Top 5 suggestions for a Windows Phone convert...

[CaymanDreamin]

Greetings everyone. I'm picking up my first Android device this evening, a Moto Z2 Force on AT&T. Being new to the Android ecosystem, I'm looking for input from the Android veterans out there.

What are your top 5 suggestions for someone new coming from Windows Phone? They could be apps (email, podcasts, parental controls, games), accessories (screen protectors, VR, other gear and where to get it), settings (too numerous to wrap my head around) or whatever else you think would be useful. Let me know your thoughts!

 

[Aquila]

You might already be aware, but MS has a lot of their apps on Android if you want to see some familiarity as you get used to it.

 

[CaymanDreamin]

You might already be aware, but MS has a lot of their apps on Android if you want to see some familiarity as you get used to it.

Thanks Aquila! I definitely plan on checking out all the mainstream Microsoft apps as well as those from MS Garage. I work remotely from home so my cell phone is also my office phone, so I'm hoping for smooth integration into my workflow. We primarily use Outlook.com calendars that we share among family and then I use Outlook (desktop) for work. From what I've been reading it seems like the outlook app has gotten some nice updates lately. I'm hoping that will provide what I need, but definitely open to suggestions. I'm switching my wife to Android at the end of this month (Moto Z2 Play) and my daughter (Moto G5 Plus) at the end of next month.

 

[Aquila]

I used Outlook for Android from beta until about 2 months ago and I really liked it. Started out pretty good and kept getting better as time went on. I hope you like it

 

[belodion]

I'll make an app suggestion....Find My Device, formerly known as Android Device Manager.

 

[LeoRex]

A few....

Email... depends. You can use Microsoft's Outlook for Android client of course. It might not be quite like the Winmo version as it was a third party app that they purchased and absorbed. It does integrate into exchange and you can access your cal and everything. GMail is great, but only for email. Sync'ing your office cal with your Google account is a nightmare. If your organization allows it (mine does not), you can set up something with Microsoft Flow to have it sync automatically. I personally use Google Inbox... I get a TON of emails and Inbox's ability to categorize and sort is unmatched.

Podcasts... if you listen to them... Pocketcasts. I've played around with a few and this one my choice.

Parental controls.. that's tough as there are so many out there. Family Link might be the way to go... you create special google accounts for your kids via the app and you administer them there. Only issue there is that you can't convert old accounts to FL accounts (like I had with my kids). Google's apps have various levels of parental controls themselves.

And keep in mind that Google's account dashboard gives you access to anything and everything that goes on. I am not just talking about browser history and installed apps, you can monitor activity... what apps were launched, for how long, etc. I routinely go in and check out my kids' accounts to scan through and see what was going on.

see it here https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity

Now, don't get freaked about about the info in here... Google has a very up front and honest privacy policy. They do not, ever, sell your personal data to advertisers, partners, anyone. Your data is anonymized and turned into a kind of demographic bucket... Google then sells access to those demographics and if you match one of those demos, THEN you get ads and content. The advertisers do not know you exist... unless you click through some of the links of course and start interacting with them, registering, etc.

 

[Morty2264]

Nice to see you posting around the forums! Also, you made a great choice in phones! Let us know how you're liking your Z2 Force!

Though I did not convert from WP to Android, I did convert from BlackBerry to Android. There are some learning curves with any platform jump, but keep in mind that you'll learn everything sooner than you think! In a little while, you'll feel a lot more comfortable and things will come easier to you! Here is my small list of tips:

1) Yes, Android has a LOT of customization options and settings. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to adjust them all or trying to figure them all out. Just try one or two basic things a day and see how you like them. You can always switch a setting on or off if you decide you don't like it! For example, change your lockscreen and background wallpapers today, and try something else tomorrow.

2) Google the Microsoft apps you used most frequently on your Windows Phone. Google Play will most likely have the same app or at least an equivalent one on their online store. Maybe write the list of most-used/must-have apps on a piece of paper and tick them off as you go; so you don't forget an important app.

3) Research and ask! If there's something you don't know how to do, feel free to pop on over here and ask us! Also, YouTube is your friend. There is most likely a video dedicated to the very thing you are looking for.

4) Screen protectors. Protect your new investment with a screen protector, and even a case if you like! I recommend tempered glass, as it still gives you a similar feeling to touching the actual display of your phone; and the quality feels nicer. Amazon has great deals on cases and screen protectors. Not sure what they have for the Z2 Force at the moment, but it's worth checking out!

5) Don't stress. Switching platforms can be a little overwhelming at first, but don't worry! You'll figure everything out soon! It took me a week or more to get used to all of the features on Android, coming from my BlackBerry Q10. But once you figure out that platform jump, switching from one phone to another, regardless of platform or manufacturer, will be much easier. You can do it!

Also, sorry - this was not a small list.

 

[wenso smith]

Useful information..thanks for sharing...

 

[speccy]

I recently left the Windows ecosystem, and the one (actually two) app I couldn't be without is Nine's Outlook app. There was something I wasn't able to do with the official Outlook app (can't remember what it was now), but Nine does everything, and does it better than the official app. The other app that I couldn't be without is Microsoft's Next lockscreen, this is just a no brainer, the way notifications are handled and acted upon works very well, far better than the stock one (Galaxy s6), the only other lockscreen app that came close was acDisplay, but it was too buggy and not reliable. Next lockscreen also allows you to pin a certain amount of apps to the bottom of the lockscreen itself, as well as easy access to the camera with just a swipe (without the need to unlock the handset).

 

[LeoRex]

easy access to the camera with just a swipe (without the need to unlock the handset).

This is a phone by phone function... Several phones have either a quick launch icon on the lockscreen or a quick launch gesture (such as double tapping the volume down button), or both.

 

[speccy]

I'm still pretty new to Android, and didn't bother with Samsung's touchwiz when I first got the phone, so I wasn't aware that most phones had this, but still, it's nice to know it's definitely available on the NEXT lockscreen for anyone that might be interested in it.

I liked the way Nokia did it best with their Windows phones, with a dedicated camera button.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

I'm still pretty new to Android, and didn't bother with Samsung's touchwiz when I first got the phone, so I wasn't aware that most phones had this, but still, it's nice to know it's definitely available on the NEXT lockscreen for anyone that might be interested in it.

I liked the way Nokia did it best with their Windows phones, with a dedicated camera button.

Funny thing about Lock Screen shortcuts, Samsung had them on lockdown back in Android Jellybean, you could put 5 of them and swipe them to go straight into that app, they even had lockscreen widgets.

In their quest to clean up TouchWiz they removed some very useful features.

 

[chanchan05]

Funny thing about Lock Screen shortcuts, Samsung had them on lockdown back in Android Jellybean, you could put 5 of them and swipe them to go straight into that app, they even had lockscreen widgets.

In their quest to clean up TouchWiz they removed some very useful features.

They removed features when Android developed better lockscreens on stock, but their locksreens from the S3-S5 were the best. 3-5 lockscreen shortcuts plus widgets.

Well at least nowadays you can have Apps Edge active on lockscreen. That gives you 10 shortcuts.

If you have Widgets Edge Panel, you get widgets on the lockscreen as well.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

They removed features when Android developed better lockscreens on stock, but their locksreens from the S3-S5 were the best. 3-5 lockscreen shortcuts plus widgets.

Well at least nowadays you can have Apps Edge active on lockscreen. That gives you 10 shortcuts.

If you have Widgets Edge Panel, you get widgets on the lockscreen as well.

Ah yes, I keep forgetting about Apps Edge hey, I'll set that up.

Thanks a lot!

 

[LeoRex]

yeah, the lockscreen widgets was really out of their hands. Google has spent a ton of time locking down... well... the lock screen. It was actually a gaping hole in Android and allowing those lockscreen widgets was a nightmare to secure.

 

[codescape]

I would recommend getting a rubber case (a tight one). Those cases that have flip covers don't actually help much.

For the games, I recommend Battle Bay. Totally fun!

And if you like reading FBReader is a great choice!