14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 Mobile is very close to getting the go-ahead and hit the market as an upgrade version for Windows Phone devices, after staying in preview form for approximately one year and debuting in stable form (more or less) on the Lumia 950 and 950 XL.
But undoubtedly, many Windows Phone fans are already using Windows 10 Mobile on their devices as their everyday driver, despite the fact that Microsoft has clearly mentioned that, since it’s just a preview and bugs are very likely, the OS should only be installed on backup phones.
Windows Phone users, however, have always been part of a very tech-savvy group of mobile customers, so it’s no surprise that they are ready to run preview builds on their phones without any concern over critical bugs. Because even if there are bugs, they do know how to attempt to fix or report them to Microsoft for a patch in the next build.
And yet, leaving all these aside, Windows 10 Mobile is still not ready for prime time, and I can really say this after using the Lumia 950 XL since its launch with stable builds of the operating system. Hopefully, Microsoft will include some very significant updates in the “final” version of Windows 10 Mobile, but in the current form, it’s hard to believe that all Windows Phone users would be pleased with the platform.
“When Microsoft says you shouldn't install it on the main phone, it really means it.”
Needless to say, the most hardcore Windows Phone fans out there will quickly argue against this and say that Windows 10 Mobile works like a charm on their handsets. And even if it does, the lack of consistency from one device to another and the problems that some people might experience (and others might not) are still hurting the platform’s market performance.
Windows 10 Mobile is an excellent platform, and I still love it. And what's more, I still think that it's the most eye-candy mobile operating system available right now because, yes, live tiles look great and work great. But unfortunately, it is more of a platform that can be used on a secondary phone, either with a backup SIM or on Wi-Fi, hoping that, at some point in the future, it could reach that maturity that could make it become the daily driver.
But for the moment, that is not possible, and here are three different reasons why this is happening (there could certainly be others too, but I’m just pointing to the most common ones).
#1 - The lack of apps
As a Windows Phone fan, I am really sick of hearing about the lack of apps over and over again. But unfortunately, this is actually a real problem, and it still exists on Windows 10 Mobile, despite Microsoft’s push for universal apps.
If you’re on Windows Phone and you have somehow managed to survive without apps (because that’s certainly possible, as the OS itself comes with pretty much all the programs you need to get your job done), then this isn’t a problem at all, but it all changes completely when trying to do simple things, such as accessing your online banking account or ordering a pizza.
Several big companies have already confirmed that they are building apps for Windows 10/Windows 10 Mobile, but until now, the results have, however, been very limited. Top apps, including those from Snapchat and Google, are still unavailable, despite users clearly needing them.
#2 - Too many bugs
This is kind of obvious since it’s still in preview form, but there are bugs that have somehow made it to the “stable” version of Windows 10 Mobile installed on Lumia 950/950 XL and that have been there since Windows Phone 8.1.
For example, the platform comes with a bug that sometimes blocks the alarm from going off at the selected time, so you could easily be late to work or never make it to an exam just because your Lumia was sleeping on the nightstand.
I know what you’re going to say, “Microsoft’s going to fix this.” But this bug has been there since Windows Phone 8.1, and certainly, Redmond has a million other things to fix and improve as far as the platform is concerned, so it’s hard to believe that Windows 10 Mobile can be 100 percent bug-free from launch.
And furthermore, I am talking about now, and the alarm bug is just an example. For instance, some apps are still crashing all of a sudden or taking too long to load, Edge sometimes closes for no clear reason, Outlook doesn’t always read HTML code in emails correctly, and so on.
These can be fixed, and I really hope they will, but the truth is that, for the moment, Windows 10 Mobile can’t be your everyday phone. Not if you expect flawless performance.
#3 - Slow performance
Again, this is quite an obvious thing since it’s a preview build, but the rather slow performance can also be spotted on the Lumia 950 and 950 XL, which are supposed to be running a stable version of Windows 10 Mobile.
Lumia 950 XL is a monster in terms of hardware and comes with the best of the best in the Windows phone lineup right now, so you can’t blame it on the device for sometimes needing up to several seconds to load an app. Outlook, for instance, stays with the blue splash screen on for 3 or 4 seconds when you launch it for the first time whereas the Outlook app on iOS, for instance, which also belongs to Microsoft, loads almost instantly.
And this isn’t the only example, but on the bright side, Microsoft can actually improve this with more updates in the coming weeks and months, so hopefully, Windows 10 Mobile could turn out to be quite a fast mobile operating system.
“Windows 10 Mobile has the potential to become your everyday driver. It just needs updates. ”
As you can see, most of the problems we mentioned here are strongly related to the fact that Windows 10 Mobile is still in preview stage, and almost all can be fixed by Microsoft with future updates.
Certainly, users who jump ship to Android or iOS should understand that these are bugs that might no longer be there in the near future, so they should actually hold onto their Windows phone for now if this is their main complaint. On the other hand, the infinite wait for Windows 10 Mobile and Microsoft’s secrecy regarding the platform might be hurting its upcoming operating system more than expected.
So right now, Windows 10 Mobile preview is just what it's supposed to be: a preview version of the upcoming operating system, with bugs and all the other problems that are associated with a piece of software that's not yet ready for the general public. And when Microsoft said that preview builds shouldn’t be installed on your main phone, it really meant it.