Now App Gap Is Starting To Be an Issue...

[Cruachan 11]

For the avoidance of doubt, and to correct the many people using the word "******", if I am saying there is no app gap for me it means just that. There are no apps that I must have that I do not, only a few that might be nice to have.

There are far too many people on these forums speaking in absolutes as if they speak for all. We all have different needs and wants as regards apps, not least because of our different locales. Please do not assume anyone saying there is no app gap for them are fanboys, and please do not decry anyone wanting snapchat or instagram as an adolescent.

 

[johnh3]

I would go for a Android device. A large selection in models and price. Most of the Microsoft applications are avaible there.
Maybe you can go back to Windows 10 Mobile later, but for now I would not invest in a Windows 10 flagship.
Who know how commited Satya Nadella are to the platform? I guess we see how things moving in about six months.

 

[cb950xl]

I have been using Android for many years. Two weeks ago I bought my wife a Lumia 640. I was so impressed with that phone that last Friday I purchased one for myself to use until they release one of the new flagship phones I have on preorder. The Android phone that I was using was very expensive, but not as powerful as the 640. I have found most of the apps I use at the store. The couple that I really need, I am able to get to from the browser then pin them to START. I have never been a Windows Phone fan until I used my wife?s new phone. I did send an email to the companies that I needed apps for requesting that they port them to the store.

 

[congthanhgiong]

MS's better to start releasing Win 10 mobile ASAP, so then companies will start developing apps. I guess they wait till every thing's officially announced to scroll up their sleeves. After all, Win 10 is their last priority.

 

[youhearmeroar]

Totally, I was using windows phone for three years now. 925 and 830. But had to shift to iphone 6s just because of app gap. I am really not liking iphone, but then it got apps and a major factor for me as I am media person.

 

[mariusmuntean]

The problem is that until it goes RTM the Api will likely change. Also as a developer, do you want to make an app on an OS that is not stable and then have it down voted because it's causing issues and not the actual app? That's basically what people in the store do. As a result early down votes bring the app down even if it's actually good. After it goes RTM I'm sure their developers will be able to focus on it more. Consider only the insiders have the OS. I'm sure with RTM there will be a flood of updates coming often. Right now even the apps are in testing mode. Also after RTM the focus will be more on adding features. So my guess is that like windows 10 desktop which has come a long way since RTM, mobile will get better in the same manner. Developing apps take time too. They have been working on ios and android apps for a while as well. They weren't as good initially as they are now. I know because I've been on all systems. The share in north America is saturated. So how do you get people to move over to windows phone? You show them good apps. Phone contracts will expire and people May consider windows. By then MS would have had more time to improve their own apps. They need to hook people somehow and their approach is great because people don't just leave their current OS and purchase a new phone just to try it out, given how expensive they are. They need some sort of motivation. Converting users is the hardest part and in north America that's what has to be done. And in the event they don't convert they at least have the users hooked on their OS of choice and still get revenue. North America is a tough nut to crack. Satya has a 2 year plan and that's how long it will likely take to gain a nice market share here. Show off your goods and work on creating a better experience in the meantime. As long as market share is growing, developers will notice. And in a growing market being first has advantages. Gameloft and game Troopers know this. What apps show up in best rated or top when you have had lots of time on a platform that's growing and others were ignoring? The early adaptors of course.

I have to disagree on part of this. The fact that the OS is not yet RTM is not an excuse of the apps missing or lacking features. On IOS this does not happen and did not happen ever with a beta OS: see IOS 7 which was a complete OS refresh. If a developer is really interested in a platform WILL release an app while the OS is still in beta and will focus on apps that are missing: see Italy for example which has apps for banks, shops, local facilities on WP too because there the market share is higher than other regions. If Microsoft keeps on kicking users with their idiotic policies such as many of them: recent one with the onedrive fiasco, they won't be able to gather more customers, and will for sure lose many of the current ones.
In Romania, game consoles are being bought like hot cake, games too. But here most prefer the PS4 instead because of the always online stupid policy on the xbox one...you could have a connection issue from your ISP and your xbox one won;t play any games...how nice is that??
Getting back to the app situation, whether many like it or not, it's MS's fault all the way that devs don't pay interest and users are not switching.

 

[ALpHa.Q.RoUgH]

Windows 10 Mobile will be the last straw for me as to see whether I will stay with Microsoft or move to Apple and iOS.

I decided to try a Iphone 6S+ for a couple days until the 950 XL comes out and for the past 2 days it has been a blessing using the device.

Spotify works properly in my vehicle and actually remembers where I left off last.
Soundcloud works and doesn't just freeze up
I have my "Chase" bank app on iOS.
Uber app (actually works and doesn't stutter)
Snapchat!!!!
All the major airlines apps are available
Mint is not getting shut down on iOS and is fully fledged.
Apple Pay (May become useful for me one day just tap my phone)

and the list goes on and on...

Let me not get into how the webpages load properly on the iPhone compared to my 1520 that I currently have. Microsoft has some catching up to do as far as there OS is concerned if they want to keep me. I've been through 7, mango, 8.1, insider previews and now 10. If things are not fixed or improved then it is no hope for me to keep defending Microsoft.

The fingerprint scanner on the iPhone works quickly and think it will fare better than Windows Hello as Windows Hello on the surfacebook is still kind of wonky.

 

[rocker1m1]

I feel you. With my lumia 640, I am testing the waters of the Windows phone ecosystem and will get a highend phone in the next 2 months. If Microsoft is confident in their phones, and apps start to appear, then I will get the lumia 950xl. Otherwise, I am going back to Android with Nexus 6P. I just don't know why Microsoft is so focused in other platforms and generally delivers better apps than their own ecosystem, as a consumer looking into getting into the Windows ecosystem, that doesn't put much confidence in me.

 

[houkoholic]

The fingerprint scanner on the iPhone works quickly and think it will fare better than Windows Hello as Windows Hello on the surfacebook is still kind of wonky.

What wonky? Googling on the net and there's almost no reports of Windows Hello not working on the Surface Book or the Surface Pro 4 and nearly everyone being very impressed with the ease and speed of it, with the only major kink being that it currently shortens the battery life of the machine.

 

[Sandra Bullock]

I'm soon leaving the plattform.
I was probably one of the first lumia 920 buyers and I've been loving the platform since then. After the Lumia 920 my next and current phone was the Lumia 830. I've also converted many people to the plattform.

I also remember that there was a time when you could see tons of apps arriving to the platform. This was more or less after the release of the Lumia 520. That period gave me lots of hope.

But ever since the market share started to decline, I've experienced a lot of apps being abandoned, and not many apps at all being released. And most of it all, I'm tired of waiting.

So I'm buying soon a Samsung Galaxy S6, and I'll get back to the platform if ever, when the app gap is fixed.
I'll believe the app gap is fixed when I see it.

 

[j_the_geek]

I'm surprised none of these companies have been sued for actively ignoring the Windows platform. You could say because of our choice and taste in technology Snapchat have decided not to provide a service, just because we own a Windows device.
Never know, one day it could be part of equality.

 

[WesleySmalls]

I'm gonna sue Microsoft for not making a car.

 

[ALpHa.Q.RoUgH]

What wonky? Googling on the net and there's almost no reports of Windows Hello not working on the Surface Book or the Surface Pro 4 and nearly everyone being very impressed with the ease and speed of it, with the only major kink being that it currently shortens the battery life of the machine.

Everybody experience is different. Yes when it works it's fast and is easy, but when it doesn't work it just keeps saying it couldn't recognize me and then I had to toggle to enter my PIN.

 

[ALpHa.Q.RoUgH]

I will say this though. After just installing the new 10581 build on my spare 1520 sitting around the house I'm impressed by the upgrades. The OneNote, OneDrive and web (specifically EDGE) is on par with it's iOS equivalents. I'm also impressed by the text messages and the clip allwoing me to insert photo right there.

If the final release is similar to this build with better trassitions, less lag and improvements on being smooth they may have saved me from keeping my 6S+. It looks like my main gripes with Spotify and the web has been fixed with an improvement on messaging from the notifications screen.

Oh and they added Slow-Mo!! :excited: C'mon 950 XL have a release date soon.

 

[anon(7929613)]

Four of those you listed are in the Windows Store (some with a persisting beta tag). But there still is no Snapshat or Subway surfer correct? (I don't find them). So, I guess I'm missing the pattern you are talking about. I'm not sure what you are describing.

Unless you are talking about Apps being really popular and fading. I would suggest that Instgram and WhatsApp are still widely used. But that may be because I keep in touch with allot of friends who travel quite a bit and live throughout the world. Not everyone's usage scenario is similar to mine at all.

But all those apps are now available on windows store, including Subway Surfer. My point is simple. An OS with 3% market share is bound to have such problems when a new developer makes a popular app and skips this OS. But people who use windows smartphones, people like me and you, have accepted this fact and we are sticking to this OS because we like its many other features and all the goods apps that it has. Then why cry on a forum?? If you have problems, just switch! No body is stopping you.

 

[Daniel Prado]

Just search snapchat windows phone astoria, You can install the android version on windows 10
Maybe that is an option :amaze:

 

[ohgood]

I don't like using my browser for everything. Now I have a bunch of apps that run faster, talk directly to the app creator without anything on the web interfering, give me actionable items in my action center and cuts down on my 40+ tabs I leave open in the browser. A good example is Readit, I get messages and I just respond directly in the action center. I don't have to go to a web interface and deal with it anymore. I can go directly into the app and get context and browse reddit in a nice UI.

Hyper for youtube app lets me save youtube videos, has a great UI and lets me customize it to my needs.

Twitter app the same thing.

Ever since I got the apps I have a way smaller memory footprint since browsers tend to grow as more tabs are open and it's way more convenient. It's just the start. Anyone who actually spends some time running some great apps will likely not go back to the web experience. I mean I could never go back to the netflix web experience since the app is so convenient and works like a charm.

the main point though was... very few applications are useful (used) between a handheld and a desktop (or laptop) to need an app.... and if they are, the web interface (chrome normally) does a good job.

i don't normally download 8Gb files over torrents on the phone, but shapefiles and renders on the desktoop being downloaded / uploaded are almost constant. maps and other huge files, yes, happens on the desktop, not on the phone.

gps / gis stoftware is used all the time on the phone, rarely on the desktop

twitter/facebook/reddit/forums/whatever works great in a sync'd browser (chrome) and negates the need for an app

i just don't see very many (at all) applications that are actually being demanded for both desktop and phones, for this to matter.

 

[arwars]

Windows 10 Mobile will be the last straw for me as to see whether I will stay with Microsoft or move to Apple and iOS.

I decided to try a Iphone 6S+ for a couple days until the 950 XL comes out and for the past 2 days it has been a blessing using the device.

Spotify works properly in my vehicle and actually remembers where I left off last.
Soundcloud works and doesn't just freeze up
I have my "Chase" bank app on iOS.
Uber app (actually works and doesn't stutter)
Snapchat!!!!
All the major airlines apps are available
Mint is not getting shut down on iOS and is fully fledged.
Apple Pay (May become useful for me one day just tap my phone)

and the list goes on and on...

Let me not get into how the webpages load properly on the iPhone compared to my 1520 that I currently have. Microsoft has some catching up to do as far as there OS is concerned if they want to keep me. I've been through 7, mango, 8.1, insider previews and now 10. If things are not fixed or improved then it is no hope for me to keep defending Microsoft.

The fingerprint scanner on the iPhone works quickly and think it will fare better than Windows Hello as Windows Hello on the surfacebook is still kind of wonky.

My thoughts exactly. I went with the 6s+ 128gb (since there is no memory card option) and while I miss Cortana, my Lumia camera (20mp) and my live tiles... I am adapting to the OS which is EXACTLY as you stated.

Maybe in a few years, Win10M will be good enough, right now, it's not. I wanted a Band2 with Cortana on newer phone hardware. It makes me sad.

 

[ohgood]

My thoughts exactly. I went with the 6s+ 128gb (since there is no memory card option) and while I miss Cortana, my Lumia camera (20mp) and my live tiles... I am adapting to the OS which is EXACTLY as you stated.

Maybe in a few years, Win10M will be good enough, right now, it's not. I wanted a Band2 with Cortana on newer phone hardware. It makes me sad.

almost word for word the same expression from the two people i know that tried windows mobile -- oops windows phone -- oops again, now it's windows mobile again --- and went back to ios devices.

i just wanted microsoft to be a competitor, so i could gain stuff on my old cheap android devices. oh well, guess it's just going to be ios and android.

 

[FearL0rd]

APP GAP is there everybody know. Stop talking about 3rd party replacing it.
They need official apps to have the platform successful.