Switching to Android after 9 years on windows phone. What should I expect? Tips?

[anon(8547461)]

I just made the jump over myself, and I couldn't be happier. The Note 5 is just an outstanding device, and while it has a gazillion functions, I've slowly gotten a hang of it. There are a few functions within Android ecosystem that I've found needlessly complex, but by and large I've been very pleased.

My only big beef is the much maligned Facebook app on WP actually seems to do one thing the Android app can't. I had taken a number of pictures for an Advent party held by our church and I was trying to tag the Church group so anyone who belonged to the group would receive a notification. In the crappy WP app if I did a search it included Groups as well as individuals... the Android app did not load groups so I was unable to tag the Church. I fixed that later on my PC.

 

[Bradleykinz]

As I was reading this thread my new s6 active arrived, I am also coming from windows phone (focus flash/1020). Looking forward trying this my new android phone out..

 

[sakendrick]

I did find a calendar that might work the way we want, it's the "Microsoft Next Lock Screen", thanks to matthewmcquay for the suggestion. I don't think I can post links yet either.

Have you been able to get Next Lock Screen to display email messages? It's supposed to and i've enabled email in the notifications but doesn't seem to be working. Otherwise I love it. Testing out SnapLock too but SnapLock doesn't seem to show next appointment on main lock screen.

 

[Landsharkk]

Have you been able to get Next Lock Screen to display email messages? It's supposed to and i've enabled email in the notifications but doesn't seem to be working. Otherwise I love it. Testing out SnapLock too but SnapLock doesn't seem to show next appointment on main lock screen.

Not sure yet, my Wife is at home messing with it.

We did discover a few beginner videos for those coming to Android for the first time, we've been passing links back and forth to each other today. Once I hit 10 posts here I'll be able to post links, but search for these on youtube should give you a good start. Some of these really help break down the learning curve barrier, which I think is relieving some of the frustration my Wife has had with getting it setup. Note that these are for the Galaxy S6, not edge specific, but still super helpful.

Youtube Video 1: "Galaxy S6 for Beginners (Walkthrough) - Part 1" by H2TechVideos

Youtube Video 2: "Samsung Galaxy S6 Beginner's Guide: How to set up and personalise your phone" by Recombu

 

[Daniel Daring]

I was a long time Windows Phone user (I still do have my old one which I use on occasion). Overall the gains I get have made it so I will probably stay with Android for a while. I just don't know if Windows can catch up. Once you come over you realize how far behind they are.
Tips: Hope these help, I am still figuring things out.
1. Find a good Google now hands free launcher, even with the issues it is still needed.
2. Check out some of the apps for places you frequent (like restaurants). There are some sweet discounts there.
3. Until you really learn the system, don't mess too much with launchers, it will just muck up the learning process.
4. Be patient. The android OS while powerful has a real major learning curve requirement. In the ends the benefits outweigh the cons.
5. Do install the Office products it will help smooth the transition.
6. If you are on ATT use the contact mover tool. It works well.
7. Keep your old phone for text message reference and forward yourself text messages you need to keep.
8. It can sometimes be hard to get answers to issues (probably due to how large the community is), don't get frustrated, there can be resources out there to find them, and your friends may have answers. As I don't really know many people on Android (do to the area I work in), it has been a little more difficult).

The good:
1. When you search for an address or location, the information is reliable and accurate
2. The app store is easy to search and there is an app for just about anything and then some.
3. The modern Androids are responsive.
4. Fingerprint scanner unlock is nice.
5. Navigation apps are incredible.
6. Voice to text accuracy is pretty darn good. This exceeded my expectations.

The compromises (Things that I just expected to work that don't but I have learned to live with).
Note: A lot of these are WTFs and things I guess I expected as I assumed in general features that Android would be on par or better but was disappointed to find out it was not. This does not diminish my stand to stay with Android over Windows Phone, but just issues I would like to one day solve. As I learn how things work I may write tools to fix these.

1. Wifi is easy to setup but whatever I set as a favorite or "My connections" becomes disabled when I go out of range. This is a real pain but I have learned to live with it.
2. Voice (Hands free) does not work out of the box, you have to have an app, that connects. EG BT to GN for pressing a button to launch google now.
3. Finding names in the list of contacts, for some reason it has a hard time finding names, or it changes. I have not found a way to setup nicknames.
4. Battery life has been lower on the Android than on my 1520 Windows phone running Windows 10 10586.29, this is not the end of the world as it does last most of the day and is still good when I get home. Battery save does work well though when you get low.
5. There is a limit to what contacts you can link and for whatever reason Android has created a lot of duplicate variations for the numerous apps.
6. Apps do mess with your contacts. This is an annoyance but it does not seem to replace a contact, although it make replace the tag name.
7. Outlook Mail is really just OK, I do like the Windows Version better where you can pin folders that matter to your front screen and they update seperately. In the main mail app, it kind of merges stuff together and it can get hard to seperate stuff out, of if that new message is important. I am figuring it out slowly. In the meantime I do use my Windows Phone as a backup mail client. The other Office apps are pretty nice and work well, Windows 10s version seem to be similar for eveything but mail.
8. Contacts and calling can sometimes be a pain. Luckily in the LGV10 (what I got) you can pin contacts to the 2nd screen so I put important contacts there.
9. You can't make a call via Google now (using the BT to Gnow hands free app). when the phone is locked. So on the go hands free is almost useless for me. I have yet to find a solution.
10. When launching BT to Gnow to send a text message when the phone is locked, it will go through the process but will not actually send the message even though it said it did. WTF?
11. When in hands free using voice to text message, it will not read the message back to you before sending it or prompt you. I have not found a way to solve this so I just live with it.

The bad:
1. There really are not a lot of bad things. However I would consider the fact that sometimes Android is too open. Apps can affect apps.

 

[Landsharkk]

Today is the final decision day and my Wife has chosen to keep her Galaxy Edge Plus.

We plowed through a bunch of learning curve points last night and today and feel more confident with the android OS. I'll be exchanging my Lumia 950 for my own Galaxy Edge Plus this afternoon. It seems a bit silly, but choosing a smartphone and committing to 2 or 3 years is a big thing for us since we use our phones so much for so many things.

Part of what I've been realizing is that it's not so much learning the new Android OS as it is unlearning the Windows Phone OS. I have to remind myself that each feature or task I try to do in Android has multiple settings and options. Using Android reminds me of the Windows Mobile 5.x and 6.x days where you have access to change everything. Where as Windows 7.x and beyond are more of a guided tour. There are more choices now, easier to choose default web browser, and other default apps (email, etc). I'm still discovering more customization options and settings which has been a little bit like a treasure hunt. I was able to get Google Now working and was surprised at how well it worked, it's not quite as personal as Cortana, but it's dang close to being as useful. Google Now also seems to understand me/is as accurate if not better than Cortana.

Anyway, we are officially converted.

 

[Landsharkk]

*double post*

 

[tosvus]

Cool, I'm sure you'll be happy. I had the Windows Phone (Lumia 1020), but while it had some great features, 8.1 felt like a step back, and when I tried to beta test the win10 it was beyond horrible, so I caved in and went to Android. Very happy with my LG V10 so far. It's a bit different from WP but getting used to it. I guess the biggest thing is to get into the google eco system for maximum benefit. I'm currently using Google Play music subscription etc, which is very nicely integrated.

 

[sakendrick]

I'm currently using Google Play music subscription etc, which is very nicely integrated.

Being a long time zune/xbox/groove user, I have also decided to move to Google Play. This is one of the reasons I decided to try Android is that MSFT killed their 10 free song credits per month, so the offer and price was the same as Google Play. MSFT has an amazing library but so far Google's is every bit as good.

However I've found the integration to be not as good - tosvus - do you have any tips or tricks, best practices with google play. Example - one thing I don't like is that the Play Music player doesn't have a good interface for browsing your library of artists (stuff I have added to my library not the massive library in Google Play). I have to scroll through 100s of artists. Search works if I'm in a situation I can type. But if I use voice search it plays stuff that isn't mine.

What about syncing songs to be local on your device? Do you create play lists through the web interface and then download? (I have uploaded my library to google play).

Thanks - any suggestions welcome

 

[Landsharkk]

The kicker here is that my Wife and I are (or were...slowly converting here) both very anti-Google (not getting into that discussion here) and of course are (and will continue to be) pro Microsoft.

Had she not initially looked at the android phone options we would both be using Lumia 950's until the next big thing arrived for Windows Phone. What really started this whole process was the buggy Windows 10 OS experience we had the moment we got our Lumia 950's. Had that been a smooth experience we'd have stuck with Windows Phone.

I was really surprised when she initially mentioned switching to an Android phone. Part of that was her home business and how some of the business apps she uses don't exist on windows phone, incompatibility with credit card readers/hardware, etc. She's had to borrow other family member's iphones in the past for business events, etc.

It's kind of liberating and feels a bit like cheating on Microsoft. lol

 

[Winston P]

The only thing I'm going to say is expect a bit of frustration at the start. Unlike Apple and iOS, and MS and WM, Samsung and Android are not made by the same company. There are duplicate apps for things like app stores. Sometimes there's going to be inconsistent design. These are things you are either going to have to live with, or change up: you can change the launcher, keyboard, apps. All of it is fair game. Good luck!

 

[Sean Lee1]

I haven't read all the posts here, but I wanted to chime in as well. I had been using Windows Phone since WP7, and I recently switched to a Galaxy Note 5 a few months ago. I was also very 'pro-Microsoft' and 'anti-Google' until Nadella became CEO. He's anti-competitive and I believe he intentionally let Windows Phone become what it is today. And, to add insult to injury, Microsoft not only made their best apps available to other platforms, but they made them better. I stuck around for nearly another year in hopes that things would improve, but nope.

I'm mostly happy with my Note 5. My previous phone was a Lumia 1520, so I can compare it to that.

Why the Lumia was better: You could "talk" to Cortana when the phone is in sleep. Battery life was much better. Despite the criticisms of Groove/Xbox Music on Windows Phone, the experience is so much better than Android. Shuffling music is awkward, and you can't RW or FF.

Why the Note 5 is better: First and foremost, apps. Looking back, I used to blow off the 'app gap,' but seriously, 90% of the apps that I have installed on my Note 5 do not exist on Windows Phone. And the apps that do exist on both platforms - with the exception of 'Groove,' the experience is exceptionally better on Android. Widgets are better than live tiles, but not by much. Having never used Android in the past, I went in with high expectations regarding widgets and customization options, but after a few months of using Android, I haven't been overly impressed.

At the end of the day, even if Microsoft does make a gorgeous "Surface Phone," I probably won't go back. But who knows, I certainly didn't see myself with a Note one year ago!

 

[GracielaBA]

Cortana is a lot better, you can get your text read to you through the car and just plain read it to you and allows you to type by just talking. You don't have that on Android.
I was a windows phone user for 9 years and the only thing that I missed during those 9 years is that I was not able to view programs on my cell phone, otherwise the windows phone is so much better, I really missed cortana. I am ready to sell my Samsung 6 nEdge and buy the Lumia 950. anything else that you want to do on Android you have to download an app, which if you buy your cell on ATT, when you buy it, you get apps (which are the same) from Samsung, from ATT and from Android. Your cell phone is full of repeated apps worthless because the most important thing that I want, which is for the phone to read the text messages and to be able to reply to them via speech is not available.

 

[siddhant patil]

hi fellow
i was a windows phone user since nokia took WP as the primary OS till couple of years back when Nokia was acquired by Microsoft!!
as a nokia purist i felt stranded last year when it came to change my lumia 925 due to cracked display! As Microsoft phones were and are disappointing. i had no other option had to switch to android i first borrowed my dads HTC one m7 to get a hang of what and how different is android then i realized its pretty easy to use a android if you know what you want and what you are downloading.
After using m7 for around 6 months i bought a samsung galaxy note 4! to be realistic i don't miss WP much as i miss my lumia 925, some features that i miss, like the glance screen or pro camera app or even the personalized tiles
but in the end i don't feel bad for jumping from a sinking ship to be rescued by another
hope this helps if you have to get a good and first android ever try or borrow a android phone before jumping to conclusion!
Motorola or Samsung or LG might have just the thing you need
for now i'll stick to samsung note 4,
but moto x style/pure edition or LG G4 or samsung s6 might prove a worthy choice
hope a this helps you to make the switch easier as i know the pain and confusion that you go though when you change not just phones but the whole platform !!
peace

 

[jojoe42]

Switched over from WP too with my Nexus 6P - enjoying it so far. I would say the experience isn't as consistent and smooth as WP8.1, but there are far more features too. It's nice to have some change once in a while

 

[WinU]

I just switched to Android myself not to long ago and to be honest the only thing I miss is the Live Tiles. Android is boring, yes even if you use a different Launcher, Action, Nova whatever. It's still just BLAH. I mess with my old Lumia 920 on wifi at home and keep it up to date and every time I launch it I wish I had the live tiles back. Otherwise the S5 I am running has been a much better phone. All the apps I need are there etc. The lumia 920 running win 10 preview is slow, takes for every to open and load apps, web pages etc.

 

[anon(9410778)]

Cortana is a lot better, you can get your text read to you through the car and just plain read it to you and allows you to type by just talking. You don't have that on Android.

Seriously my favorite thing about windows phone. I see cortana has been "officially" released for android so i'll play with it when i get home today. MS has released some great apps for android.

 

[Mikko Tenhunen]

I have used windows phone from lumia 920. The only disapointing thing in windows phone is the lack of quality apps im not changing back to windows phone now i started using Sony Z3+ and i like it

 

[PuckCowboy]

Cortana is a lot better, you can get your text read to you through the car and just plain read it to you and allows you to type by just talking. You don't have that on Android.
I was a windows phone user for 9 years and the only thing that I missed during those 9 years is that I was not able to view programs on my cell phone, otherwise the windows phone is so much better, I really missed cortana. I am ready to sell my Samsung 6 nEdge and buy the Lumia 950. anything else that you want to do on Android you have to download an app, which if you buy your cell on ATT, when you buy it, you get apps (which are the same) from Samsung, from ATT and from Android. Your cell phone is full of repeated apps worthless because the most important thing that I want, which is for the phone to read the text messages and to be able to reply to them via speech is not available.

GracielaBA,

This is actually my only sole reason for still sticking with Windows Phone at the moment. The Cortana integration into the OS is great! I love that whenever I'm driving, if I get a text, Cortana comes in over the speakers via Bluetooth and announces I have a text and who it's from, and if I want to read or ignore it. Then once I have her read it, she asks if I want to reply, and then dictates back everything I said for approval before sending. The hands-free Bluetooth integration of Cortana is second to none-from what I've heard and experienced so far.

I use my phone as a phone first and foremost and this feature while driving (or even while working out at the gym hands-free via bluetooth earphones is close to impossible for me to give up at this point.

I've searched hi & low but haven't found an Android solution that comes close yet. My question to the community is, am I missing something or is there an app (or apps) that duplicate this functionality even relatively close? I've heard the Moto Assist / Moto Voice apps built into Moto phones can come close... is that true? But I've also heard they are getting rid of those apps with Marshmallow.

If I could get this functionality on Android, I'd make the full switch, so any and all help is truly appreciated. NOTE: I'm on Verizon right now and can't switch, so I'm using a Samsung ATIV SE Windows phone as my daily driver and a Note 4 as a backup Phablet device when I need to access apps I may not have on WM... which is only about a handful.)

I'd be interested in switching if someone could help with the hands-free bluetooth functionality.

 

[Landsharkk]

Seriously my favorite thing about windows phone. I see cortana has been "officially" released for android so i'll play with it when i get home today. MS has released some great apps for android.

Yeah, I see Cortana must have just released today or yesterday. It works pretty well, but for some reason doesn't sync up with Outlook app on Android and doesn't seem to notice you have calendar events even when they show up in Cortana. If you ask her about your events for the day she says you have none.

Hoping it gets a few updates and I'll likely use it all the time.