Windows Phone is Microsoft's operating system that replaced Windows Mobile. After Microsoft bought Nokia, Nokia Lumia became the main smartphones using the system. Due to the technical and functional attractiveness of Nokia devices, Windows Phone was able to gain its market share. However, many point out that the system is unsuccessful and has caused more frustration among users over several years of use.
How to solve problems with downloading and then installing applications on Windows Phone?
In addition to Lumia, Windows Phone is installed on some smartphones HTS, Acer, Alcatel, Huawei, Samsung and even LG. The main advantage and distinguishing feature is integration with Microsoft services, including XBOX Live. The interface design is also unusual: the main screen is in the form of tiles of the most important applications and services, which can be customized in size and order. The rest of the system is similar to competitors: applications can be downloaded from the Windows Market store, there are mail services, social networks, and messaging.
Smartphone models are different, and the most common problems with using them are the same for everyone. There are many user complaints that applications are not downloaded or installed on Windows Phone 8 and older, often after an update. Periodically, programs crash, when you restart your phone and restart the application, everything repeats.
Ways to solve problems with installing applications
In Windows Market, when you click on the link, the program starts downloading, but after that the process hangs for an infinite time. The same thing can happen during the installation phase. The OS shows the process, but the program never appears in the installed list. There are several reasons why this could happen:
- you have updated your Windows Phone;
- incorrect settings;
- there is not enough space on the phone;
- account problems.
In fact, the problem is very common and is probably associated with a flaw in the system itself. Here are the options for solving it.
Check if the time and date are set correctly on your phone:
- Go to "Options", then "Time and language", select "Date and time".
- Uncheck the option to automatically set the date and time, then manually set the time, time zone, and date.
Check your account profile. If you can't access it, then at account.microsoft.com, reset your password and enter a new one on your phone. To do this, go to "Options", "Email and account. records "and put a tick in the" Email "item.
This may be because you have linked too many devices to your account. Remove the device you don't need using the web interface of your Microsoft account. After that, you will have to reset the phone settings and re-configure the login to your account.
Here are some more methods that can help if applications are not installed:
If there is no response from the phone and it is impossible to enter the "Parameters" item, the reset can be performed as follows:
- Press and hold the volume down and power button at the same time until the vibration starts (about 10-15 seconds).
- After the vibration starts, release the buttons and immediately hold down the volume down again until an exclamation mark appears on the screen.
- Press the following buttons in order: volume up, volume down, power button, then sound down again.
- Wait for the end of the reset procedure.
Installation problems from SD card
In addition to downloading from the Market directly to the phone, Windows Phone 8 and higher provide the ability to install previously downloaded programs from a memory card. That is, for example, you do not want to download a large volume via Wi-Fi or are located where there are no wireless networks. Then you can download the installation files of the programs to your computer from the official store, and then install them from the card to the device.
At the same time, Windows Phone sometimes gives the error "Cannot install the application of the organization" The reason may be as follows:
- You have downloaded the unofficial files. Windows Phone is a closed system that does not allow third-party software to be installed. Of course, protection can be circumvented by certain manipulations, but here you risk losing the warranty or even ruining the phone.
- The app you downloaded has already been removed from the store, so the phone has blocked it.
The solution to the problem where the organization's application cannot be installed boils down to downloading and installing correctly:
- Download XAP files from the official store.
- Copy them to the root directory of the memory stick.
- Go to the store again, there you will see that the SD card item has appeared.
- Go into it, check the boxes of the application and click Install.
Flashing your smartphone
If the problems with the phone are not solved by all the listed methods, it makes sense to reflash it. This is usually done in a service center, but for Nokia Lumia models there is a special Nokia Software Recovery Tool that allows you to do it at home without having any special knowledge.
Flashing procedure:
- Install the program on your computer.
- Open the program and connect your smartphone.
- Click Install.
- Agree to the terms and wait until the firmware is installed on your computer.
- After that, the installation of the firmware on the phone will begin.
- Click done and disconnect your phone.
These are the ways to deal with the problem when applications are not downloaded and installed. Try different options, starting with the most basic. If you have any ideas why other applications on smartphones crash or not download and how to solve this, leave comments and share your opinion with other users.
Recently, the last Windows smartphone disappeared from the Microsoft Store. Formally, the demise of this system dates back to last fall, but the decay was smooth and humiliating: the remains of the phones were sold at discounts of up to 60%, but they were still bought extremely slowly and reluctantly - who needs devices with a dead OS?
For some reason, it is believed that Microsoft made a weak and unpromising platform. This legend was invented by those who did not even touch WP smartphones and judged them only by the meager sales statistics. Indeed, gadgets have totally failed in the market, but the main reason for the failure is definitely not in quality.
It's much more complicated.
Unique OS
Photo © AP Photo / Richard Drew
The death of Windows Phone is worth saddening, if only because its creators sought both simplicity and originality. Moreover, they partially managed to realize their ideas. The interface of all versions of WP was so convenient and understandable that even Apple is still inspired by it: for example, cards with large fonts in the new version of Music are a clear hello from the world of Windows.
Another plus of the deceased OS is its optimization. Just four years ago, every communication store had a stand with gadgets on WP - and so, even for six or seven thousand you could buy a conventional Lumia 520, which would not slow down at all, held a charge for a couple of days and took pictures with tolerance. Is it worth recalling what unbearable slag was then offered by Android manufacturers for the same money?
The third plus of the sunken platform is the ecosystem. Microsoft made sure that Windows tablets, smartphones, and computers sync up just as well as Apple's iOS and mac OS. Numerous Android vendors are still far from this goal - they try, but to no avail.
Another thing is that the above advantages did not help Microsoft - the system died anyway.
Why is Windows Phone bent?
When creating Windows Phone, Redmond initially relied on two factors: brand influence and primitive management, which is obvious to both children and retirees.
The first point was an immediate disaster - by the time WP was released, most users were already hooked on iOS and Android, so the phrase Windows Phone did not excite them in the least. Moreover, the terrible Windows Mobile, sharpened for stylus and very patient people, has not yet disappeared from the memory (everything was slowing down there).
The calculation for the primitive also did not come true. Yes, the phones weren't buggy, but when it came time to somehow develop the system and take it out of the usual "tiles", it turned out that it couldn't be done gracefully. Either the bosses of Microsoft themselves did not want to overload the interface, or the developers screwed up the task, but the fact remains: everything that was declared worked fine in WP, only the list of functions itself looked frankly ridiculous against the background of the same iOS and Android.
This is largely why smartphones on Windows Phone were purchased either by Microsoft fans (there are such ones too), or as a gift to an undemanding user: a schoolboy, an old man, a person far from technology - not the point.
Photo © AP Photo Ted S. Warren
What is Microsoft's biggest tragedy?
Now it is clear that this plan should have been immediately poured down the drain and from the very first versions of Windows Phone, it was intensively looking for those who would release programs and phones for it.
What's the bottom line? With applications, everything was so dreary that even Instagram (!) Did not come out for a long time at first, and then it did appear, but it was updated once a year - for example, there was no video recording option.
In fact, because of laziness and greed, Microsoft deliberately cut off a giant audience that needs a full-fledged, not castrated "Instagram". And the same gloom reigned with everything else: with games, with popular programs, with some important utilities. While the App Store and Play Market were full of content, the Microsoft store was overgrown with dust. And the company did nothing about it - attempts to stimulate developers were rare, modest and usually unsuccessful.
Phone release is another great topic. Back in the day, Microsoft bought Nokia to make it great again. From a technical point of view, the Lumia models were not to dig into: they got excellent cases, high-quality assembly, gorgeous cameras and sane hardware. But why the word Nokia was removed from the names, no one understands: as the current experience of the revived company shows, the brand is still strong and magnetizes customers. And Lumia - no: no one has heard of the Lumia 3310, Lumia N-Gage or Lumia N70.
However, no one interfered with Microsoft, in parallel with the presentation of new "lumiy", to agree with other top manufacturers, purely to distribute the OS around the world. But the list of partners only makes you laugh: HTC, HP, Alcatel - only they got into the WP adventure.
The rest did not need it, and Microsoft did not insist - it is always easier to give up.
Photo © AP Photo / Santi Palacios
Why is the disappearance of an unpopular OS bad?
Microsoft still doesn't seem to realize just how important a segment they missed when they gave up on smartphones and admitted defeat in the iOS and Android race. The boss of the company Satya Nadella periodically promises to return to the market with some enchanting device (it even has a codename - Surface Phone), but so far these ideas are far from being realized.
There are concepts, blueprints and patents, but the gadget is not even in its infancy. The Surface Phone is rumored to be a foldable smartphone, but Apple, Samsung and other giants are already actively exploring the potential of this form factor. This means that Microsoft will have a hard time again: the chances of releasing a hit phone from scratch are critically small, and even more so with powerful competitors.
For casual users, the death of Windows Phone is pretty sad too. Microsoft is one of the few IT companies in the world that could challenge iOS and Android. It is a pity that Redmond capitulated so mediocrely: with the third system, especially if it did gain popularity, the market would be much more vigorous and progressive.
Everyone knows for sure that at the moment the mastodons of the smartphone market are Androids from the well-known company Google and iPhones from the "apple" company Apple. And Microsoft tried to squeeze into this harsh market, however, it turned out, frankly, not very good. The company did not manage to break out to a leading position, but were there any chances? And if so, what went wrong, and why, even with such powerful patronage in the face of a huge and successful company in other endeavors, the mobile platform remained on the margins of the market and only "sophisticated amateurs" use it? All the steps below.
Reasons for failure
The failure of the Windows Phone OS was understandable to many more than one year ago, and the inability to climb into the top of the "best" did not cause such a huge surprise among people. Technical indicators and potential strength of the platform and its advantages are far from being so important here, in this aspect the smartphone could easily compete. The stumbling block was an enemy that no one expected, namely the bureaucracy of the corporation. And this is very, very sad. At one time, Windows CE was not only inferior to competitors, it was even ahead of them in many ways. However, when Microsoft woke up and realized that the market for mobile devices was the future, there was already too much competition in this niche and two pillars of the industry: Apple and Android had tightly occupied a niche and conveniently settled on it. And all sorts of advantages simply smashed their foreheads against a number of problems, which, most likely, drove the last nail into the very box in which Windowsphone ended up:
- Firstly, it is useless financial support and security for such a project.
- Secondly, the lack of support for mobile software developers despite their efforts and efforts.
- The obvious weakness of the software in the system, convenient and new programs were not enough. By working through this moment, the developers could make the transition from PC to mobile device easier and smoother.
And that's not all, the problem is deeper. Remember the fable about the swan, crayfish and pike? A similar situation happened here. The fact is that a variety of companies with very different directions took part in the development. And Windows mobile needed to provide users with a universal smartphone that incorporates the best of a PDA and, in fact, a mobile phone. Plus, the smartphone was simply obliged to synchronize with mail and other services from Microsoft. So it turned out that in pursuit of everything and immediately nothing worthwhile came out.
But that's not all. Microsoft simply had no control over the design and manufacture of the device. And this at a time when the companies involved in this process have never really had anything to do with the mobile device market. As a result, the responsibility to develop a smartphone under OS Win fell to the share of the then unknown and inexperienced company NTS.
Microsoft and its Windows Phone. Or why Android and iOS won
I understand that just everything that is said above is already enough for failure, however, Microsoft thought this was not enough. So they complicated their situation with another problem, namely: a completely wrong policy of choosing the target audience. Windows Mobile was just a small link in the entire corporation. And the focus of the platform developers shifted towards creating a semi-professional system. In the end, WindowsPhone was competing with a brand for the mass user (Nokia), then with a company that is more focused on the more professional user (Blackberry). Although it would be correct to choose the first option, because Microsoft creates its products for a mass audience, it turned out as it happened and there is nothing to be done.
The developers flattered the hope that their device on OC from Microsoft would be bought because of the recognition of the company and because of the trust in Microsoft, because people have been using their other products for a long time. But only the users were thrown first of all by a frankly bad design of the device, and then they evaluated the scanty functionality of the device, turned around and went to the shelves with "apples" and "green robots".
It would seem that a breakthrough idea is a smartphone, the ability to dial with one hand. But users are accustomed to two-handed input and perceived this amateur activity as bad form. Needless to say, in pursuit of keyboard innovation, Microsoft has forgotten about the touchscreen. Is it funny? No, it's sad.
The business plan and behavior of the company in promoting the device would work if they were selling standard software, not a smartphone. In the end, the company decided to impose its vision of the web on the user, while Google and Apple simply did everything like on a computer in order to make life easier for the user.
That, in fact, all this together led to the fact that Windows von mercilessly failed and now he has infinitely few chances to revive and break into the market. Only a total rebranding and, perhaps, prayers will help. You can't do without prayer!
Well-known Windows blogger Paul Turot tries to comprehend the latest news about WP - and comes to disappointing conclusions.
Paul Turot - Tech Expert and Microsoft Blogger
In July last year, Paul writes, Microsoft practically left the smartphone market. Now the company ... left him a little more.
- Microsoft is de facto leaving the consumer smartphone market. The company has acknowledged its failure in this direction and will now focus on corporate clients. The irony is that when Microsoft launched Windows Phone in 2010, it completely ignored the business direction.
- Almost all Nokia employees who joined Microsoft in 2014 will leave the company by the end of this year. In 2016, only 1,850 "Finnish" employees will leave the company. Not so many - but most of the employees have already been laid off in the course of the previous two waves of "personnel optimization".
- Microsoft has lost much more than $ 7.5 billion on the Nokia acquisition. The real amount of losses exceeds $ 10 billion.
Any of these three facts are enough to make a very serious impact on Windows Phone as a platform. Now, Paul writes, in contrast to the situation last year, there is simply nothing to analyze - everything is clear without further ado. The blogger believes that the past year, rich in unpleasant truth about the platform, has made the majority of WP fans realists. Yes, there are still some very hard-nosed users who are waiting for the future revival of the system. But most Windows Phone fans seem to understand exactly what the truth is.
And the truth looks like this:
- Windows Phone is irrelevant as a platform. Now Windows smartphones occupy less than 1 percent of the global smart phone market, and there are not many applications and games needed by a modern user for them.
- Microsoft will continue to develop Windows 10 Mobile. Not to be confused with "Lumia" - Microsoft will only develop and improve the Windows 10 Mobile operating system. Why? Because this is just a SKU (product version) of Windows 10, and because it runs on ARM hardware that runs modern mobile devices.
- A new smartphone from Microsoft will come out ... maybe. It is unclear whether this device will be released under the Lumia brand (most likely not) or under the new Surface brand.
- Relax, nobody forbids you to use your Windows smartphone. Paul complains that he gets a lot of strange comments from users - they somehow think that he is trying to convince them not to use Windows Phone. Not at all! Turot simply suggests that we stop worshiping Windows Phone as a promising platform and something that can be recommended to friends and acquaintances.
“If you know where you are going, no problem. But stop pretending that Windows Phone solves problems that iPhone and Android can't... These platforms are now vastly superior to Windows Phone. Excuse me".
From the point of view of the Windows Phone fan, by and large, nothing has changed: Microsoft will continue to support the platform they like, and they can safely continue to use devices and maybe even buy new devices in the future. For the rest of the world - and that, unfortunately for WP fans, includes 99.9% of users - not much has changed either. Most people can still safely ignore Windows Phone.
09.10.2017, Mon, 13:22, Moscow time , Text: Valeria Shmyrova
A Microsoft VP announced on Twitter that Windows 10 Mobile will no longer receive any updates other than security. Since the number of platform users is small, and the developers are indifferent to it, it was decided to stop further development of Windows Phone.
Belfiore's statement
Microsoft has officially acknowledged that it has stopped developing the Windows Phone mobile platform. This was announced on Twitter by the company's vice president for operating systems. Joe Belfiore (Joe Belfiore). According to him, Windows 10 Mobile, the latest version of the platform, will not receive more updates, except for those related to security.
Belfiore admitted that he himself switched to Android, like the head of the company Bill Gates (Bill Gates). Microsoft intends to support those Windows 10 users who also want to use Android and iOS on their smartphones, he said. The company is now working to make it easier for users to transfer data from Windows 10 PCs to mobile devices.
Lack of applications
One of the reasons Microsoft made this decision was the lack of interest in Windows Phone from developers. “We tried very hard to encourage developers. They paid money ... wrote applications for them ... but the number of users is too small for most companies to invest, ”Belfiore said.
The Windows Phone app store has never been particularly profitable when compared to Apple and Google stores, writes The Verge. The developers did not refuse to create versions of their applications for it, but over time they stopped updating and maintaining them. As a result, applications of American Airlines, Chase Bank and Bank of America, NBC TV company, social service Pinterest, game developer Kabam and many others were removed from the store. Some companies did not hide that the reason was the insufficient number of Windows Phone users.
Microsoft officially admitted to stopping development of Windows Phone
Microsoft itself has also removed a number of its own apps from the Windows Phone store, including some related to MSN, as well as the Photosynth panorama app and several camera apps for Lumia smartphones running Windows.
The fate of mobile Windows
In July 2017, Microsoft Internet users were indifferent to the fate of Windows Phone. The reason for their indignation was the fact that Microsoft added a new function to the Windows 10 assembly number 16251 - it became possible to "tie" a smartphone to a PC. Possibilities of "binding" were not very great: a user could send a link to a computer to a web page, which he viewed on a mobile device. At the same time, the "binding" was designed only for the iOS and Android platforms. That is, the innovation did not apply to the company's own mobile operating systems - Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile.
The first version of Windows Phone was released in 2010. In February 2015, the last of the existing versions of the platform, called Windows 10 Mobile, was released. Its distinctive features are the ability to sync content with a PC, connect the device to a large screen or use it as a PC, with a mouse and keyboard, and support for Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications.
The total share of Windows smartphones in the market is small - 99.6% of new devices install Android or iOS. Currently, about 80% of all smartphones that run Windows use Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone 8, or Windows Phone 8.1, and only 20% have Windows 10 Mobile installed.
In August 2017, unofficial information that Windows 10 Mobile is already isolated in its development from the rest of the Windows 10 family, but it will receive support from Microsoft for another year and a half. The universal Andromeda OS will be installed on new Microsoft mobile devices. Existing Windows smartphones will not be able to update to it.
