14 DAY TRIAL // One of the biggest issues with Windows Phone has always been the lack of apps, especially because several big software companies have refused to port their applications to Microsoft’s mobile platform.
Living proof is Snapchat, as the service is still unavailable on Windows Phone due to the lack of an official client, and third-party clients have recently been banned in an attempt to boost security and prevent any other data leaks from occurring.
Google is also one of the top companies that are yet to bring their apps to Windows Phone, despite the fact that there are millions of users out there who’d love to install Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube on their Lumia devices. And Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella is one of them.
In a recent interview, Nadella has explained that Microsoft is working with the majority of developers to bring their apps to Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile, but it’s up to everyone to decide whether or not to do that. Nadella, however, has refused to specifically mention if they talked to Google directly about bringing apps on Windows Phone or not.
“I would love to. It's for them to decide. I would love for them to have YouTube on Windows Phones. I would love for them to do their best work like they have with Chrome on Windows,” Nadella has said.
“We'll talk to every developer. Some of these relationships with large players require a level of maturity, which I'm sure we will achieve with all players. I'm hopeful that there are more applications.”
The most open ecosystem
Satya Nadella has also explained that Windows continues to be the most open ecosystem “on the planet,” as anyone can build apps that would run on these devices. And with Windows 10, the same app can be used not only on PCs but also on smartphones and tablets thanks to the universal app concept.
“How many multi-billion-dollar software companies got built on top of Windows? Google wouldn't exist if they couldn't have built a browser for Windows, they couldn't have put toolbars on IE. We were the most open ecosystem on the planet ever,” Nadella has continued.
Windows 10 Mobile is still in development right now, but Microsoft is very confident that, by the time the operating system is ready to ship, more developers would notice the opportunity of reaching a bigger audience and would port their apps to the platform.
In this new operating system, Android and iOS apps can also be ported to run on Windows 10 Mobile devices much more easily than before, and Microsoft has already demonstrated that such apps work flawlessly on its devices. But it’s still a challenge to convince Android and iOS app developers to come to Windows, so it remains to be seen if Windows 10 can really make a difference this time.