Moving over to Android and coming back from Android: How did it feel like

[PepsimanLeh]

What's up guys. Like the title says, I am going to share with you guys how it feels coming back to WP.

I used to own a Nokia Lumia 620 back in 2012. It was yellow and I love it so much. Very proud of it. It was different and it was smooth. No one saw a Lumia before, they didn't know what it is. Caught their eyes.

It was great for me. UI was refreshing, overall smooth, great camera (with Pro Cam). Only drawback is the app-gap. True story. I hang out with my friends and they download some apps and I tried to find them but I can't. It was more then app-gap,it was peer-gap.

But I still love it. I use it and I show people how smooth it is.

But then some day my 620 was cracked and I changed to Nokia XL. I was skeptical at first. I didn't care so much about the apps actually, but, it comes naturally if you use Android. Sooo many apps! I had all the apps I wanted. The phone itself wasn't smooth but the apps got me really satisfied. Really well-built. Frequent updates.

And then I thought WP apps store has improved. WP are by nature smooth, and now we have most of the apps. I thought the app-gap issue were solved. But it wasn't.

Now I am back to WP with Nokia Lumia 930. The OS is smooth, camera is unbelievable, I have most of the apps I wanted. But the apps weren't well-built. They look like and feel like beta apps. It wasn't consistent and little upgrades.

I use WP because of Nokia. Nokia produce good phones (despite some defects on some phones) and the OS is also good but we need to improve. The apps need to improve if we are going to compete with Android and iOS. While a lot of people are starting to notice WP and starting to try WP, I think the reason WP market share is not growing is because people tried WP and then abandoned it because the apps weren't great enough.

Windows 10 definitely needs to improve the apps issue. We need to make devs want to develop good apps for WP. Smartphone nowadays need apps.

Wow, it's a long post.

 

[anon(5789608)]

I bought the galaxy S5.. I used for a few weeks and then i sold it.

I love my 925.

 

[Ma Rio]

IDK for you but I have everything I need.

There's Skype, Facebook, Messenger, a decent browser, Vine, Soundcloud, Maps, YouTube, Office, OneDrive,Shazam, Twitter and a few other ones.
I don't need almost anything else.

 

[mikepalma]

IDK for you but I have everything I need.

There's Skype, Facebook, Messenger, a decent browser, Vine, Soundcloud, Maps, YouTube, Office, OneDrive,Shazam, Twitter and a few other ones.
I don't need almost anything else.

App selection is awful in WP compared to the big 2. Just a fact. With that said, however, WP 8.1 (and hopefully 10) is a far superior OS. Lets just hope 10 brings the apps, then we all be good

 

[PepsimanLeh]

IDK for you but I have everything I need.

There's Skype, Facebook, Messenger, a decent browser, Vine, Soundcloud, Maps, YouTube, Office, OneDrive,Shazam, Twitter and a few other ones.
I don't need almost anything else.

Yes, we have almost all the big apps. But is our apps' quality comparable to their?
For example, in LINE Messenger we cannot reply to comment in timeline.
Our Instagram, BBM, Opera Mini is still in Beta.
Whatsapp is still waiting for call feature.
Facebook still waiting waiting for the new article feature.
And a lot of others.

We may not need those features but other users need them.

 

[D M C]

I am totally agreed with you.
App quality on WP is really an issue.
Although OS itself is fluid but apps experience make it feel like unreliable phone.
Crashing apps are pretty much normal in WP.

 

[Laura Knotek]

IDK for you but I have everything I need.

There's Skype, Facebook, Messenger, a decent browser, Vine, Soundcloud, Maps, YouTube, Office, OneDrive,Shazam, Twitter and a few other ones.
I don't need almost anything else.

Yes, we have almost all the big apps. But is our apps' quality comparable to their?
For example, in LINE Messenger we cannot reply to comment in timeline.
Our Instagram, BBM, Opera Mini is still in Beta.
Whatsapp is still waiting for call feature.
Facebook still waiting waiting for the new article feature.
And a lot of others.

We may not need those features but other users need them.

Another glaring difference is with OneDrive. The Android version allows uploading of pictures/videos in full resolution without waiting for WiFi.

 

[Zakaria Desai]

True, my way of encouraging more app developers to come to WP, is by paying for an app I like.

MyTube, metromail. Really good apps that I had no hesitation paying for.

 

[Ed YANG]

Whenever it comes to hardware, especially in the camera game, LUMIAs and SONYs often comes out in the comparison list. LUMIAs are much better in VFM qualities. While SONY often looses in the pricing points.
Certainly, some folks will defend for LG as well as SAMSUNG together with other brands and makes in the market... but does any one can really judge in the price versus hardware performance field?

Being in the BlackBerry camp for a certain period of time... when it comes to OS, i will put my BBs as my daily working partners even though the cameras sucks. What's important in daily life with smart phones are the UIs as well as navigation and general usage experience. I myself finds that WP lacks what BB may have... by few features. Otherwise, the WPs are good in other non-work related stuffs, like gaming and photography.
I had a great experience in photography with Lumia 525, that's why i went ahead to get 2 640s as my weekend side kicks... duh... don't ask me why i have to get 2... just ask Microsoft's Singapore marketing team why they never considered bringing in dual sim versions for the market...

 

[Alfa Kapa]

I left android cause of the lag ,choppiness and Google integration in every corner of the OS.
Even if W10m have 10 apps in the store, I won't move to Android.

I guess I'm not an app guy :|
Also my eyes don't want to have any relationship with lag and choppiness. Stupid eyes.

 

[TechFreak1]

Not as long as some *cough*... been typing up essay posts lately.. oops.:grincry:

Microsoft did unveil 4 solutions to the app gap at build, the three key ones for phones being Web apps able to access low level resources (so a banks web wrapper can use the camera for quick deposits), porting tools for ios and android.

Once Windows 10 is released on the x1, it will blow the top of this for sure - as it would complete the "3 screens and the cloud" principle that has been talked about for the past few years.

After that Microsoft would be a crucial point, if they fail here and I'm making no bones about it - People will not give them a second chance and it will take a lot more time to regain that trust.

Why?

Simple, the youth of tomorrow are more inclined to follow and believe what they read / hear on tech blogs. Not to mention as the OP puts it "Peer Gap" is more pervasive in teenagers and will be for the foreseeable future.

The competition is well aware about this and have being making steps that they remain relevant which is clearly evident if you look at everything closely in the public and not-so public domain.

Never the less this is not new and such practices have been in existence for centuries; however due to technology & the internet the consequences/results of these practises are far more reaching than the centuries past.

 

[Maxy12]

I love windows phone and I don't want to buy any android phone because they are Google.
Most important for me stability,security ,fluid and smooth OS, beautiful UI, different UI,Microsoft and Nokia brands, not Google and copycat brands,easy to use and updates.
All I found in windows phone.
Regarding application gap you can find alternatives for Opera mini , instagram and some of other programs. I'm sure if you dig into the store you will find gems.
I've MyAppFree and it gives me everyday fresh app free , I advice you to downlaod MyFreeApp.

 

[EBUK]

I bought the L735 after a bad experience with Android - the Moto G 4G was just a horrible device to use. Why so many people loved it, I don't know!

Anyway, I love the L735. But I don't love some of the omissions and quirks in the WP8.1 OS. Why do I HAVE to have location services on to use Quiet Hours? No ring and vibrate - just vibrate, then ring. No proper WiFi toggle... And not to mention the app quality. I'm not an app monster, so WP has everything I need. But recently I thought I'd give Android another try, so I bought the LG G3. Lovely phone, easy to root, great ergonomics, superb camera. But there is some lag. I've disabled most Google services with no undesirable effects.

The Android experience isn't too bad. It's even possible to set permissions for individual apps, just like on iOS and to a lesser extent on WP, although a 3rd party app is required to access this hidden feature of Android. So many apps. Apps everywhere... Play Store, F-Droid, Amazon Apps, LG SmartWorld... Android is overflowing with apps. Yet, I couldn't find a single one that replicates WP's WiFi Near Me feature.

I miss the WP experience. More specifically, I miss the WP8.1 experience. I've been using W10 for Phones on my L735 (fast ring), but I'm not overly impressed with the experience, and I've come to the decision that if W10 for Phones is not significantly improved feature-wise, then there is little reason for me to return to the platform.

My major gripe at the moment is that the hamburger menu is poorly implemented. I have nothing against the hamburger, but in iOS and Android, I can swipe from the left hand edge of the screen and access the menu which is great on a phone with a 5+ inch screen; in W10 for Phones this same gesture doesn't nothing. I hope MS remedies this.

 

[lerimer]

Back when Windows phone 7 came out I switched from iOS to Windows. The app gap was there and I managed to live without the apps that I wanted for awhile. I remember my first Windows phone.... It was the Samsung focus. After a couple of years I switched to Android with the note 2. It was app heaven... But after just two months I was bored with the phone, the OS and Google in general so I went back to Windows phone. Today I have a Lumia 1520 that I totally love ❤ and even though the gap in apps is still visible I will never go back to Android.

 

[LumiaWorld]

Seriously if not for the Rudy Huyn apps and other third party apps I might have jumped ship already to Android lol. Big thanks to them!

 

[chmun77]

XL is not a good Android phone to begin with. It is not having the full Google play services. Long story short, between my 1520 and Note 4, Android is still my preferred daily driver and Windows Phone really has lots to catch with - regardless of apps or OS itself. For example, then new hamburger menu. MS is trying hard to implement it. But why is it lacking the swipe from left edge gesture like Android? The need to tap the top left menu in order to open it by stretching your thumb is just very wrong.

MS apps on Android platform as also much polished and start up much quicker. One Drive app is an excellent example as well. I can edit sharing permissions easily on the Android version, while I cannot turn sharing off on the Windows Phone version. Facebook experiences on Android is so much better too. The current Facebook app on Windows Phone is just totally rubbish. Tons of loading and resuming behaviors while app switching on Android is so quick and smooth.

Don't get me wrong. I want Windows Phone to flourish, perhaps with the help of W10 for phone it will be leaps and bounds as comparing to the current WP. I don't care if Google is the "bad" guy or MS is the "better" one. As long as the platform can serve me well, that's the platform I will like to be with. However, before that actually happen, Android is still the better choice, at least for me.

 

[PepsimanLeh]

I got XL because of budget issue and I was curious about a Nokia Android. Too bad it didn't impress me. Fastlane was a great idea, but I would also love to have a fully functional notification bar. And I didn't like the tiles so I got Z Launcher. Don't get me wrong, I love tiles on WP but I was expecting something different when I am on an Android phone.

And also, I wonder if anyone notice this but, WP 8.1 are also starting to stutter a little bit? Like when you switch between apps then you press start then the start screen animation is a little not smooth?
It must not be caused by low specs cos I am on 930 and WP 8.1 GDR 2 now.

Microsoft have one chance, one last chance. If they don't do well with W10M this time, we wouldn't be able to gain new momentum.
I think that apps on W10M are going to be amazing. Or will it stay the same like now?

 

[chmun77]

I got XL because of budget issue and I was curious about a Nokia Android. Too bad it didn't impress me. Fastlane was a great idea, but I would also love to have a fully functional notification bar. And I didn't like the tiles so I got Z Launcher. Don't get me wrong, I love tiles on WP but I was expecting something different when I am on an Android phone.

And also, I wonder if anyone notice this but, WP 8.1 are also starting to stutter a little bit? Like when you switch between apps then you press start then the start screen animation is a little not smooth?
It must not be caused by low specs cos I am on 930 and WP 8.1 GDR 2 now.

Microsoft have one chance, one last chance. If they don't do well with W10M this time, we wouldn't be able to gain new momentum.
I think that apps on W10M are going to be amazing. Or will it stay the same like now?

Agree. W10 - one last chance from me. If the app supports and choices are not getting better, I'm dropping this platform for good. I will switch over to Android fully and not looking back then. Fingers crossed for W10 for phone.

As for the stuttering, it happens at the start screen as well. Pull to the left for the app jump list, wait a while and pull back to the start, you will see a slight delay. The screen doesn't follow your finger.

 

[Formula84]

I got XL because of budget issue and I was curious about a Nokia Android. Too bad it didn't impress me. Fastlane was a great idea, but I would also love to have a fully functional notification bar. And I didn't like the tiles so I got Z Launcher. Don't get me wrong, I love tiles on WP but I was expecting something different when I am on an Android phone.

And also, I wonder if anyone notice this but, WP 8.1 are also starting to stutter a little bit? Like when you switch between apps then you press start then the start screen animation is a little not smooth?
It must not be caused by low specs cos I am on 930 and WP 8.1 GDR 2 now.

Microsoft have one chance, one last chance. If they don't do well with W10M this time, we wouldn't be able to gain new momentum.
I think that apps on W10M are going to be amazing. Or will it stay the same like now?

That lag/stutter is actually caused by two live tiles that iI have found, try unpinning / removing the tile for Music and any Cortana tiles... Something with the animation of those tiles causes that micro stutter when returning to the home screen.

 

[PepsimanLeh]

That lag/stutter is actually caused by two live tiles that iI have found, try unpinning / removing the tile for Music and any Cortana tiles... Something with the animation of those tiles causes that micro stutter when returning to the home screen.

Wow, thanks! No more lag after removing Cortana tile. That's the fluid WP we all want

We need to tell Microsoft about this.