Bring Back Windows Phone

Anonymous
2023-04-02T23:20:14+00:00

Before you dismiss this as another useless suggestion, I would like you to read this and think about it. I, like many others, enjoyed using windows phone and would love to see it come back however there undoubtedly were flaws, this suggestion addresses them and suggests ways to economically bring back windows phone

I will start by saying that although windows phone development is dead, the community most certainly is not. a simple TikTok search will reveal that many people still use windows phone devices because they are simply so nice to use. many key aspects of windows phone, like tiles, horizontal swiping, system-wide dark mode, and themes keep people coming back because it looks so nice and it is very easy to use. people liked windows phone as they bought key information together, like in the social center and the People app from the waterdrop sounds when unlocking your phone, or the charging sound, everything about windows phone was so well thought out that people loved it. and keep coming back to it even years later after it was discontinued. if windows phone were to come back, I'm sure people would switch back.

Now its time to address the elephant in the room, app support:

the main factor in WPs demise was the lack of app support; users couldn't download their favorite apps, and developers didn't want to make them, causing a cycle that was bound for failure. there is one solution for this, bring windows phones to android. now I am well aware this is no easy feat, the windows phone kernel and software were built entirely around its hardware and existing windows software. to try to switch windows phone to android would take days of coding but I do believe there really is a market for windows phone and with the right approach, this could really be a success.

Should windows phone return, here are some things that should remain as they were beforehand:

The start screen - one of the main reasons people loved windows phone was the metro UI start screen. it looked beautiful and most people really enjoyed using it, the app launch animations were lovely, and coming back to it every time was a pleasure, although it should be reworked to allow for android gestures.

system design theme - a lot of the system was built on horizontal swiping, which made windows phones remarkably easy to use with one hand, and changing across screens was easy and sleek, not to mention that the dark mode just made everything look so much more beautiful.

sounds - almost every windows phone sound was great to hear, if you moved to android and didn't keep those sounds it would be a mistake.

animations and optimization - what makes windows phone so usable to this day is the optimized system and UI. animations were snappy and beautiful to look at especially launching into Microsoft apps.

keyboard - I hate to say it but the swift key keyboard sucks, most people would rather opt for Samsung's or google's variant to swiftkey, however, the WP keyboard sounded lovely, used swipe typing ahead of its time, and looked great

some aspects of the system should change, like the notification center, which was quite bulky and looked quite harsh, but for its time Windows Phone got a lot of things right, especially compared to IOS and Android which were lacking behind. unfortunately, the one problem with the devices killed them off so there is no hope of having its own platform now.

moving to android would have a lot of benefits for windows phone, like being able to use Microsofts apps on the play store or tying in with other Google services like youtube, not to mention that all android features would automatically be added and accounted for in the windows UI.

To finish off I'm going to say that moving windows phone to android won't only be great for the consumer, but it will also be great for Microsoft, who can start to look at the mobile market again. with the right moves, I am sure that Microsoft will succeed on the Android platform and that this will benefit everyone. i look forward to reading your opinions on this topic and i am sure that atleast someone will agree with me

Windows for home | Other | Apps

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-10-30T05:53:05+00:00

    The thing about it is that Windows 11 ARM will sideload and run on a smartphone with a 64 bit ARM processor. Stock. Windows 11 runs Android apps from the Amazon Fire store.

    And further Windows ARM optimization is coming for Windows 12 on ARM. I think MS could release a UI for the smart phone. Include a diaper and other stock phone apps and just focus on a handful of MS core apps with the Amazon Android store doing the heavy lifting.

    I think they could make that install smaller and create a micro Win 11 ARM and release Band 2 and we could have PC, Smartphone, and wearable.

    I’m a tech enthusiast with a little bit of everything but I’m deeply steeped in Apples ecosystem. The one time I wasn’t was windows 10 mobile. I had an HP Elite X3, windows laptop, Band, and surface.

    With time, focus, refinement, and product direction Windows could increase their market share in the consumer space.

    I think MS could also make offerings at lower price points.

    Many tech rags think that the Apple ecosystem is about premium. I think it’s about an all inclusive experience. It’s something that windows could offer, but MS gets cold feet and abandons their products quickly. Even Apple had to hang in there to make inroads. It didn’t happen overnight.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-10-30T04:04:34+00:00

    I agree with this statement. The OS should return but it needs to be marketed properly and the focus should be more on the community. While the Surface Duo lineup was unique and ran Android, it did not get the kind of support the way the other Android and iOS phones got. The Duos only got a couple of updates over three years while other phones such as the iPhones, Pixels, and Galaxies, got multiple updates over the same timeframe. While it was a good approach to get the Duos to appeal to business folk, it did not appeal to the wider public and that was due to the lack of support and the high cost. The phones aren't even running the latest version of Android; they run Android 12L. There was potential for these devices, but the execution was all wrong.

    Now, with the launch of AI, Microsoft has a chance to bring that back. But, again, execution, support and appeal have to be on point. It's more than just appealing to the businesses; the general public must be considered too. If it can be marketed properly, the support from the other developers and the public will come. For that to happen, the execution including the way the OS is made and the seamless integration of services between the phone and PC has to be on target. Otherwise, it will be another failure waiting to happen.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-10-29T01:50:49+00:00

    There are apps that allow you to use Android apps on Windows but if I want to use some programs that only run on Windows I can not use those programs, also alot of programs that turn into apps on android do not have full functions which can be problematic. anyway if ever they bring back windows phones I will be in the front line to buy one even if it does not have as many apps as Android and apple.

    Ps I do not use alot of apps now

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-10-28T23:16:22+00:00

    I think Windows Phone was ahead of it's time. I still have a few of the models, all of which are still functional. From the first Lumia 920 (I own 2), Lucia 640 ( I own 2), the beautiful Lumia 950 XL ( I own 1) and my last Windows Phone acquisition the HP Elite X3. The experience has been great in comparison to what choices we have today. The platform wasn't perfect, but damn a joy to use and experience. Microsoft really made an error here, and admit it too.

    9

    https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/24/23930478/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-mobile-windows-phone.

    Please Microsoft, make things right. Save us from mediocre and boring.

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-10-28T19:25:14+00:00

    I use lumii until now, I have six lumii at home, it is my favorite system windows phone 8.1 if windows phone came back they could make windows mobile 11 and there would be the original system and there would be only two google play stores and micrososft store and everyone will use shop as he wants, in windows phone 8.1 I had skype, youtube, email and that was enough for me

    , I didn't like Windows mobile 10.

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