Does any former Windows Phone user feel like moving to Android was a downgrade?

IdleMind

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Little things I miss are, swipe to delete a message or thread. My phone allowing me to listen to, and use my voice to respond to text messages over Bluetooth while driving. Why am I seeing contacts just randomly delete themselves from my phone contact list? Doing a sync puts it back temporarily, but then it deletes again. I miss the dedicated camera button. The calculator app is missing some functionality that I really thought was common in all calculator apps. Yeah I'm being a bit petty, but it's those little things that I'm missing.
 

xandros9

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There's entire threads dedicated to that so you aren't alone.

I haven't found a comparable solution to Cortana's text handling.
I think you can change the SMS app (I use Signal when I'm on Android) and those have varying functionality.
The sync thing shouldn't be happening but I don't know what to tell you off the top of my head.
Sony Xperia models usually have camera buttons, maybe others.

It won't fix everything but this may help.

For what it's worth, you do get some benefits. More flexibility, a competent web browser, you can preemptively disable alarms if you're up before it goes off, etc.
 

Ryujingt3

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Yes, sometimes, I feel like this. But there's not a lot I can do about it. I miss just having a phone that I enjoyed using. Only Windows phones gave me that.
 

Kerry2112

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I switch between my 950XL and a Pixel 2XL - I use one until something about it annoys me and then I switch to the other for a while. I thought that, over time, I would end up using the Pixel more and more and the Lumia less and less but it really hasn't worked out that way; I use them both about the same amount.

I have a lot of the same frustrations with Android that the OP in this thread has. (By the way, ReadItToMe is the best app I have found on Android for reading and responding to messages by voice. It takes some work to configure and it's not perfect, but it works well enough and it covers much more than just SMS) But, more than anything, I'm struck by the sense of "coming home" that I feel when I boot up the Lumia. (And I'm a late convert to Windows phones, only buying my first one in early 2016.)

The experience with Outlook Mail/Calendar and Cortana (especially how well it integrates with my car bluetooth) is miles better than anything I've tried on Android. And it's a lot of other little things. For example, when I'm using Waze in the car on my Pixel, if I make a call, the phone app takes over the screen and, if the call is long enough, the screen goes dark and I have to wake it up manually after the call to get the Waze nav screen back. On my Lumia, the Waze screen always comes back automatically no matter how long the call. Another example: when I ask my Kia to call my wife on mobile, when I'm using the Lumia, it just calls her - no muss, no fuss. With the Pixel my car tells me it has multiple contacts with that name. But they all have the same mobile number! I've tried cleaning up the contacts list but nothing seems to work. I always have to choose among multiple numbers (that are all the same) to make the call. What's most striking about these car-related examples is that I did not have to "configure" my Lumia to work with the car in any way; it was just connect to bluetooth and go. With the Pixel, I've spend so much time in phone and app settings to try to make it work better in the car.

Obviously, there are advantages to Android as well. For my needs, though, it's not a slam-dunk better OS.
 

Elky64

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Definitely hasn't been a downgrade for me. Have owned many Androids and when we compare to our W10M counterparts - the added reliability, consistency, functionality, and speed, gained - makes that which was lost a very minimal compromise (imo). I also like the fact our devices now can be relied upon daily and for months on end (even years). Updates no longer hold our devices hostage and we get to enjoy technology advancement that WP ceased development on quite some time ago. Windows Phone has become spilt milk so even though it still incorporates some good traits at some point in the near future those too will be mopped up due to the lack of advancements.
 

rick1979

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with windows support ending at end of the year i just jumped to android as when support ends i might not of had enough to buy a phone
 

Adventurer64

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Yes! That's why I purchased a 950xl off ebay last September and have been using it since. I still have a V20 and turn it on every couple weeks to update and make sure it still works. I'm a minimalist when it comes to apps, so W10M is perfect for me. However, when the United app stops working, I'll likely start using my V20 again. Not looking forward to that day. I was at T-Mobile today looking at phones for my wife and the long skinny phones drive me crazy, so I'm in no hurry to drop $1k on blah.
 

nt40lanman

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I haven't switched yet but I've dabbled with some older androids and iphones and don't prefer them. I'm a minimalist so my Lumia 950 has been just great. Just recently I found an app I'd really like to have in the Samsung Smartthings app.
 

sd4f

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I've just made the switch, and I'll write up what I'm finding annoying.

For starters; google. They're annoying. At every turn, the OS is reminding me that I'm being mined, and google wants me to use their services. Something which was meant to be a feature of android which is being able to use alternatives, well, I still get this iPhone perception that using MS products is kind of allowed, but not fully supported by the OS.

A lot of MS apps aren't as nice as the W10M versions, while they do work better and run better. I really don't like the Microsoft Translator app on android. It has the same functionality, but the UI is generally awful. I'm trying the Microsoft Launcher, but wondering whether it's necessary. Some aspects are nice, but otherwise, dunno. I do like the bing daily image.

I haven't tried other android phones, so this only applies to the Nokia 8 flavour of android, but it feels generic, and is missing a few fine tuning features, most of them are just lack of familiarity on my part, but I'm finding that I'm having to go to the top of the screen too often. It sucks on larger phones.

A lot of the things are just about getting used to the new device. I'm trying to base my opinions not against what I'm used to and familiar with, however, eliminating that is impossible, but I generally think that android just lacks refinement and integration.

The app store, this is basically android's one real feature, everything is there. Comparing the two, it becomes painstakingly obvious that MS has got no chance of success on any mobile like device, unless their app store and environment is thriving. With that said, the google one is plagued with garbage apps, but that's due to Google's hands-off algorithmic curation.

All the talk of a surface phone, or andromeda device is pointless. I think that the first indicator that MS is serious about mobile again will be when they start to really improve their app store. At the moment, it appears to me that they're leisurely building a foundation.
 
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IdleMind

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I really wish that MS had more support from the companies, and developers that build mobile apps. From the beginning it seemed as tho they just ignored the fact that a Windows Phone even existed. And then when one was made it was like an afterthought. Even when going to the phone store, the reps never pointed to the Windows Phone. They only pushed Android & iPhone. I'm really a bit frustrated about the Bluetooth feature. Having my phone alert me of a new message was really great. I mean it doesn't work on ANY Bluetooth connected audio device. It worked on more than just the car Bluetooth, but the car Bluetooth functionally was easily the most valuable IMO. Also, I don't know if I'm missing something when I create reminders using Cortana, but on Android she doesn't confirm that it was created, or confirm if she understood me when I create one. I find myself using my Invoke more to create reminders just so I can get the feedback. I also miss being able to get alerts on my PC automatically when a message, or call comes through the phone. There's an app for the PC, but I have to launch it to use it. I liked how it just worked on my WP without me having to do anything extra. :-(
 

Dono Newcomb

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I bought a Razer Phone because I watched Dan recommend it for swapping from Windows to Android because it has good specs and little bloatware.

So far I hate it, Android is unreliable and buggy. Razer doesn't seem to offer good support so far, and basic phone functions are problematic.

$400.00 bucks down the toilet IMO so far.
 

Elky64

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I bought a Razer Phone because I watched Dan recommend it for swapping from Windows to Android because it has good specs and little bloatware.

So far I hate it, Android is unreliable and buggy. Razer doesn't seem to offer good support so far, and basic phone functions are problematic.

$400.00 bucks down the toilet IMO so far.

I'm pretty sure there's a correlation between that recommendation and the fact the phones are being sold via Microsoft's Store...

So going by what we've read/seen in regards to the Razer Phone(s). It's my honest opinion you picked the wrong phone to test-drive Android (if that's the case) almost guaranteeing a much better experienced with a more seasoned device. Razer Inc. released the first gen in Nov 2017 so they haven't had much time to mature so to speak, reviews weren't great either from what I recall.
 
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sd4f

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I bought a Razer Phone because I watched Dan recommend it for swapping from Windows to Android because it has good specs and little bloatware.

So far I hate it, Android is unreliable and buggy. Razer doesn't seem to offer good support so far, and basic phone functions are problematic.

$400.00 bucks down the toilet IMO so far.

Little bloatware is good, but I'd also tell you to avoid 'stock android'. A lot of reviewers mention it, and make a big deal about it, but realistically stock android means google ecosystem.

I can also tell you that Nokia is having issues, and they seem to be releasing a new phone more often than software updates. Support is lacking for bug fixes as well.

If you want stock android because you're all in on google services, it really leaves only the pixel phones, meanwhile, I think Samsung is otherwise the better one to look into.

I just want to stress this point, stock android means google's android, and that means it's loaded with google's apps and services. If you are happy with MS services, and basically want just the play store, well, I'd recommend against stock android.
 

fat8893

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The keyboard is an absolute joy to use on W10M. It's so hard to use the keyboard on Android without that arrow circle.

Another feature that is joyous and useful at the same time is the Privacy setting. It's so much more intuitive in W10M compared to Android. Sure that you can turn off certain elements like Camera or Contacts to name a few in Android starting from 6.0.1, but you could never allow an app to NOT run in background unless if you flash custom ROM like LineageOS.

Oh btw, former Android user here.
 

sd4f

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The keyboard is an absolute joy to use on W10M. It's so hard to use the keyboard on Android without that arrow circle.

Another feature that is joyous and useful at the same time is the Privacy setting. It's so much more intuitive in W10M compared to Android. Sure that you can turn off certain elements like Camera or Contacts to name a few in Android starting from 6.0.1, but you could never allow an app to NOT run in background unless if you flash custom ROM like LineageOS.

Oh btw, former Android user here.

I definitely feel that android is a downgrade. The only reason it's working is because of the apps and third party support. Just about every aspect of the UI is worse and just feels that it's slower to adjust things, and make the phone suit me. I think it goes beyond familiarity, because just doing OS related things are just slow, clunky and not intuitive.

It seems to be a google thing though, since it translates into other areas too, like desktop chrome, where similarly, the settings are convoluted and slow to make changes. I can only speculate, but think that it's by design.
 

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