What would it take for you to come back to Windows Mobile?

[TheZeeMan]

Hmm I recently switched to iphone 7 plus and to be honest, I don't think I will ever go back to a windows phone. Their stuff just works and it works almost too well to a point of being scary. I have never had to reboot my phone in over a month, nothing freezes and I only had one app crash once. Battery life is amazing compared to windows phones and their hardware is better than any phone I've had including android and windows, nothing lags or stutters. With the 3D touch thing, iOS is getting closer to how windows mobile functions. I suppose the only downfall I have is I am invested in the MS ecosystem, but its not really that big of a deal to me since I can install the MS apps I want anyway.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

At this point nothing, platform is as dead as BlackBerry.

When I was interested in Windows phone Verizon didn't have any good models so I stuck with Galaxy. Handset availability has always been an issue with the platform, outside of a few Nokia models there were never many good handsets to begin with.

I worked for Verizon when Windows 8 launched, there was little consumer interest so we quit stocking the phones in our store, so on the rare occasion someone was interested, we didn't have it in stock.

Than Microsoft bought Nokia and Verizon no longer sold the Nokia phones, and we were left with nothing by the launch of Windows 10. The few fans of the platform had to move to iOS and Android or change networks, which in my market Verizon dominates so they changed phones.

 

[Dusteater]

Hi All,

For quite some time now I've watched as every opportunity to increase the market share slipped by Microsoft with them nearly managing to take advantage of it. The build it and they will come attitude of the marketing in my mind has been the cause of this failure. Bitter? Me? A little.

We are well on the downward spiral from dizzy days of 11% market share. Microsoft themselves seem to be releasing more complete apps to competing platforms, which they are entitled to do. No point feeding the few when the money is where the masses are.

I'm currently sitting here waiting on my first non windows phone since the day the Lumia 920 was released in the UK. The Galaxy S8 (it'll look like the Microsoft Edition when I'm done with it). My Lumia 950xl is sitting ready to be boxed and sent for recycling.

This brings me to my question, "What, if anything, would bring you back to a phone running on the Windows platform?"

I switched to iPhone 7 Plus in early 2017 after owning 7 different Windows Phones. The biggest reason was that I couldn't use my Windows Phone in the car. I want to be able to mirror my phone to the car screen like I can with iPhone. Windows Phone Bluetooth audio barely works for reading messages. Microsoft abandoning MirrorLink was the final nail in the coffin for Windows Phone in my opinion. They hate people who drive cars, and go out of their to make sure you cannot use their products and services in the car. Take for example Groove Music on iOS. It's the only music streaming app in the store that doesn't support CarPlay. Microsoft has completely lost me with their anti-car products.

 

[MBaughan]

It's a tough one. Currently with a 950XL but am seriously considering going for a OnePlus 3T or OnePlus 5 when it comes out. I've been a Windows Mobile/Windows Phone diehard since forever (HTC Touch-->Touch Pro2-->Lumia 800-->Lumia 1020-->Lumia 950XL; I've also had the Samsung Ativ S [dropped the poor guy on a sidewalk a week after getting it and the screen shattered], Lumia 650, Lumia 830). The recent philosophical issues I've had with Microsoft and mobile are big ones. With that said, the choice is clear - either shut up and deal with it or move on. It isn't necessarily Microsoft's prerogative to listen to me, you or any of us WM/WP fans, and I've learned to accept it, but here's my list of gripes nonetheless.

Specifically...
1) Microsoft says they're "committed to mobile" which intuitively makes you think "Ok, W10m, right?" but what have they done to reinforce a commitment to W10m? Insider Preview builds with a few token updates, sure, but no new devices since the 950/XL, no major features since the Anniversary Update, no official communication about what is in the pipeline other than vague statements like "we're committed to mobile".
2) They lop off support for existing devices, always under the banner of "wanting to provide the best experience for our customers" but don't give them the real means to have that experience (no new affordable, widely available devices) and, ironically, giving their customers a terrible experience of finding that the device and platform they invested in has now said "sorry, your device is now in maintenance mode until we decide we don't want to do that anymore". Remember WP7.8? I do! This brings me to the third point...
3) Crying wolf. Microsoft has said they are committed to a lot of things. I bought into WP7 with my Lumia 800. I bought into WP8 with the 1020. I bought into WP10 with the 950XL. I bought into the Microsoft Band 2 (which was fantastic btw). Microsoft said they were committed to all of these platforms at one point and then... "decided to give the customer the best experience". It's tough to trust that they really mean they're committed this time or any time. Maybe I'm just ignorant of other platforms and organizations and how they might be the same (Google with Android, Apple with iOS, as examples), but I guess all of the unrealized potential I saw in WP and WM frustrates me because I feel like I've fallen for the bait and switch a few times.

I truly hope Microsoft REALLY commits to their own platforms (specifically Windows on Mobile) because I still see a lot of potential, but I might not be a part of the community by the time they get around to it.

 

[Joe920]

Make MS Maps and Navigation as good as Waze. Or make Google update Waze (yeah right)

 

[Sardoc Spamfish]

I haven't left yet, gonna use my 640XL until it stops working. However, unless RS3 knocks my socks off, my next phone will be with Android.

Though realistically speaking, after seeing the "groundbreaking" changes in RS2, lack of MS's support for their own platform (the "evaluating" thing for Authenticator), and dropping device support last minute, I don't have much hope for RS3. In fact, I half expect my phone to be dropped last minute as well.

What would bring me back, you ask? Actual committment to the platform, new phones, and apps. See, the whole collection of feature requests to bring extensions to Edge on the mobile has over 15k upvotes, but there still hasn't been even a word about that. Clearly MS doesn't care.

 

[Stiv X]

First thing is to offer a phone that is available on all carriers. MS is NOT in a position to actually get people to switch networks for their phones. If any new phone were available on all carriers, then maybe some marketing would get some interest. Samsung could do this as they release the Galaxy line everywhere as is the Apple iPhone. Any new phone should be just as available, otherwise it is doomed to fail. Truth is Microsoft still has a chance, but they are in HTC territory now. Just releasing a good phone isn't enough anymore. They need to win mindshare. This is also going to require apps. There is absolutely nothing I can't do on my Android that a Windows Phone offers. Even Dex compares to Continuum. There is no benefit to moving to Windows Mobile at this time. The talk of business friendly...well,a company would have to provide me a phone. If it were a Windows phone, I would have to carry two phones around. This is necessary, because my needed apps now are not on Windows. So, again...currently there is no benefit to coming back to Windows. I would only do so, because I miss Windows Mobile and wanted to come back. However, I won't pull that trigger if I don't think it would be support by MS and the carrier OF MY CHOICE.

 

[DylanGreen]

Hi All,

For quite some time now I've watched as every opportunity to increase the market share slipped by Microsoft with them nearly managing to take advantage of it. The build it and they will come attitude of the marketing in my mind has been the cause of this failure. Bitter? Me? A little.

We are well on the downward spiral from dizzy days of 11% market share. Microsoft themselves seem to be releasing more complete apps to competing platforms, which they are entitled to do. No point feeding the few when the money is where the masses are.

I'm currently sitting here waiting on my first non windows phone since the day the Lumia 920 was released in the UK. The Galaxy S8 (it'll look like the Microsoft Edition when I'm done with it). My Lumia 950xl is sitting ready to be boxed and sent for recycling.

This brings me to my question, "What, if anything, would bring you back to a phone running on the Windows platform?"

An easy-to-use ecosystem, more hardware options and partners, more features for developers (including me), and constant innovation and support for both software AND hardware

 

[1jaxstate1]

Find a way to fix the app gap. And I don't mean just getting today's apps on WM. I mean get developers to release their apps on Android, iOS and WM, at the same time.

Pipe dream. But that's "all" it would take. I love the buttery smooth OS.

 

[donkiluminate]

Outside of my Xbox and I guess my Windows PC, MS has really fallen out of favor with me. I used Onedrive exclusively for years but finally let my subscription laps as I found it to only be good as a data dump. Other than that it was too slow and clumsy.

As for Windows Phone I left because I changed offices and don't get cell reception and need wifi calling. My friends and family aren't exactly into tech so getting them(or expecting them) to use Skype/Whatsapp just to message me or call me is expecting too much. Heck, I'm a techie and don't want to deal with it easier.

However, before I left I was starting to get pretty disgruntled with MS and the treatment of the platform. It's like they never had anyone to get out and bang the drum, let alone steer the ship. It was always like an after thought. Or remember the promised updates for all phones and how 8.1 was several months later than promised yet no word came from MS on when to expect it? And then GDR 2 only came out to a select few phones. Or how MS promised W10 for everyone but really wasn't unless you went the insiders route? Shoot Nokia was doing more exciting things with the platform than MS. Then better MS apps on iOS and Android just added salt to the wounds.

That being said it wasn't an easy break up. Every time I turn my L930 on I smile and wish it could have worked out. Just like when I come across an old picture of a girl I dated in college. Ah Jennie, what could have been. Excuse me for a second....Ok, anyway, now I look at my iPhone and I find it boring but I'm totally on the app band wagon. I can open or close my garage door from and app, set my house alarm from an app, I have google music, google photos, I have amazon prime videos, i have a Netflix app I can download videos, and so on and so on. It's hard getting of the crack once you get it in your veins.

But to get to actually answering the question, MS needs to truly show me they are committed and care, they need to communicate better and deliver on their promises. Just like Jennie.

 

[zhris]

Apps. Real, honest-to-goodness first-party apps. Not bots, not web wrappers, not third-party workarounds from one-man studios that can get abandoned at a moment's notice. Real apps. Of the 12 apps I use regularly on my Nexus 6, 10 do not exist in WM. If they did, I'd be back in a heartbeat.

 

[FatherJack1980]

Well, if I could play my cd boxsets in the correct order, then I would be a happy man. Same goes for Groove Music on the computer

 

[Yangstax]

Better keep that 950XL. Been there, and I am staying with WM as long as possible.

Same here. I use L950XL and my wife uses L950. I'm thinking to get another L950XL for backup so we don't have to worry about the W10M phone supply for at least two or three years. L950XL is the best all around WP phone ever built.

 

[Julian Barker]

Back to Windows Mobile? Funny question given MSofts slow whimpering termination of the OS. ( I experienced the same type of ending with Windows RT), So I can't see any reason why anyone would join / come back to Windows mobile at this point.

If however you mean for people to come back to Windows on ARM on a small pocketable device then I think it's pretty obvious what people would want. - Ongoing development and investment beyond the 3 year cycle (WP7, WP8.1, W8.1rt, W10m anyone) and these days the faintest whiff of interest from the companies boss might help.

If it is W10 on ARM you are alluding to then for starters it needs a better name (not just Windows RT v2 and definitely not Windows on ARM) and it'll need a massive update to the touch screen usability of W10. (why no changes in the recent update?) no swipe to type? - that's a joke on a modern touch screen keyboard! If they are going to use the W10M OS as a point of interaction then they need to be fully developing it. It stalled about 2 years ago and since then Android and Apple have moved on with lovely new additions.

Typing on my L950 and looking forward to the latest, 'creators' (ahem!) update to make it smoother and more stable.

For me as someone still with Windows 10 mobile, I hope for Windows on ARM to be released on a top flight folding piece of hardware. Able to work as a standard phone with 5' screen using the W10M OS and an 8 inch tablet using W10 tablet mode as well as W10 desktop mode.(I am 100% sure Samsung have a version of this in the works which will be out next year) I hope the new OS is released as glitchy as hell so that the press have a field day and rip it to shreds, if this happens then no body will buy it and I'll pick one up after a significant price drop 6 months in. MSoft will then develop it into a solid stable bug free device. Excellent.

Then in 2021, 3 years later Windows IOT online will be released on a new smaller piece of hardware with glitches and the cycle will continue.

 

[Julian Barker]

Well said.

 

[THEnickdefalco]

Just get Snapchat on the windows app store and ill be back the same day regardless of price of phone, its literally the only thing keeping me off right now

update: and a phone on Verizon...

 

[Biff Henderson]

I never left. However, I will upgrade when Verizon Wireless supports a top-of-the-line Windows phone.

 

[BBurke33609]

"Pay developers of currently popular Android and iOS apps upfront to create apps for the W10M platform with guaranteed support for X-number of years."

They already did this. They got a bunch of apps but support was never enthusiastic so updates were very much just basic break fix and they never got the new features. These developers followed the letter of the contract and did as little work as possible. If you look up all of the old why don't we ever get the new features rants and looked through the apps that were the worst at giving us updates you would find that they were these companies that were being paid.

This is done and over. MS needs to add Android app sandboxing into UWP and get some kind of affiliation with the Amazon store to sell through the windows store and give up on the idea that critical mass can be achieved to make companies and devs support them.

It's been last call for apps and MS has been hanging out outside of the bar at 4am thinking it's still going to get laid. What would be so bad about just embracing android apps? it would solve the major issue that MS had and companies and Devs would look at this decision and say to themselves "MS is thinking logically and rationally about their ecosystem."

 

[aathif mahir]

I switched to android because lack of Apps Support. from 2012 to current I haven't even touch any device other than Lumia's. But now time has changed I switched android sporting Oneplus 3t. Whatever it is if Microsoft Still interested in WM10 I'm in. I'll through out my Oneplus 3t and get back to Whatever High end WM10 Mobile devices. Whatever I switched or not I still have a hope on WM10 and Missing WM10.

 

[DCTonkaTruck]

I'm sorry that I haven't been able to read all the comments here. I'm sure there are a lot of good ideas. I will echo a couple and maybe voice something new (though, I'm not sure because I didn't read all the comments).

I think the idea about releasing the same phone on every network was really a good idea. I don't know if Verizon would let that happen, but it's got to be something that comes close. People don't think about having an ATT IPhone or a Sprint Galaxy S8... they just have those phones and the carrier doesn't matter.

I'm not sure about releasing only one model, though. I think IPhone understands the value of having different models for different users and it's parlayed itself into a very viable secondary market. I think if I was going to offer advice on models, I would say just release two different models. One for the geeks and one for everyone else.

I think the other thing that needs to happen is that Microsoft needs to differentiate itself on customer service. Nadella has made huge strides in improving customer service at Microsoft. They should leverage that investment by providing a dedicated help line to new Windows Phone users that will help them make the most of their phone. I also think a marketing push aimed at a certain demographic makes sense for making some kind of dent. Advertise to the old folks that watch television news and show them how easy it will be to communicate with their kids and grandkids (just need to get them off FaceTime). Maybe they should do something similar to what Kindle did and sell 4 for the price of 2 to get more families to adopt... or maybe run a "Try a Windows Phone for two weeks without risk if you let us give you a 20 minute Microsoft Store Demo" type deal. The point is, get two people in the same family to use the same phone ecosystem, and you've locked 'em.

For me, I'd be a new Windows phone. Doesn't have to be awesome, just has to work and have a decent camera. What would I like to have in a high-end, whiz-bang phone? I'd love to have Continuum be part of something that I incorporate in my transition between work, home and on-the-go. I'd love to have 3D Capture and biometric authentication.

Windows Central seems to have decided to finally call Microsoft out on the "Mobile Devices" and "Cellular PCs" not meaning phones as we currently think about them... and I know we've had a lot of articles about why these devices in our pockets are really much more than phones. That's all fine and I think it's important. But in my mind, if Microsoft wants traction for it's software and services, it needs a hardware play that puts the Windows ecosystem out front.