What do you miss most about Windows 10 Mobile?

[mariusdk]

So, lots of folks are switching from Windows 10 Mobile to Android or iOS, for obvious reasons. Even the most diehard Windows phone fans have to at least be considering a switch. But this question is for people who have already made the jump to another mobile platform.

What specifically do you miss most about your Windows phone? And do you regret switching? I have a feeling that the Live tile interface is probably going to come up in the responses quite often ...

Got a Galaxy S8 and wish I could have gone back to a Windows device.

Windows dropping the ball badly.They had such a good product.Just needed to make it more attractive to get it into the hands of more people.

Live Tiles.....having a home screen that is just perfect.Stable battery.Easy to use.

I'm both frustrated and mad.

Wasted potential is such a disappointing feature.

 

[Augusto Fornitani]

Sold my 950XL and switched to the OnePlus 3T on May. I was also using the iPhone 7 Plus from the job at the time. Having flagships from all 3 platforms, it was easy to compare them. All of them are nice in their own ways, but I just bought a 950 again.

The reason is I miss the very integrated experience across W10. But mostly the little things : the camera that is a bit nicer, but consistently so, the calculator app, the third party apps that are much better than the official ones (myTube, ReadIt etc), hardware niceties as removable battery, camera button and 4 HAAC microphones. Also security features, built-in call recording that always works, integrated Truecaller ando so much more little details everywhere that make me want to use the platform again, even though I agree it's dying.

That all said, I'll keep the OnePlus 3T for banking apps and mapping apps (OpenStreetMap apps, actually. I ended up not liking Google Maps as much as I thought I would). As Android has user switching, my wife will use it as her daily driver and I'll ask it for a few minutes in case I need the apps.

 

[Francesco Bosso]

I missed much things.
Like Windows handles the MicroSD and the other devices plugged in or via Bluetooth with my Lumia 950 (like the Xbox one controller).
The Photos apps that lets me see all the photos and albums O have on OneDrive. No MS Photos app os present on Android.
The elegant and functional mail client with slide gestures and format options (no, the Android Outlook client is not the same)
The live tiles and all the UX that is so coherent and simple, also user friendly.
The unified updates and back ups all over the devices. When I transferred on another Lumia, all my phone settings and layouts were passes. It is not the same with Android.
Windows Universal apps were better. I'm thinking on MyTube, OneNote, Dropbox...
The Material Design is pure s**t. I hate it. It is not elegant and user friendly, it seems a toy.
Also, the data optimization with custom monthly data reset, the gestures I had on the Lumia like the Edge search bar on the bottom and the long press on the back button to enter the task manager.
In the end, the coherent layout with the screen. On Android, bigger screen it means bigger elements, in Windows Mobile, bigger screen means more space and more elements.

 

[Augusto Fornitani]

Back in May I was using an iPhone 7 Plus from work, then I bought an Oneplus 3T to test it. With the initial impression being "Now I have apps everywhere", and with both being solid phones, I decided to sell the 950 XL. I missed it so much, that I bought a 950 again yesterday. The reasons are:
- For hardware:
-- 4 HAAC microphones
-- Camera
-- Camera button
-- Removable back and battery
-- Glance screen
-- QHD screen
-- The aesthetics (yeah, really)

Regarding software, there are so many, that'll perhaps not even list them all:
- Live tiles
- Email
- Syncing with Xbox and Windows 10
- Native call recording
- Great Truecaller integration
- Organized settings
- Better third-party apps than official ones (especially myTube and Readit)
- Continuum
- Less intrusive ads (I can't trust Google now. I used to not see a problem before using Android)
- General design cohesiveness. Both Android and iOS are too colorful, with each app having its own exaggerated branding.

That all said, I'm keeping the Oneplus 3T for banking apps and OSM apps. My wife will be using it as her daily driver (switching from her current 930 with a battery in poor state now). I'll simply profit from Android's multi-user switching when/if I need to use the said apps.

 

[YogaBoy905]

For me it's Hey Cortana. It didn't work for everyone but it did for me on my 950XL. I could get a text while on the shower and reply without having to dry off and get to my phone. The fact that one drive worked with my music app and wondered play in my car was great. Now I'm using a One+ 5 (great phone by the way) but now 80Gb of music can't be played by Android music apps because they don't connect to OneDrive so when I connect my One+ 5 to Android Auto I can't play my music. $#! +. Wish I had a solution for that one. The Cortana on my Android is less useful too, because I can't launch by saying Hey Cortana (I've got touch a button) and there's a bit of a lag to run it on my premium phone - hate that too. So much that I hardly use Cortana on my Android. Story of my life!

 

[anon(50597)]

You answer texts while in the shower?

 

[CaymanDreamin]

The biggest thing about the OS that I miss is the way everything just worked together and not having to have “an app for that”. Regarding the look, I really missed the live tiles. My family and I switched to Motorola (Moto Z and Moto G lines) so we would have something close to stock android. Then I came across a launcher named SquareHome 2 and I got my live tiles back.

The family said it was first time they saw me smile using my phone since I got it. It even gives sizes not available on Windows phone as well as “cubes”. In the image, the tile for Chrome can also be moved with the finger like a dice and it shows Edge and Bing as well. You can also set short and long presses. On my photo live tile that you see in the bottom right, a short press takes me to my photos and a long press launches the camera. There are still things on the lock screen that I miss and being able to easily get back to a phone call from other screens, but overall, I’m very pleased.

 

[extrikate]

Search for Bixby remap

 

[ToddABraun]

Absolutely agree! I also miss the weather live tile. I purchased a used Samsung S8+ and love the hardware, but hated the OS for several days. After 2 weeks I'm finding some things to like about Android (trusted devices for example where your phone doesn't require an unlock if connected) and the quality of my commonly used non-Microsoft apps are vastly improved. However, I would have still preferred that Windows would have stayed around with a large enough following for good app support...

 

[Stefan Trbojevic]

I miss camera the most, im using microsoft launcher , next lock screen , cortana and pretty much every MS app that is out there on android platform. But man do we miss camera...

 

[Robert Buckner1]

I miss the texting reply capabilities when in the car. Every time a text came in, it prompted me to either ignore it or read it without pushing any buttons... It was just automatic. Loved that

 

[jason hendry1]

I miss live tiles and Cortana, also even though I have a great s7 edge, the keyboard on widows 8.1 Lumia 930 feels and works the best out of any keyboard on screen ive ever had. I still cant do reminders when I pass a location or arrive at a location one android or iPhone and well live tiles is just way better but I'm glad I'm out of windows mobile and that's cause of microsoft. I didn't like their windopws 10 reboot cause it ment my weekly calender view was removed and not replaced for 12 months, a small thing you think but apple and android wouldn't take it away in the first place. You then had linked email option removed from the reboot and that took 11 months to get back. Where and when as that been acceptable in any year. Yes I'm talking non insider here too. then microsoft didn't make gestures beta go across to windows 10, even though the app store advertised it worked in windows 10, guess what it never did. Microsft removed onedrive space only to back track, and then when I did hop over to android I got 100gig one drive space instead of the 15gig roll on my microsoft windown Lumia 930. Great customer support there alone. Now after less than 3 years microsoft has stoped supporting updates of the creater on my 930. Just 5 min ago I heard a phonre was available on verison, a 2 year old phone, everything microsoft has done and keeps doing just seems to be wrong. Window smobiel os to me is the best its a shame the microsoft company cant make software to any kind of real standard and speed now. they have lost more than consumer confidence, looks like they lost to many key skilled staff across their platforms. And yes their tablers surface 4 in particular ive seen many returnd. 4 hours to update them and make them work is a bit unbelievable when you just bought and received your very expensive tablet. especially as their is a growing lack of apps missing too.

 

[jason hendry1]

I tried it too, its not even close to a replacement for windows live tiles, I miss emails on my tile, messages on my whats app tile and calender info. all of which are severly lacking, most apps are basicly icons in a box and that's it.

 

[jason hendry1]

I loved the texiting hearing ND REPLUYING WHILE IN THE BATH TOO, IT WAS AWSOME FEATURE.

 

[jason hendry1]

I totally agree, exept didnt like the you tube app and the windows central app was so slow and buggy on my 930 i stoped using it on mobile. I loved metro tube but in 2016 end off it becaume very unreliable, i also had to use a seperat tuber for casting, tube cast, it sucked but gave me casting function when needed.

 

[jbrown9100]

I picked up the Note 8. I have Cortana but it runs as an app. I miss the deep integration of Cortana with the OS. Bixby wants to start up when I'm in my car on Bluetooth. Then Google wants to give me my turn by turn directions. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is nice. I could even get used to the Android OS but I wish Samsung would abandon Bixby for a partnership with Microsoft to make Cortana their AI

 

[jbrown9100]

You can't reprogram the Bixby button for now.

I'm constantly looking for a way to modify the hardware button that launches Bixby. I'd like to set it to launch the Cortana app.

 

[jbrown9100]

It is called bxActions. Works great.

Any benefit in going with the pro version?

 

[Jeamavanda]

I just switched from Lumia 950xl to LG V30 and I am realy missing the Camara App. With my Lumina I never got a bad picture of my kids when playing. The camera of this LG has really desaponted me off. If anybody knows of any good app for camara, please let me know.

 

[Umbra Emsisoft]

I still uses my 950XL for work stuff (sync with win10 online account, that is really great) and i have a 6inch screen sony Xperia for leisure and social stuff (youtube, etc...) .

What i miss on my Android phone from the Lumia, is the double tap feature to wake it up .