not better, on WP than iOS/Android. And the last month I have seen numerous MSFT apps being much better on iOS (UI of app, features etc) like Office apps, One Note, Skype, One Drive to name some.
I can live if i do not have the latest games or apps but the gap of these MSFT apps from their iOS/Android cousins are so obvious. And this make you wonder if it is worth spend your money on a device and ecosystem that even its own maker, MSFT, seems not to have on respect.
And for the shake of clarity I am am WP user since 2012 without using anything else except WP (710, 800,900, 1020, 930, 925, 625, 830).

I also own an iPad and yes there is a huge app gap between the two ecosystems. And I am ok with this although sometimes I would like some apps also on WP (SkyGuide, Classic Music 1 and 2, Air Video Server). But seeing all this inconsistency with the MSFT own apps is really so sad....

 

[LIEBER]

I'm about to roll back to WM...
--
After my first traditional Nokia phone in 2003, I bought an HTC with WM 6 or so. Next, iPhone 3S (3G?), iPhone 4s, then Lumia 920, and now Samsung Note 3. None of them have been perfect.
* iPhone: good apps, don't like iOS upgrade policy (deleted songs, bricked iPad 2, etc), lacks file system, how to turn off Siri?
* Android: many apps, in general not good quality, hate the push to install various apps (Samsung, Android, etc), poor battery life ( last 6 months: perhaps 4 hours of intense web browsing), etc.
* WP 8: good Office/Outlook/mail client. Few apps, but most of what I needed. Lumia 920: solid build quality, heavy. My first Lumia: spent half of the first 6 months back and forth between myself and the workshop. After I finally got a new one, the experience was much better. Battery life? Some 4 hours with 4G, 8hr with 3G.

 

[Sarveshwar]

The apps that gets developed for Windows Mobile are of lower quality than the Android or iOS. Just having an app for namesake is not enough.

 

[Spectrum90]

W10M is superior to iOS and Android. It has all the apps I need and the OS is better.

 

[NeilPeart]

It happens, man. I recently got the iPhone 6S Plus from my employer (had the 5S prior from them) and the app variety and quality are drastically different. I have the Nexus 7 2013 32GB running Android 6 Marshmallow and that also reveals that the apps are still better in the Apple ecosystem overall. I still have my HTC Trophy with Windows Phone 7.8, HTC 8x & Lumia 928 running WP 8.1 and Lumia Icon running 10 for personal use. I still prefer the WP GUI to Android and iOS (though not to webOS - my favorite mobile OS), but the apps are important - the quality of those apps is as important as the "app gap" to me. When Verizon implements the $20 fee onto my unlimited data account I may just drop the account and use my work-provided iPhone full time.

 

[JasonSCarter]

Been a MS ****** for years, and I will love Microsoft. I work with Microsoft products, but it's really starting to be pain for me with no banking apps. I am covering my moms estate, and I have to cash checks constantly, I would love to be able to do mobile deposits from my phone instead of having to drive across town to the ATM. I talked my wife into a Windows Phone for the camera, and while she loves the camera, the lack of Pinterest and other key apps she enjoyed on Android, I have to listen to her complain. 3rd party sometimes are better, but not everyone knows to look for those. It has to get better for me to stay. I was had the 950 in my cart a few times when it was on pre-order, but I just never could pull the trigger because I am hesitant on spending that much money on a phone that may not work for me anymore.

 

[Joe Acerbic]

If only Microsoft would at least fix the gaps in their own apps... I very much wanted to buy a 950 XL but I'm a heavy OneNote user and I was just too appalled at seeing the state of the OneNote version on it. It's the worst, most crippled of all. How is that even possible: how hard can it be to at least have the same features in it as in the Android version? Or is the Office team actively sabotaging Windows Phone?

 

[ciscog33k]

Ya. It's depressing. I want MS to make progress in Mobile because I prefer the OS and like the idea of universal apps, but when it came time to replacing my 920, I grit my teeth and went with a 6S Plus. The difference in app quality/features is massive and was one of the things that swayed me when I borrowed my wife's iPhone for a week. WP still doesn't have a good fingerprint reader and by all accounts, windows hello on the phone is a bit of a pain to use because you have to pull phone up to your face. With the iPhone I just press the home button, which I have to do anyway, and it's unlocked.

With WP there's all these little inconveniences (in addition to app gap) that you just don't have to deal with on iOS. I think Cortana will end up smarter than Siri, but without a good 3rd party ecosystem, so what? With Siri, right now, I can open my doors, control lights and hvac etc. I don't have to say things like "Siri, insteon turn on lights" because it's all integrated so well in homekit. It's such a cool feature. MS is still way behind on a lot of fronts where mobile is concerned. With Cortana, I'm still stuck at a gimped alpha version. Many people in other countries still don't have it at all. =/

I'm missing live tiles a bit, and deep app pinning, but overall, I feel like i'm much better off with ios at this juncture.

 

[waybig]

How is the 6p? That's what I'm thinking of switching to.

Not sure yet, still in processing at Google.

 

[wisedesi]

I thought costco mobile website also works well. I am less in to app for shopping sites, don't want to install every app in the world on my phone just to access them. Just use browser and done with it. But agree there is app gap and it is going to get bigger as more and more only develop for iOS and Android.

Let me tell you other thing, more and more quality apps will only go on iOS not on andoid because android is too much fragmented and usually less revenue for purchasing apps. So, If I am someone moving away from WP, than iOS is the place not android.