14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Phone is already an operating system that we can read about in our history books after Microsoft decided to completely give up on it and embrace an entirely different strategy in the mobile world.
This strategy involves investing in mobile apps and services for Android and iOS, while also developing more seamless integration between the two platforms and Windows 10. And at the same time, Microsoft is also investing in mobile hardware, with the Android-powered Surface Duo expected in the holiday of 2020.
And while we’re not going to discuss the reasons that eventually caused the demise of Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile, this mobile operating system came with features that were so ahead of their time. Including some that could still come in handy on modern devices, like the 2020 iPhone generation for example.
There are three different Windows Phone features that could feel like home on an iPhone.
Live tiles
I’m pretty sure you could have seen this coming, as the live tiles are one of the best Microsoft inventions ever. And rumor has it that Apple could actually adopt something similar in iOS 14, as it wants to bring widgets to the home screen.
The new widgets would more or less be similar to live tiles, basically allowing users to interact with apps without having to launch them.
This was one of the best things about live tiles, albeit many people liked them simply because they looked good. And Apple’s iOS ecosystem has what it takes to further improve the live tiles concept overall, so at the end of the day, this is one of the features that the Cupertino-based tech giant should bring to the iPhone in one way or another.
Glance screen
One of the best features on Lumia phones was Glance screen, at that time a one-of-kind tool that displayed essential information like the time and the notifications even when the device was locked.
Glance screen was a terrific tool, but since then, several Android manufacturers have embraced a similar system. Samsung, for example, is offering what’s being called the Always On Display, which works pretty much the same way and keeps essential information on the screen all the time.
Needless to say, the iPhone lacks such capabilities, and given the Android world has already developed a similar idea, it’s much harder for Apple to come up with a Glance screen-like feature without being accused of copying its rivals. But eventually, iPhones still need an always-on screen, there’s no doubt about that.
Continuum
Just like Glance screen, Continuum eventually made its way to other devices in an evolved form.
Samsung is the company that pushed hard for a similar system called DeX, which essentially allows a smartphone to be connected to a bigger screen and become a fully-featured PC that you can work on with a mouse and keyboard.
This was the purpose of Continuum as well, albeit in this case, the whole thing was a lot more convenient for Windows users. And it was all because of the seamless integration between Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10, so when Continuum was activated, the interface on the bigger screen was very similar to the one on the desktop.
With the iOS ecosystem evolving at a fast pace and iPhones having huge processing power, a feature like Continuum would fit the smartphone just like a glove, pretty much turning this mobile device into a productivity workhorse that you can carry in your pocket. Again, with the Android world already investing in this feature, it remains to be seen if Apple finds a way to make it happen too.
