New features are nice. They reel people in. I hear SmartGlass is nice, Lenses are awesome and Wallet could be game changing. But once the smell of fresh paint wears off, everyone will notice the tiny, nagging problems and imperfections. And they add up. You retain your users not only by adding new features to keep them engaged, but by improving existing ones to keep them happy.
Below is a compilation of suggestions for Windows Phone that have not been implemented in its latest iteration, as well as any flaws identified in the new operating system. You can directly contribute to this list by posting your own ideas, and rebutting points you do not agree with. I will keep the compilation updated the best I can by adding new suggestions and scratching off older ones addressed in OS updates or through an existing fix / workaround. However, you may have also run into problems during your time with Windows Phone - please post them here. An open discussion of a problem allows for the community to chime in on possible solutions or workarounds to your dilemma. If there is no logical fix for your problem, it will be added to the list.
Lastly, remember this is just a discussion on a community forum. The input here is fantastic and I appreciate it all, but do add your individual suggestions to the Windows Phone UserVoice site as well. That is a feature suggestion platform that Microsoft itself monitors, so you might even get your feature implemented.
Basics
More consistent landscape behaviour - only select screens seem to support the landscape orientation and many third party apps do not have an animation for screen rotation.
Roll out services globally - Xbox Music Pass, video rentals, voice recognition, Bing cards and Local Scout are not functional in some countries.
Swipe down for status bar - make all apps "full screen" and provide consistent access to the status bar through a downwards swipe from the top edge.
Wireless printing - implement ability to print from the device, particularly for documents.
Flexible app layout - guidelines for apps to handle when notifications and calls are on-screen. Apps should be squashed down rather than overlapped yet still usable.
System-wide tap to top - tap list headings to jump back to the top of the list.
Third party cloud storage integration - allow services such as DropBox, Box and Google Drive to integrate for upload of media and documents.
Roll out Data Sense usage monitoring - while the data compression feature of Data Sense may need individual carrier approval, there's no good reason why data usage monitoring did not ship on every WP8 device.
11/07/13: GDR2 brings Data Sense to more carriers, but more is far from all. Via WPCentral
Fix problems causing "other" storage category to take up a lot of space - could be due to improper flushing of caches and installations.
USB tethering
Support more .wav codecs - useful for voicemails in particular
11/07/13: GDR2 brings much improved .wav codec support, though it does lack the a-law codec. Via All About Windows Phone
Fix low resolution profile photo for Me tile
11/07/13: GDR2 appears to fix this bug. Via WPCentral
Accounts+Settings
Add social services without linking - allow for Facebook and Twitter to be added to the phone without linking them to the primary Microsoft account.
Integrate with more services - integration with Facebook, Twitter, etc. should be fleshed out and should be expanded to more services.
System-wide orientation lock
Order settings page more logically - settings are not in any sort of order.
Expand brightness options - brightness is limited to three levels, and on AMOLED devices the "low" setting is still far too bright.
Add "never" option to screen time out - this can be useful for playing music.
Allow for primary Microsoft account to be renamed without requiring a hard reset
17/04/13: Outlook.com update brings log-in by alias, which should have fixed this. Via Outlook Blog
Optional permanent status bar - provide the option for the status bar to be stay visible at all times.
Battery status as a percentage - add option to show the battery percentage in the status bar rather than the icon.
Monday as start of the week - was in WP7.
ISO 8601 date format - YYYY-MM-DD, was in WP7.
Alarms+Stopwatches+Timers
Simple once-off alarm - add ability to quickly set a once-off alarm, rather than having to configure a preset through a multi-field entry screen.
Open up ringtone/alert sounds directory - allow for third party apps to add and use sounds from a common directory, particularly useful for timers and alarms.
Backup+Migration
Backup app data - provide universal method to back up app data, whether through the cloud (SkyDrive) or locally (sync software).
Batch app migration - simple process to install all apps that are on an existing device to a new one.
Better purchase history - provide more metadata, filtering and sorting for the purchase history. Provide installation information (how long an app has been installed, last installed date), filter by free/trial/paid and app/game, sort by last installed date.
Start screen sync
Calendar
Improve agenda (day) view - can be very confusing to navigate and is not always clear where you are at and where you will be navigating to.
Week view - a structured week view is not available.
Enhance month view - month view does not provide any useful information about scheduled tasks and appointments.
Simple appointment scheduler - scheduling an appointment is currently a multi-step procedure that requires swiping, tapping and keyboard input, especially when a custom timeframe has to be defined. It would be preferable if the process can be simplified.
Temp fix: Apollo's SaveAppointmentTask launcher could allow for a third party app with this functionality. Via Windows Phone Geek
More appointments on Live Tile - only displays one appointment on the Live Tile.
Fully fledged task implementation - task functionality is basic, especially compared to Outlook.
Camera
Quick adjustments - you have to wade through a menu to access settings such as ISO, provide an easier method to configure these adjustments.
On-screen camera button - this is already possible through registry tweaks in WP7. It allows for instant capture without shake.
Change the default camera app
11/07/13: GDR2 makes this possible on some devices. Via WPCentral
Connectivity
Accessible connectivity toggles - it is difficult to quickly toggle WiFi, mobile data, etc. This could be solved by a dropdown from the status bar or by allowing individual settings to be pinned as Live Tiles.
Persistent WiFi - WiFi disconnects when the device is off and not charging. Tests have already proven that WiFi does not significantly drain the battery if left on, so this is an arbitrary restriction.
10/12/12: Portico adds an option for persistent WiFi. Via WPCentral
VPN support
Future fix: to be shipped as part of the Enterprise Feature Pack, due in 1H 2014. Via All About Microsoft
Native DLNA support
Support more Bluetooth profiles - for example HID (keyboards) and SPP (Pebble smartwatch).
CalDAV & CardDAV support
11/07/13: GDR2 brings CalDAV & CardDAV support. Via All About Windows Phone
Support WPA2 Enterprise encryption
Email
Select all - you cannot easily select all emails in any particular view / folder.
Improved Gmail support - generally poor support for Gmail's folder structure and labels.
"Always download images" option - images must be manually downloaded on a per-email basis, regardless of the sender. There can also be an option to only allow automatic image download on WiFi.
Consistent navigation hierarchy with folders - currently, pressing back while in a custom folder will take the user back to the start screen instead of the email inbox.
Show next email after deleting - option to display the next email when one is deleted, rather than going back to the inbox / folder.
Outlook.com alias support - allow for email to be sent to and from aliases without needing them to be added separately.
Change sender option - let the user choose what email address to send from, especially in the cases of Outlook.com and aliases.
Temp fix: Outlook.com's web interface allows for the default sender address to be changed to any alias as a semi-fix. Via a5cent & Gorki247
Support for S/MIME standard
Future fix: to be shipped as part of the Enterprise Feature Pack, due in 1H 2014. Via All About Microsoft
Fix tile counter - tile counter resets when an inbox is opened, even when the unread emails are not opened.
Enterprise
Better mobile device management
Future fix: to be shipped as part of the Enterprise Feature Pack, due in 1H 2014. Via All About Microsoft
Certificate management
Future fix: to be shipped as part of the Enterprise Feature Pack, due in 1H 2014. Via All About Microsoft
Hardware Buttons
Windows button light as notification LED - capacitive Windows buttons will strobe (flash on and off) or breathe (fade in and out) when there is a new (lock screen) notification.
Adjust hardware button lights
Disable hardware button lights during video playback
Adjust hardware button vibration
Internet Explorer
Easy desktop/mobile switching - annoying to switch between desktop and mobile views. This should preferably be offered on a per-site basis, which will help aid problems where particular sites incorrectly send mobile IE to a WAP version.
Speed dial - a blank new tab page is an incredible waste of space. It would be nice to have some favourites displayed, or addresses you navigate to often.
More visible controls - Microsoft insists that having only one bar of controls is an advantage. It isn't. Just about every other browser allows for quick access to a favourites list, tab switching, address bar and stop/reload in one tap or gesture. It's an unnecessary limitation and if Microsoft desires a more full-screen web, it should just add a full-screen mode.
Navigation controls - add buttons or swipe gestures to go forward and back in the browser. Hardware back button is inconsistent and is not preferable for a browser.
Text reflow - no option to reflow text based on the width of the screen, particularly helpful for sites with fixed content frames built for the desktop.
Remove blank tabs - there are often blank tabs left open, for example when the browser is used to open a YouTube link. They serve no purpose and should just be automatically closed when not active.
Open links in background tab
Folders in favourites
Resuming from tile should keep navigational history - after resuming from the IE tile, the back button should take you back within the browser instead of taking you to the start screen.
Support HLS protocol - streaming protocol necessary for services such as iPlayer.
Reach parity in standardised HTML5 features
11/07/13: GDR2 brings improved compatibility. Via WPCentral
Keyboard
Gesture typing - Swype is a great option to have.
Number row - no option to have a number row above the usual QWERTY layout.
Kids Corner
Fix locking bug - Kids Corner gets locked with the phone's pin code.
Live Tiles
Quick actions on Live Tiles - allow for some quick actions to be executed or accessed directly from the tile, such as replying to a new text message.
More layout options - Live Tiles are fairly restricted in terms of layout. Provide a wider range of animations (sliding and scrolling?) and layouts.
Groups and dividers - allow for grouping of tiles with the use of dividers and naming.
Lock Screen
Revert to media controls on the lock screen - WP8 (and 7.8) removed the media controls from the lock screen and changed it to an automatic drop-down when the screen is turned on. This interferes with toast notifications and is an inconvenience.
Mapping
Hands-free voice navigation - screen has to be tapped for the next direction to be spoken.
More map shown when navigating - default Maps app fills most of the screen with oversized directions.
Bing transit directions - already available for other platforms.
Messaging
Select all - allow for the user to select all message threads with a menu option.
10/12/12: Portico brings select all to messaging. Via WPCentral
Search - allow SMS and MMS to be searched, whether within the app or through a universal search implementation.
Drafts
10/12/12: Portico adds SMS drafts. Via WPCentral
Select text - allow for the usual text highlighting to select a portion of text within a message.
Fix tile counter - tile counter resets when the messaging app is opened, even when the unread messages are not opened.
Music+Videos
Scrubbing in audio playback view - allow for movement to a particular section in an audio file. This might not be a huge deal for music, but is annoying for podcasts.
Cancel audio playback - allow audio controls to be removed from the volume drop-down without the use of a third party app like Stop The Music!
Music library and playback should be one app - music playback is currently a separate app, which means you can't always press the back button to return to the library from it.
Clear history in Music hub
Gapless audio playback
FM radio
11/07/13: GDR2 brings back this feature. Via WPCentral
Better playlist management - allow for playlists to be created, edited and streamed easier.
Fix buggy podcast subscriptions - users syncing podcasts with iTunes are unable to subscribe to podcasts on the phone.
Temp fix: you can regain on-device subscription functionality by removing the synced podcasts or through a hard reset. Via thor_molecules
Lyrics support
Better rating system - allow for star ratings as opposed to the current like / dislike heart system.
Support for more media formats
Add podcasts through URL
Improve Xbox Music metadata
11/07/13: GDR2 is said to bring more accurate metadata. Via WPCentral
Fix Xbox Music DRM issues
Add Xbox Video support
Multitasking
Resume apps instead of relaunching them - apps relaunch when opened from the application list or from a tile. They should resume per standard practice on smartphones.
29/10/12: Apollo allows developers to implement this optionally. Via Mystictrust
Mandate multitasking methods - fast app switching and fast app resume need to be automatically implemented during compilation. Developers should not be left to implement these features themselves.
Fast app resume from toast notifications
Improve task switcher efficiency - task switcher cannot even fit two apps on the screen at once, which limits its usefulness as a true multitasking tool.
Close apps from task switcher - add an app bar button or gesture to the task switcher so apps can be closed.
Gesture based app switching - allow for an edge or multi-finger gesture to switch between apps quickly, ? la Windows 8.
Background download agent - create a background download agent that apps can utilise to complete downloads in the background. The agent can be triggered on a schedule (a podcatcher refreshing its feed once a day) or when an app is open (preloading a video on YouTube).
Notifications
Toast notification aggregation - once toasts are missed, they are gone forever. Toasts should be collected in a notification centre of sorts.
Improve toast notification reliability
Enhance social notification list - the social notifications screen in the Me tile can be brought to the left of the tiles on the start screen. It can be enhanced with in-line manipulation and integration with third party apps.
Allow more notifications on lock screen - there is currently a maximum of five quick status apps and one detailed status app. This could be made scrollable.
Fix loud notification sounds while on a call
11/07/13: GDR2 may have softened notification sounds during a call. Via GoodThings2Life
Always play notification sounds through a plugged in headset - on occasion, they would play through the phone speaker.
11/07/13: GDR2 may have fixed this. Via GoodThings2Life
Office
Optional OneNote syncing - OneNote will hold up other tasks by insisting on syncing notes when you exit them, which can be extremely slow in areas of poor coverage.
Local syncing - Office files cannot be synced between PC and phone, only through SkyDrive.
29/10/12: Apollo brings drag and drop file management for documents, music, pictures, ringtones and video. Via WinSuperSite
Undo in applications
Expand Word feature set - Word is nothing more than a glorified notepad on Windows Phone. Add more functionality.
People
Deeper Skype integration - add Skype as a system account and allow for calls to be made through the People hub.
Fix Skype - it's broken. It takes forever to resume from the start screen, doesn't auto-scroll to new messages while in the app, has poor reliability, is buggy in landscape?
11/07/13: GDR2 supposedly improves VoIP stability and performance. Via WPCentral
Phone
Speed dial - quickly dial favourite contacts using speed dial.
Predictive dialing - dialer should display possible matches stored in contacts.
Grouped history - allow call history to be grouped by contact.
Single gesture accept / decline - accept or decline phone calls in one gesture, even from the lock screen.
Show call length in history
Reject calls with SMS
10/12/12: Portico provides SMS Call Reject. Via WPCentral
Search
Universal search - search is limited to web searches and searching other content requires you to jump into individual apps with inconsistent placement of the search button.
Google via search button - allow for the search app launched through the search button to direct web searches to Google.
Sounds
Remove custom ringtone restrictions - custom ringtones must be tagged as a ringtone, cut to a certain length and compressed to a certain size.
29/10/12: Apollo allows for audio files to be added to the device as a ringtone through the Windows Phone app without such restrictions. Via Mystictrust
Per-app toast sounds - allow apps to add custom sounds for their toast notifications.
Provide on-device ringtone management - existing music files on the device cannot be set to be used as a ringtone if not synced across as so.
Separate volume controls - there is only one volume setting for music playback, app volume and ringer volume. At the very least, there should be an option to separate the ringer volume.
Option for fewer volume levels - 30 volume levels takes perhaps unnecessary time to move through, fewer levels could work. (I've personally been using just 10 with a registry hack and it works great.)
Custom alert sounds - add ability to use custom audio files for alerts and other sound producing system events.
Sound profiles - provide a few basic sound profiles that can be configured, and perhaps even change based on time and geolocation.
More toggles in volume drop-down - pressing on the round icon will present a list that will allow you to quickly switch between ring, ring+vibrate, vibrate and silent.
Custom SMS message tones - assign custom tones to contacts for SMS.
Storage
Expand SD card capabilities - allow for the SD card to store email attachments, documents and podcasts.
Apps on SD card - if possible without major compromises, allow for apps to be installed on the SD card. (Else, ban the 8S from sale. Seriously.)
Store
Easily identified incompatibilities - users currently have to select an app to see if it is compatible with their device. Incompatible apps should be flagged as such in all views (featured apps, lists within categories and search, etc).
Syncing
WiFi sync
Podcast support in Xbox Music
Auto-playlists
Sync companion app for Windows 7
Bundle MTP drivers in Mac client - Media Transfer Protocol allows the native file explorer to access the device, similar to mass storage.
TellMe
Voice dictation for text boxes system-wide
Natural language parsing
Below is a compilation of suggestions for Windows Phone that have not been implemented in its latest iteration, as well as any flaws identified in the new operating system. You can directly contribute to this list by posting your own ideas, and rebutting points you do not agree with. I will keep the compilation updated the best I can by adding new suggestions and scratching off older ones addressed in OS updates or through an existing fix / workaround. However, you may have also run into problems during your time with Windows Phone - please post them here. An open discussion of a problem allows for the community to chime in on possible solutions or workarounds to your dilemma. If there is no logical fix for your problem, it will be added to the list.
Lastly, remember this is just a discussion on a community forum. The input here is fantastic and I appreciate it all, but do add your individual suggestions to the Windows Phone UserVoice site as well. That is a feature suggestion platform that Microsoft itself monitors, so you might even get your feature implemented.
Basics
More consistent landscape behaviour - only select screens seem to support the landscape orientation and many third party apps do not have an animation for screen rotation.
Roll out services globally - Xbox Music Pass, video rentals, voice recognition, Bing cards and Local Scout are not functional in some countries.
Swipe down for status bar - make all apps "full screen" and provide consistent access to the status bar through a downwards swipe from the top edge.
Wireless printing - implement ability to print from the device, particularly for documents.
Flexible app layout - guidelines for apps to handle when notifications and calls are on-screen. Apps should be squashed down rather than overlapped yet still usable.
System-wide tap to top - tap list headings to jump back to the top of the list.
Third party cloud storage integration - allow services such as DropBox, Box and Google Drive to integrate for upload of media and documents.
Roll out Data Sense usage monitoring - while the data compression feature of Data Sense may need individual carrier approval, there's no good reason why data usage monitoring did not ship on every WP8 device.
11/07/13: GDR2 brings Data Sense to more carriers, but more is far from all. Via WPCentral
Fix problems causing "other" storage category to take up a lot of space - could be due to improper flushing of caches and installations.
USB tethering
11/07/13: GDR2 brings much improved .wav codec support, though it does lack the a-law codec. Via All About Windows Phone
11/07/13: GDR2 appears to fix this bug. Via WPCentral
Accounts+Settings
Add social services without linking - allow for Facebook and Twitter to be added to the phone without linking them to the primary Microsoft account.
Integrate with more services - integration with Facebook, Twitter, etc. should be fleshed out and should be expanded to more services.
System-wide orientation lock
Order settings page more logically - settings are not in any sort of order.
Expand brightness options - brightness is limited to three levels, and on AMOLED devices the "low" setting is still far too bright.
Add "never" option to screen time out - this can be useful for playing music.
17/04/13: Outlook.com update brings log-in by alias, which should have fixed this. Via Outlook Blog
Optional permanent status bar - provide the option for the status bar to be stay visible at all times.
Battery status as a percentage - add option to show the battery percentage in the status bar rather than the icon.
Monday as start of the week - was in WP7.
ISO 8601 date format - YYYY-MM-DD, was in WP7.
Alarms+Stopwatches+Timers
Simple once-off alarm - add ability to quickly set a once-off alarm, rather than having to configure a preset through a multi-field entry screen.
Open up ringtone/alert sounds directory - allow for third party apps to add and use sounds from a common directory, particularly useful for timers and alarms.
Backup+Migration
Backup app data - provide universal method to back up app data, whether through the cloud (SkyDrive) or locally (sync software).
Batch app migration - simple process to install all apps that are on an existing device to a new one.
Better purchase history - provide more metadata, filtering and sorting for the purchase history. Provide installation information (how long an app has been installed, last installed date), filter by free/trial/paid and app/game, sort by last installed date.
Start screen sync
Calendar
Improve agenda (day) view - can be very confusing to navigate and is not always clear where you are at and where you will be navigating to.
Week view - a structured week view is not available.
Enhance month view - month view does not provide any useful information about scheduled tasks and appointments.
Simple appointment scheduler - scheduling an appointment is currently a multi-step procedure that requires swiping, tapping and keyboard input, especially when a custom timeframe has to be defined. It would be preferable if the process can be simplified.
Temp fix: Apollo's SaveAppointmentTask launcher could allow for a third party app with this functionality. Via Windows Phone Geek
More appointments on Live Tile - only displays one appointment on the Live Tile.
Fully fledged task implementation - task functionality is basic, especially compared to Outlook.
Camera
Quick adjustments - you have to wade through a menu to access settings such as ISO, provide an easier method to configure these adjustments.
On-screen camera button - this is already possible through registry tweaks in WP7. It allows for instant capture without shake.
Change the default camera app
11/07/13: GDR2 makes this possible on some devices. Via WPCentral
Connectivity
Accessible connectivity toggles - it is difficult to quickly toggle WiFi, mobile data, etc. This could be solved by a dropdown from the status bar or by allowing individual settings to be pinned as Live Tiles.
10/12/12: Portico adds an option for persistent WiFi. Via WPCentral
VPN support
Future fix: to be shipped as part of the Enterprise Feature Pack, due in 1H 2014. Via All About Microsoft
Native DLNA support
Support more Bluetooth profiles - for example HID (keyboards) and SPP (Pebble smartwatch).
11/07/13: GDR2 brings CalDAV & CardDAV support. Via All About Windows Phone
Support WPA2 Enterprise encryption
Select all - you cannot easily select all emails in any particular view / folder.
Improved Gmail support - generally poor support for Gmail's folder structure and labels.
"Always download images" option - images must be manually downloaded on a per-email basis, regardless of the sender. There can also be an option to only allow automatic image download on WiFi.
Consistent navigation hierarchy with folders - currently, pressing back while in a custom folder will take the user back to the start screen instead of the email inbox.
Show next email after deleting - option to display the next email when one is deleted, rather than going back to the inbox / folder.
Outlook.com alias support - allow for email to be sent to and from aliases without needing them to be added separately.
Change sender option - let the user choose what email address to send from, especially in the cases of Outlook.com and aliases.
Temp fix: Outlook.com's web interface allows for the default sender address to be changed to any alias as a semi-fix. Via a5cent & Gorki247
Support for S/MIME standard
Future fix: to be shipped as part of the Enterprise Feature Pack, due in 1H 2014. Via All About Microsoft
Fix tile counter - tile counter resets when an inbox is opened, even when the unread emails are not opened.
Enterprise
Better mobile device management
Future fix: to be shipped as part of the Enterprise Feature Pack, due in 1H 2014. Via All About Microsoft
Certificate management
Future fix: to be shipped as part of the Enterprise Feature Pack, due in 1H 2014. Via All About Microsoft
Hardware Buttons
Windows button light as notification LED - capacitive Windows buttons will strobe (flash on and off) or breathe (fade in and out) when there is a new (lock screen) notification.
Adjust hardware button lights
Disable hardware button lights during video playback
Adjust hardware button vibration
Internet Explorer
Easy desktop/mobile switching - annoying to switch between desktop and mobile views. This should preferably be offered on a per-site basis, which will help aid problems where particular sites incorrectly send mobile IE to a WAP version.
Speed dial - a blank new tab page is an incredible waste of space. It would be nice to have some favourites displayed, or addresses you navigate to often.
More visible controls - Microsoft insists that having only one bar of controls is an advantage. It isn't. Just about every other browser allows for quick access to a favourites list, tab switching, address bar and stop/reload in one tap or gesture. It's an unnecessary limitation and if Microsoft desires a more full-screen web, it should just add a full-screen mode.
Navigation controls - add buttons or swipe gestures to go forward and back in the browser. Hardware back button is inconsistent and is not preferable for a browser.
Text reflow - no option to reflow text based on the width of the screen, particularly helpful for sites with fixed content frames built for the desktop.
Remove blank tabs - there are often blank tabs left open, for example when the browser is used to open a YouTube link. They serve no purpose and should just be automatically closed when not active.
Open links in background tab
Folders in favourites
Resuming from tile should keep navigational history - after resuming from the IE tile, the back button should take you back within the browser instead of taking you to the start screen.
Support HLS protocol - streaming protocol necessary for services such as iPlayer.
Reach parity in standardised HTML5 features
11/07/13: GDR2 brings improved compatibility. Via WPCentral
Keyboard
Gesture typing - Swype is a great option to have.
Number row - no option to have a number row above the usual QWERTY layout.
Kids Corner
Fix locking bug - Kids Corner gets locked with the phone's pin code.
Live Tiles
Quick actions on Live Tiles - allow for some quick actions to be executed or accessed directly from the tile, such as replying to a new text message.
More layout options - Live Tiles are fairly restricted in terms of layout. Provide a wider range of animations (sliding and scrolling?) and layouts.
Groups and dividers - allow for grouping of tiles with the use of dividers and naming.
Lock Screen
Revert to media controls on the lock screen - WP8 (and 7.8) removed the media controls from the lock screen and changed it to an automatic drop-down when the screen is turned on. This interferes with toast notifications and is an inconvenience.
Mapping
Hands-free voice navigation - screen has to be tapped for the next direction to be spoken.
More map shown when navigating - default Maps app fills most of the screen with oversized directions.
Bing transit directions - already available for other platforms.
Messaging
10/12/12: Portico brings select all to messaging. Via WPCentral
Search - allow SMS and MMS to be searched, whether within the app or through a universal search implementation.
10/12/12: Portico adds SMS drafts. Via WPCentral
Select text - allow for the usual text highlighting to select a portion of text within a message.
Fix tile counter - tile counter resets when the messaging app is opened, even when the unread messages are not opened.
Music+Videos
Scrubbing in audio playback view - allow for movement to a particular section in an audio file. This might not be a huge deal for music, but is annoying for podcasts.
Cancel audio playback - allow audio controls to be removed from the volume drop-down without the use of a third party app like Stop The Music!
Music library and playback should be one app - music playback is currently a separate app, which means you can't always press the back button to return to the library from it.
Clear history in Music hub
Gapless audio playback
11/07/13: GDR2 brings back this feature. Via WPCentral
Better playlist management - allow for playlists to be created, edited and streamed easier.
Fix buggy podcast subscriptions - users syncing podcasts with iTunes are unable to subscribe to podcasts on the phone.
Temp fix: you can regain on-device subscription functionality by removing the synced podcasts or through a hard reset. Via thor_molecules
Lyrics support
Better rating system - allow for star ratings as opposed to the current like / dislike heart system.
Support for more media formats
Add podcasts through URL
Improve Xbox Music metadata
11/07/13: GDR2 is said to bring more accurate metadata. Via WPCentral
Fix Xbox Music DRM issues
Add Xbox Video support
Multitasking
29/10/12: Apollo allows developers to implement this optionally. Via Mystictrust
Mandate multitasking methods - fast app switching and fast app resume need to be automatically implemented during compilation. Developers should not be left to implement these features themselves.
Fast app resume from toast notifications
Improve task switcher efficiency - task switcher cannot even fit two apps on the screen at once, which limits its usefulness as a true multitasking tool.
Close apps from task switcher - add an app bar button or gesture to the task switcher so apps can be closed.
Gesture based app switching - allow for an edge or multi-finger gesture to switch between apps quickly, ? la Windows 8.
Background download agent - create a background download agent that apps can utilise to complete downloads in the background. The agent can be triggered on a schedule (a podcatcher refreshing its feed once a day) or when an app is open (preloading a video on YouTube).
Notifications
Toast notification aggregation - once toasts are missed, they are gone forever. Toasts should be collected in a notification centre of sorts.
Improve toast notification reliability
Enhance social notification list - the social notifications screen in the Me tile can be brought to the left of the tiles on the start screen. It can be enhanced with in-line manipulation and integration with third party apps.
Allow more notifications on lock screen - there is currently a maximum of five quick status apps and one detailed status app. This could be made scrollable.
Fix loud notification sounds while on a call
11/07/13: GDR2 may have softened notification sounds during a call. Via GoodThings2Life
Always play notification sounds through a plugged in headset - on occasion, they would play through the phone speaker.
11/07/13: GDR2 may have fixed this. Via GoodThings2Life
Office
Optional OneNote syncing - OneNote will hold up other tasks by insisting on syncing notes when you exit them, which can be extremely slow in areas of poor coverage.
29/10/12: Apollo brings drag and drop file management for documents, music, pictures, ringtones and video. Via WinSuperSite
Undo in applications
Expand Word feature set - Word is nothing more than a glorified notepad on Windows Phone. Add more functionality.
People
Deeper Skype integration - add Skype as a system account and allow for calls to be made through the People hub.
Fix Skype - it's broken. It takes forever to resume from the start screen, doesn't auto-scroll to new messages while in the app, has poor reliability, is buggy in landscape?
11/07/13: GDR2 supposedly improves VoIP stability and performance. Via WPCentral
Phone
Speed dial - quickly dial favourite contacts using speed dial.
Predictive dialing - dialer should display possible matches stored in contacts.
Grouped history - allow call history to be grouped by contact.
Single gesture accept / decline - accept or decline phone calls in one gesture, even from the lock screen.
Show call length in history
10/12/12: Portico provides SMS Call Reject. Via WPCentral
Search
Universal search - search is limited to web searches and searching other content requires you to jump into individual apps with inconsistent placement of the search button.
Google via search button - allow for the search app launched through the search button to direct web searches to Google.
Sounds
29/10/12: Apollo allows for audio files to be added to the device as a ringtone through the Windows Phone app without such restrictions. Via Mystictrust
Per-app toast sounds - allow apps to add custom sounds for their toast notifications.
Provide on-device ringtone management - existing music files on the device cannot be set to be used as a ringtone if not synced across as so.
Separate volume controls - there is only one volume setting for music playback, app volume and ringer volume. At the very least, there should be an option to separate the ringer volume.
Option for fewer volume levels - 30 volume levels takes perhaps unnecessary time to move through, fewer levels could work. (I've personally been using just 10 with a registry hack and it works great.)
Custom alert sounds - add ability to use custom audio files for alerts and other sound producing system events.
Sound profiles - provide a few basic sound profiles that can be configured, and perhaps even change based on time and geolocation.
More toggles in volume drop-down - pressing on the round icon will present a list that will allow you to quickly switch between ring, ring+vibrate, vibrate and silent.
Custom SMS message tones - assign custom tones to contacts for SMS.
Storage
Expand SD card capabilities - allow for the SD card to store email attachments, documents and podcasts.
Apps on SD card - if possible without major compromises, allow for apps to be installed on the SD card. (Else, ban the 8S from sale. Seriously.)
Store
Easily identified incompatibilities - users currently have to select an app to see if it is compatible with their device. Incompatible apps should be flagged as such in all views (featured apps, lists within categories and search, etc).
Syncing
WiFi sync
Podcast support in Xbox Music
Auto-playlists
Sync companion app for Windows 7
Bundle MTP drivers in Mac client - Media Transfer Protocol allows the native file explorer to access the device, similar to mass storage.
TellMe
Voice dictation for text boxes system-wide
Natural language parsing
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