What are your FIVE must-have apps for Windows Phone?

[faisalbaba]

Wew! Five is so hard since I almost regularly use all of the apps that I have on my phone. Well, I'm just gonna list whatever apps I use daily/weekly.

For 3rd-Party Apps, they are:

1) Typical Social Media apps; Facebook + Instagram + Twitter
2) WhatsApp Beta
3) Readit (r/windowsphone and r/AskReddit)
4) Manga Blaze (Manga is life)
5) OneFootball (to give me news of my favourite football club. Note: Not American Football)
6) Steam (for 2FA)
7) AppRaisin (for discovering new apps or app updates)
8) Windows Central (coz I need to know everything Windows)

For MS own apps, they are:

1) Groove
2) Outlook Mail+Calendar
3) Edge
4) News
5) Weather

I don't play much games, but some of my favourites are/were:

1) Digfender
2) Prima World Defense
3) Cube Cats
4) Lego Ninja
5) Shadow Warrior 2
6) 2048 or Threes!
7) Reversi Pro

Can you give me link of WhatsApp beta

Sent from mTalk windows 10 from(Indian occupied Kashmir)

 

[Jaripi]

Can you give me link of WhatsApp beta

h t t p s://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/whatsapp-beta/9wzdncrdfwbt?tduid=(0d345150c363b66afe6906b2aef0a326)(259740)(2804583)()()

Just copy and paste it

 

[faisalbaba]

https://www.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2...2aef0a326&token=crE2ocd9)(259740)(2804583)()()

Thanks for link

Sent from mTalk windows 10 from(Indian occupied Kashmir)

 

[anon(9603734)]

1. WhatsApp.
2. Money Tracker Pro. A UWP app that I have installed on my SP4 and L950. Syncs between devices by using OneDrive. Seems well supported by the developer.
3. Recipe Keeper Pro. Not a UWP app, but has a version for Desktop and Mobile. You just need an account, to be signed in on both devices and it's seamless syncing. I like to write the ingredients and directions on my SP4 and, when it comes to cooking, just have the recipe open on my L950 in the kitchen (with Groove playing my music in the background). You can also import recipes from websites. It does a pretty good job of it, bringing over the ingredients and directions, but allows you to edit if required. There's a free version of the app to try.
4. Groove Music.
5. Cortana. I use the reminder feature quite a bit. I love the "remind me xxxxx when I next speak to yyyyy". I'd thought it would only give me a reminder when I next actually spoke to that person, but it turns out that when I receive a text from that person I will get the reminder or if I start a text/email to that person I will be reminded. Fantastic feature.
6. Start Perfect. For some transparent tiles, but also saving websites as tiles for those few things I like to do on the phone where there is unfortunately not an app. Pinning websites to Start from Edge is ok, but generally it's a blue tile with a very small Favicon in the centre and just doesn't look right. With this app I can choose my own image to use as the tile icon.
7. Edge.
8. Alarms & Clock. My L950 has replaced my alarm clock since I've had it. I like being able to set a specific song to be woken up to from my collection, that gets me in the mood for the day. That's not something specific to Windows as I know it can be done on Android, but I had an iPhone before and couldn't do this (not that I could figure out).
9. Lottery Results. Can save my syndicates' lottery numbers and check results easily. Better than the official National Lottery app on the iPhone, which kept forgetting the saved numbers :eck:
10. Outlook Calendar. I add an event, type the location (just the name of the venue) and, once saved, if I click on the event there will be a hyperlink on the location name which will open up the Maps app and take me straight to the venue within the Maps app, where I can obtain directions, etc. I have done this a few times so far, and it has always pinpointed the correct venue/location in the Maps app, even just from entering a name and no further details such as postcode.

 

[Jaripi]

1. Start Perfect. For some transparent tiles, but also saving websites as tiles for those few things I like to do on the phone where there is unfortunately not an app. Pinning websites to Start from Edge is ok, but generally it's a blue tile with a very small Favicon in the centre and just doesn't look right. With this app I can choose my own image to use as the tile icon.
   

Well, I tried that app to make my own tile, but it did not accept it. It said always that take some pixels off, max. 336 x 336 pixels, but even I did 100 x 100 pixels tile (jpg or png), it still said the same ... so it did not make a job

 

[anon(9603734)]

Well, I tried that app to make my own tile, but it did not accept it. It said always that take some pixels off, max. 336 x 336 pixels, but even I did 100 x 100 pixels tile (jpg or png), it still said the same ... so it did not make a job

It is a little bit of work, but quite fast once you get used to it.

The first thing to note is that I have my photos app set to show content from OneDrive from pictures folder only.

How I do it is:

1. To search for an image on my SP4 (looking on the search results for something already pretty much square when you hover over the image and it shows you the pixels) and then save it to a folder I created on OneDrive which I have entitled "W10M Tile Images". I make sure that this folder is not in "Pictures" on OneDrive, as I don't want to see the icons within my photos app.
2. I then edit the image in Paint on the SP4, changing the pixels to 336 x 336, then save the changes.
3. With the image being saved to OneDrive, I then change the setting within the photos app to show all content from OneDrive and let it finish syncing.
4. I then go to Start Perfect, complete the necessary fields and then select the square image option, which will then allow me to choose the image I've saved to OneDrive. As I've edited it in Paint to be 336 x 336, it allows me to select it. I find it has to be precisely 336 x 336, anything more or less it will give you an error message.
5. Once done, I then change the settings in the photos app back to show content from OneDrive from pictures folder only.

Hope that helps :smile:

 

[Jaripi]

OK, it seems that it needs to be bmp file (not jpg or png). Well, bmp files are usually much bigger than jpg and png, that's why I avoid them

Anyway, THANKS as I have a nice tile for Facebook now (to open by Edge) ...

EDIT: still wondering why it accepts only bmp pics, as I have pinned some artist pics to start too, done by me as jpg files (pinned by Extreme Music). It is a nice way to listen your favour artists (just click pinned artist pic and their songs start to play)

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Simple question: What are your FIVE must-have apps for Windows Phone?

I'll start:

• Enpass
• Audible
• WhatsApp
• Instagram
• Slack

If any purpose of this thread is to introduce people to apps they might like, posters should give a brief description. At least for ones that aren't clients for a service that is the apps name (e.g. Facebook). Without that, most people won't take the time to research apps they don't already know about.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Realarm.

Realarm is more than great but I stopped using it because I could not get a straight answer from the developer as to why the app requires unrestricted access to OneDrive to save alarms. Even if its just for sharing between devices (and nothing says it is), that's a lot to ask for customers who don't want to use different devices.

If you don't allow unrestricted access to OneDrive you lose your alarms if you reinstall the app or change devices or need to restore the device. Otherwise you have to manually write them down and re-enter them if those happen. Too much work. The app needs to have an option to save to itself like pretty much every other app in existence so you can retain alarms over a restore for whatever reason. Unrestricted access to OneDrive is too much to ask when it isn't necessary for what the app does.

 

[Jaripi]

About realarm, it is one of my favour app. I think that you can back up and restore your alarms as well as to download an alarm or a song from OneDrive. I have not ever connected it to OneDrive, as it is so easy to do a new alarm and to chose a local alarm sound (system one or your own one).

 

[anon(9603734)]

OK, it seems that it needs to be bmp file (not jpg or png). Well, bmp files are usually much bigger than jpg and png, that's why I avoid them

Anyway, THANKS as I have a nice tile for Facebook now (to open by Edge) ...

EDIT: still wondering why it accepts only bmp pics, as I have pinned some artist pics to start too, done by me as jpg files (pinned by Extreme Music). It is a nice way to listen your favour artists (just click pinned artist pic and their songs start to play)

That's strange; the images I've used have been in both jpg and PNG format.

I know you said earlier you'd tried jpg at size 100 x 100; have you tried a jpg or PNG at pixel size 336 x 336?

Sent from mTalk

 

[HoosierDaddy]

About realarm, it is one of my favour app. I think that you can back up and restore your alarms as well as to download an alarm or a song from OneDrive. I have not ever connected it to OneDrive, as it is so easy to do a new alarm and to chose a local alarm sound (system one or your own one).

But you can only backup and restore your alarms IF you give Realarm unrestricted access to EVERYTHING you have on OneDrive. Is the author honest and trustworthy? Very good chance the answer is yes. But like a bank manager friend once said: I have complete trust in some of my customers, but I won't give any of them, including my Mother, access to the vault.

 

[Jaripi]

That's strange; the images I've used have been in both jpg and PNG format.

I know you said earlier you'd tried jpg at size 100 x 100; have you tried a jpg or PNG at pixel size 336 x 336?

Sent from mTalk

Yeah, I retried again and it works just fine with jpg, when the size was exactly 336 x 336 pixels ... it seems that I had a wrong Image Resize app in my cp, as it could not really change the size up, only downsize it

Anyway, I found a nice app to change the size of pic, down or up, by cp now, Image Resizer app of Pyramid

 

[Jaripi]

But you can only backup and restore your alarms IF you give Realarm unrestricted access to EVERYTHING you have on OneDrive. Is the author honest and trustworthy? Very good chance the answer is yes. But like a bank manager friend once said: I have complete trust in some of my customers, but I won't give any of them, including my Mother, access to the vault.

I agree with you, as even if a dev is honest and trustworthy, you can not know if someone buy that app and what happens then ?

However, you do not need to use backup and restrore, then it is not a real problem at all.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I agree with you, as even if a dev is honest and trustworthy, you can not know if someone buy that app and what happens then ?

However, you do not need to use backup and restrore, then it is not a real problem at all.

You are speaking as one user. It can be a problem for others. The reason I was initially attracted to Realarm is that I have dozens of repeating reminders, many with fairly complex rules. The ability to set those complex rules are what most make Realarm unique. So having to reprogram all of them if your phone needs to be reset/restored or if you change phones is an unnecessary nuisance. Unnecessary because apps can save far more data within themselves, so it is right there again when you reinstall the app.

 

[fatclue_98]

5 apps is really restrictive unless you don't count the obvious reasons we're on Windows in the first place such as Outlook Mail, Calendar and People. So here goes:

1. Brother iPrint & Scan
2. CamScanner
3. Remote Desktop
4. Continuum
5. Perfect PDF

Other "important" apps would be mTalk, Pageonce Finance (only for T-Mobile users), Looney Tunes, OBD Auto Doctor and Walgreens.

Sent from Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows via mTalk

 

[Ariel Takom]

Can you give me link of WhatsApp beta

Sent from mTalk windows 10 from(Indian occupied Kashmir)

direct from MS Store link:
https://forums.windowscentral.com/e...60b20d5a494d59ac1d7a3d856d1c36&token=w1e8YUy2)

unless such link posting is banned, here's one from Windows Central (link to store at bottom of article):
WhatsApp beta for Windows Phone pushes out a new update | Windows Central

 

[Ariel Takom]

Wew! Five is so hard since I almost regularly use all of the apps that I have on my phone. Well, I'm just gonna list whatever apps I use daily/weekly.

For 3rd-Party Apps, they are:

1) Typical Social Media apps; Facebook + Instagram + Twitter
2) WhatsApp Beta
3) Readit (r/windowsphone and r/AskReddit)
4) Manga Blaze (Manga is life)
5) OneFootball (to give me news of my favourite football club. Note: Not American Football)
6) Steam (for 2FA)
7) AppRaisin (for discovering new apps or app updates)
8) Windows Central (coz I need to know everything Windows)

For MS own apps, they are:

1) Groove
2) Outlook Mail+Calendar
3) Edge
4) News
5) Weather

I don't play much games, but some of my favourites are/were:

1) Digfender
2) Prima World Defense
3) Cube Cats
4) Lego Ninja
5) Shadow Warrior 2
6) 2048 or Threes!
7) Reversi Pro

I want to add one more app to my post: Office Lens. Simply the best document scanning tool using your camera. Very intuitive as well! I've used it a lot of times to scan forms and documents in university.

 

[Jaripi]

You are speaking as one user. It can be a problem for others. The reason I was initially attracted to Realarm is that I have dozens of repeating reminders, many with fairly complex rules. The ability to set those complex rules are what most make Realarm unique. So having to reprogram all of them if your phone needs to be reset/restored or if you change phones is an unnecessary nuisance. Unnecessary because apps can save far more data within themselves, so it is right there again when you reinstall the app.

Of course, it is just my personal opinion, but do you remember a leak of Apple's icloud (a leak of naked photos of many beautiful celebrities) ? - well, it seems that it was just a mistake, some can happen, not a such big deal - the most people still trust Apple or do they ? - can we trust cloud ?

Read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICloud_leaks_of_celebrity_photos

 

[greedo_greedy]

Excluded Microsoft made apps.

We should support our third party developers!

Slim Social for Facebook
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/store/p/slimsocial-for-facebook/9nblggh4vmr8
Web wrapper but makes for quick and easy browsing of your News Feed. Immensely quicker than the FB app.

MyTube Beta
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/mytube-beta/9wzdncrdt29j?tduid=(7601b1d99a251bc20816cb5e9dba695a)(213688)(2795219)()()
Bar none, the best YouTube client available for Windows 10, and the developer actively supports his users. Built for Windows 10 with Xbox One support.

Viber
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/viber/9wzdncrfj46z
Messaging app popular in the Asia Pacific, Built for Windows 10

Instagram
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/instagram/9nblggh5l9xt
This is the app Facebook and Messenger should be, The FB team can learn something from the Instagram team.

Cover
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/cover-comic-reader/9wzdncrfj9w7
Best Comic book reader for Windows

Universal Emulator
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/universal-emulator/9nblggh52579
Play SNES, Genesis and more on Windows 10, supports Xbox One controller.

Uber
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/uber/9wzdncrfhxrd
It actually sucks and very incomplete but it's serviceable