Is it just me or are universal apps picking up momentum?

[pallentx]

Its a mixed bag. We've lost some here and there, but we've picked up some new apps and nice W10 updates to old apps. My bank USAA, which dropped support for WP back when 8 came out, has put out a really nice universal W10 app. I can deposit checks from my phone or Surface Pro. Overall, I think things are moving in the right direction. As w10 adoption rises and MS continues to prove UWP is here to stay and not something they will abandon or restart in a year or two, this will only get better and better.

 

[etphoto]

I think the answer is the Surface. I think the more and more Surface devices are sold and more and more people are using Windows 10, that is what will being the developers. Windows Phone will NEVER bring developers.

Sent from my Surface 3

 

[hasasimo]

They seem to be, at least for the mainstream folks. For me, the platform keeps degrading, in some respects. With the latest build of W10M on the Insider Fast Ring, IM+ no longer works. It'll open from a toast, but not on its own. I tried resetting my phone and uninstalling the app, no dice. Then, it lost its connection, so I can't get toast notifications, making the app unusable. IM+ was probably one of 3 heavily used third-party apps for me (the others being TeamViewer and Unified Remote). Without it, I can't use AIM, and I can't expect all of my contact to switch to Skype. There's no alternative on the platform, so I'm just hosed. MLB.TV was also delisted on W10 and W10M, so my favorite sport is lost to me. Unstream still isn't installable on my PC or phone, with the Windows Store crashing on both anytime I try to get to it.

So, we might have more apps. I don't keep count. I can't say I feel better with W10M than WP8.1 right now, though. I was really happy when I got my 950. After losing MLB.TV and IM+, I'm very disappointed.

Wouldn't you agree it's unfair to judge Windows 10 Mobile on an insider build though? Public releases seem to be stable enough.

 

[Keith Wallace]

Platform seems degrading since you're on insider program and those redstone builds are early buggy builds. Check back in a couple of months time and you'll be surprised with the difference with newer redstone builds with new features

No, that's not it at all. Now, I'm going to do the latest build that fixes some app launching, but that doesn't change my overall point. MLB.TV is still missing, and saying something like "wait until the season is halfway over, then you might see an app" isn't a good thing. If I miss half of the content because the platform isn't bringing interest that concerns me, that's a bad thing. The Groove Music app is getting better, but the Android copycat design is still in place, and it plain sucks. Pop-out menus aren't good for navigation, in my opinion. What's more, we're still missing years-old things like lockscreen support for that app. Oh, and Unstream hasn't wanted to install for a couple of months. So, telling me to wait a couple of months has me, like, 4 months without the app. That's not reasonable.

Features really aren't the problem I have. Heck, even the stability issues are something I can live with. End of the day, it's that we're into Year 7 of the Windows Phone relaunch, and I'm into my fifth year on the platform, yet I can't say things have gotten much better since the start. There are a few more apps now that I use than before (really, just TeamViewer), while I can honestly say that the quality has gotten worse for both the hardware (squeaky 950 back plate, lack of hardware innovation) and the UI (pop-out menus are lame). It's not to a point I'd actually consider leaving myself, but I had no trouble telling my sister to just go to Android because Microsoft still hasn't figured it out, and asking someone to miss out on stuff for brand loyalty isn't reasonable.

Honestly, 6+ years, and the best you can give is the same-old "soon?" That argument just holds no weight anymore. Too many failed reboots and broken promises for people to live off of a vague statement like that and assume improvement. Instead, I'll just keep hoping the progress comes, while having no expectations because not a single one from the past led to anything but disappointment.

 

[hasasimo]

Is it just me or are universal apps picking up momentum?

How fast are you going?

Seriously, Android apps are more 'universal' than Windows apps. I can run — and do run — Android apps on my Android phone (of course), Windows 10 desktop, Windows 10 tablet, and Macbook. OK, so I need to be running Bluestacks, but the apps run without any problem on all those devices. When my workplace Office 360 subscription ran out, I just installed Word for Android. Worked a treat.

And that's a great shame. Windows Mobile is a great OS, but Microsoft screwed up. Again.

How many people will actually bother with Bluestacks though? And those Android apps don't natively scale or optimize to desktop. Guess time will tell if Microsoft screwed up again as you portend.

 

[Thomasmas]

Wouldn't you agree it's unfair to judge Windows 10 Mobile on an insider build though? Public releases seem to be stable enough.

Yeah, always the same story. I honestly do not get why people get insider builds if they expect things to be stable and working.

 

[anon(9630986)]

They seem to be, at least for the mainstream folks. For me, the platform keeps degrading, in some respects. With the latest build of W10M on the Insider Fast Ring, IM+ no longer works. It'll open from a toast, but not on its own. I tried resetting my phone and uninstalling the app, no dice. Then, it lost its connection, so I can't get toast notifications, making the app unusable. IM+ was probably one of 3 heavily used third-party apps for me (the others being TeamViewer and Unified Remote). ...

Sir, while I do sympathize that you are getting a buggy experience, I think that insiders have a duty and a responsibility to understand that they are insiders and that rants should be directed at appropriate forums. New builds can break some apps, this is known. That is why the Windows store hides insider ratings for apps. This is a very public forum sir.

 

[ttsoldier]

Cool, did they make the Band 3 waterproof and with a better battery?
Snarkiness aside, I'm in the Microsoft ecosystem with Surface Pro 3, Band 2, XBox 360, XBox One and Lumia 640. Microsoft is now really driving the convergence in all platforms, except W10M.

It’s like their game plan is to develop everything BUT the phone market to such a saturation/acceptance level that consumers will want to get a W10 Phone just to round out the otherwise perfect ecosystem.

This IS the plan and it's what they need to do. Build on everything else and mobile will fall into place.

 

[hemanlive]

I am actually having an opposite experience. When I purchased my Lumia 820, I was not feeling the app gap as much as I do today. The biggest pinch I feel is obviously google and its apps. But besides a lot of new companies have come up and number of apps have gained popularity here in India (local apps). Most of these are not available on windows yet. As the traction for these apps increase, and their own marketing efforts, I do feel that I should at least try it. Some of my friends have switched to Android because of this. Unfortunately, I feel purely in terms of numbers the gap is still increasing (at least till the last quarter). If we see it narrowing down in future, it will be good.
Having said all of the above, I truly believe that with continuum and UWP, MS may not need much of a choice with developers. They will have to build UWP apps because of sheer volumes. In a way it is good that MS it trying to re-invent the mobile space completely.

 

[n m]

no, that's not it at all. Now, i'm going to do the latest build that fixes some app launching, but that doesn't change my overall point. Mlb.tv is still missing, and saying something like "wait until the season is halfway over, then you might see an app" isn't a good thing. If i miss half of the content because the platform isn't bringing interest that concerns me, that's a bad thing. The groove music app is getting better, but the android copycat design is still in place, and it plain sucks. Pop-out menus aren't good for navigation, in my opinion. What's more, we're still missing years-old things like lockscreen support for that app. Oh, and unstream hasn't wanted to install for a couple of months. So, telling me to wait a couple of months has me, like, 4 months without the app. That's not reasonable.

Features really aren't the problem i have. Heck, even the stability issues are something i can live with. End of the day, it's that we're into year 7 of the windows phone relaunch, and i'm into my fifth year on the platform, yet i can't say things have gotten much better since the start. There are a few more apps now that i use than before (really, just teamviewer), while i can honestly say that the quality has gotten worse for both the hardware (squeaky 950 back plate, lack of hardware innovation) and the ui (pop-out menus are lame). It's not to a point i'd actually consider leaving myself, but i had no trouble telling my sister to just go to android because microsoft still hasn't figured it out, and asking someone to miss out on stuff for brand loyalty isn't reasonable.

Honestly, 6+ years, and the best you can give is the same-old "soon?" that argument just holds no weight anymore. Too many failed reboots and broken promises for people to live off of a vague statement like that and assume improvement. Instead, i'll just keep hoping the progress comes, while having no expectations because not a single one from the past led to anything but disappointment.

this ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

 

[tgp]

Honestly, 6+ years, and the best you can give is the same-old "soon?" That argument just holds no weight anymore.

But the difference is that this time it really is "soon"! Incoming Surface, UWP, OneCore, how can you miss it? /s

 

[libra89]

No, that's not it at all. Now, I'm going to do the latest build that fixes some app launching, but that doesn't change my overall point. MLB.TV is still missing, and saying something like "wait until the season is halfway over, then you might see an app" isn't a good thing. If I miss half of the content because the platform isn't bringing interest that concerns me, that's a bad thing. The Groove Music app is getting better, but the Android copycat design is still in place, and it plain sucks. Pop-out menus aren't good for navigation, in my opinion. What's more, we're still missing years-old things like lockscreen support for that app. Oh, and Unstream hasn't wanted to install for a couple of months. So, telling me to wait a couple of months has me, like, 4 months without the app. That's not reasonable.
<snip>
Honestly, 6+ years, and the best you can give is the same-old "soon?" That argument just holds no weight anymore. Too many failed reboots and broken promises for people to live off of a vague statement like that and assume improvement. Instead, I'll just keep hoping the progress comes, while having no expectations because not a single one from the past led to anything but disappointment.

Well said. One thing I don't get is some of the replies to your post here. All of them essentially focus on using Insider as a risk already and not about the loss of apps. Losing MLB At Bat is a big disappointment to me. The loss of apps is important. What is the point of having a smartphone if you can't even have the apps that are important to you?

It's one thing to say, "oh that app is not available for my phone, can we use something else?" and it's another thing to say "oh that app doesn't work for me anymore because it was removed from the app store". The former is what it is, the latter is just awkward.

It's nice that apps are returning, but if At Bat doesn't return, I will not be returning. There is nothing that compares to the At Bat experience.

 

[DSR11]

Yea, no its just you. Sorry.

 

[Mad Cabbie]

Good discussion here. I work "in the mobile industry"--you could say, and there is definitely more interest now among my co-workers than there has been in a while (since the 920 launched) regarding Windows Phone/Mobile. People want to try my 950 and ask about continuum. Of course, this isn't the same as seeing normal people on the street being interested, but it's something.

I honestly hadn't noticed so many 1st party UWP apps had hit until @hasasimo listed them out above. Boy, Spotify would be nice. Beyond that, I really do have the majority of the apps that I need. Sure, I would like a full featured Youtube app with notification support, a Wordpress application that is as polished as the apps on iOS and Android, and a Simple banking app (they say no), but I'm pretty set beyond those, and I'm "getting by" with the available Wordpress and Youtube (Perfect Tube is a cool new UWP app) solutions.

I know we go through these highs and lows all the time, but I definitely feel like we're in a relative "high" at this point in time. It's exciting.

Reading and listening to what MS has been 'reportedly' saying, your comments sum up where they are heading. They do seem to heading in the corporate direction, and that is probably where they are best placed. The 'man on the street' market is swamped with devices. I don't think it will be long before that market is saturated and the bubble bursts, during which time, MS will have had plenty of R&D time

 

[mdefran65]

I work in IT at big finical/Banking firm in NYC and our most requested application is Windows UWP apps.

 

[DavidinCT]

Honestly, 6+ years, and the best you can give is the same-old "soon?" That argument just holds no weight anymore. Too many failed reboots and broken promises for people to live off of a vague statement like that and assume improvement.

Talk about nail on the head wtih this. EXACTLY how I feel. We keep on getting told many things, and we wait, next version, WAIT and keep waiting...Microsoft just says "Coming soon !", same old story. How many years have they been saying "Tap to Pay" is coming ? At least in their LAST 2 major press statements...and we are STIL waiting..

I see Microsoft's approch here and it's smarter than I thought. So, let Windows 10 free (I am sure they will exend it)...millions have taken it, put little changes to make it a UMP app, so for most devs it's a very little change and a WHY NOT type of thing. So Microsoft said "Screw Windows Phone for one year, let the apps catch up". Getting Millions of UMP apps in the store WILL TAKE TIME, More people on WIn10, more need for UMP apps, and it keeps working.

This is Microsoft's last hope for WP...

I am taking a break from WP because of all the broken promises, My LG G3 (G4 soon, people on ebay are dumb) is working and holding me off. I was always a WP user, directly from PocketPC, So never owned a Android device for a long time (besides to re-sell), I have been on this LG for about a month now... All the LOCAL apps are pretty crazy, Tap to pay, all the missing apps (although only 3-4) from WP are there pluss MANY MORE...

I miss Windows Phone and I HOPE THIS WORKS but, once you live in a place where tap to pay is everywhere and you have been using it for weeks, No freaking way I could go back to pulling out my credit card every place...

It really is that nice to have.....Microsoft just get it....FINALLY.

I would dump Android TODAY, if Tap to pay was back....Most other things I can work through..

BTW MLB 2016 is nice.... I even get all the updates on my Microsoft band 2

 

[billy269]

Well said. One thing I don't get is some of the replies to your post here. All of them essentially focus on using Insider as a risk already and not about the loss of apps. Losing MLB At Bat is a big disappointment to me. The loss of apps is important. What is the point of having a smartphone if you can't even have the apps that are important to you?

It's one thing to say, "oh that app is not available for my phone, can we use something else?" and it's another thing to say "oh that app doesn't work for me anymore because it was removed from the app store". The former is what it is, the latter is just awkward.

It's nice that apps are returning, but if At Bat doesn't return, I will not be returning. There is nothing that compares to the At Bat experience.

Exactly spot on about the At Bat app. To pull an app that worked great really makes me wonder about the platform. I use At Bat all of the time and not having it on my phone really has me thinking of switching to Android.

 

[Keith Wallace]

Wouldn't you agree it's unfair to judge Windows 10 Mobile on an insider build though? Public releases seem to be stable enough.

This isn't a matter of buggy. This is a matter of core design things that I don't like. That I am on a preview build isn't the reason I am experiencing pop-out menus and clunky navigation design on Groove Music, without lockscreen support we had 3+ years ago. Being on an early build isn't why MLB.TV isn't available. I am not on an Insider build on my PC, yet I still can't get Unstream there--or on my phone. The stability wasn't even good pre-Insider on W10M, it was no better than the Insider version on my 920 (in terms of bugs). You're basically saying my issues are something that I'm not saying they are. Bugs aren't removing the apps I want from the Store or changing the UI.

Sir, while I do sympathize that you are getting a buggy experience, I think that insiders have a duty and a responsibility to understand that they are insiders and that rants should be directed at appropriate forums. New builds can break some apps, this is known. That is why the Windows store hides insider ratings for apps. This is a very public forum sir.

Read above. My issues are more with missing apps and UI designs that aren't Insider-related. I can't get Unstream on my W10 desktop, it's not on Insider. I don't like any of the music player iterations since the uncoupling from the OS that happened with WP8.1. This isn't a bug problem. You just decided to highlight the one bug and ignore the rest of my points against where we are at. I actually need to try the newest build with IM+, since they said there were other apps with issues that they fixed, but even if that bug is fixed, it doesn't change the rest of my points. Losing apps isn't a bug problem.

 

[Keith Wallace]

But the difference is that this time it really is "soon"! Incoming Surface, UWP, OneCore, how can you miss it? /s

The thing is, your sarcasm is kind of sarcastic. Unlike WP7 and WP8, there does seem to be a legitimate, long-term goal with the platform. That's better than the rushed, clumsy messes we've been getting. It's now a question of whether or not people will ever care. Microsoft's the only option that can give folks a truly seamless experience, but they're so far behind in the biggest market--smartphones--that it might not matter. They're similarly way behind on consoles, while the lead they have is with PC, and the biggest money maker there (enterprise) doesn't even make sure of the Store platform well, if at all.

Well said. One thing I don't get is some of the replies to your post here. All of them essentially focus on using Insider as a risk already and not about the loss of apps. Losing MLB At Bat is a big disappointment to me. The loss of apps is important. What is the point of having a smartphone if you can't even have the apps that are important to you?

It's one thing to say, "oh that app is not available for my phone, can we use something else?" and it's another thing to say "oh that app doesn't work for me anymore because it was removed from the app store". The former is what it is, the latter is just awkward.

It's nice that apps are returning, but if At Bat doesn't return, I will not be returning. There is nothing that compares to the At Bat experience.

Agreed, though I'm not ready to leave the platform. End of the day, I will never touch anything Apple puts out. They will never, EVER receive my money. I cannot stand that company or the people running it. Google's better, but I am still leery of a company built on data mining of personal information, and my time with Android wasn't all that pleasant. I've never been very app-driven, but like you said, it's one thing to live without an app from the start. Getting it, then losing it, is another problem entirely.

I actually sent MLB.TV support an e-mail, asking if they were planning to bring the app back. The response was "it's available on Android, iOS, and other devices. Call our help line if you have more questions." I sent a reply that was essentially "thanks for that useless statement." I'll continue to not give MLB.TV my money before I go to Android, to be honest. There just aren't many apps I want, and none so important I'd make the most basic things about my phone a nightmare (music, navigation, clutter).

Talk about nail on the head wtih this. EXACTLY how I feel. We keep on getting told many things, and we wait, next version, WAIT and keep waiting...Microsoft just says "Coming soon !", same old story. How many years have they been saying "Tap to Pay" is coming ? At least in their LAST 2 major press statements...and we are STIL waiting..

I see Microsoft's approch here and it's smarter than I thought. So, let Windows 10 free (I am sure they will exend it)...millions have taken it, put little changes to make it a UMP app, so for most devs it's a very little change and a WHY NOT type of thing. So Microsoft said "Screw Windows Phone for one year, let the apps catch up". Getting Millions of UMP apps in the store WILL TAKE TIME, More people on WIn10, more need for UMP apps, and it keeps working.

This is Microsoft's last hope for WP...

I am taking a break from WP because of all the broken promises, My LG G3 (G4 soon, people on ebay are dumb) is working and holding me off. I was always a WP user, directly from PocketPC, So never owned a Android device for a long time (besides to re-sell), I have been on this LG for about a month now... All the LOCAL apps are pretty crazy, Tap to pay, all the missing apps (although only 3-4) from WP are there pluss MANY MORE...

I miss Windows Phone and I HOPE THIS WORKS but, once you live in a place where tap to pay is everywhere and you have been using it for weeks, No freaking way I could go back to pulling out my credit card every place...

It really is that nice to have.....Microsoft just get it....FINALLY.

I would dump Android TODAY, if Tap to pay was back....Most other things I can work through..

BTW MLB 2016 is nice.... I even get all the updates on my Microsoft band 2

That's pathetic, seeing that you can get updates on the Band 2, but not the W10M platform. As stated above, I won't leave the platform. This is definitely Microsoft's last, best chance for a meaningful mobile experience. Thing is, it's now to a point where you have to wonder which happens first--Consumers and developers catch on to the platform or smartphones start dying off?

 

[hasasimo]

This isn't a matter of buggy. This is a matter of core design things that I don't like. That I am on a preview build isn't the reason I am experiencing pop-out menus and clunky navigation design on Groove Music, without lockscreen support we had 3+ years ago. Being on an early build isn't why MLB.TV isn't available. I am not on an Insider build on my PC, yet I still can't get Unstream there--or on my phone. The stability wasn't even good pre-Insider on W10M, it was no better than the Insider version on my 920 (in terms of bugs). You're basically saying my issues are something that I'm not saying they are. Bugs aren't removing the apps I want from the Store or changing the UI.

Fair enough, it's just that your initial reply in the thread seemed to emphasize instability with your insider build. I think that's why most responses to you focused on that as well. Your subsequent posts expounded upon the other issues a bit more. You have every right to hate that MLB.TV is missing... not huge on baseball myself but as an avid sports fan in general, I would be irked too.