Lee on Windows background. Where does the Windows Phone we loved go? Microsoft's Broken Promises

Review of Nokia Lumia 520, about all “lumies” in general, or about OS Windows Phone 8 - it’s difficult to say what is the best title for this article. However, in our case, the problem manifested itself precisely in the Nokia Lumia 520, so we’ll start with that.

I gave this yellow smartphone to my wife for her birthday earlier this month. The device is certified for Russia (Rostest). On the same day, we went to the MTS store to exchange a regular SIM card for a microSIM. Exchanged. Since then, the experience of using the device began. By the way, the firmware on the smartphone is up to date: updates were immediately installed “over the air” through the corresponding menu.

The problem appeared already on the second day: an outgoing call was made, the connection was established, but conversational dynamics- silence, you can’t hear the interlocutor. Calling back did not help, the sound reappeared only after rebooting the phone.

We thought - it doesn’t happen to anyone, the device is complex, it malfunctioned, or maybe it’s an MTS or SIM card issue. But a day later the situation repeated itself - already with an incoming call. The phone with the ringer on simply vibrated; when answered, there was deathly silence in the speaker. The microphone most likely didn't work either. The second call led to the same thing. Again, only a reboot helped.

Of course, we were upset, but considering that rebooting helps, we decided that the issue was clearly of a software nature and it was worth waiting for software updates. Moreover, two weeks have already passed and it will not be possible to return the smartphone to the store.

Two more days passed, then my wife was listening to music with headphones on her smartphone, and at that moment I called her: again the same problem - I couldn’t be heard, I couldn’t hear her either. She tried speaking both through a headset and without it. After the connection was interrupted, the music did not start playing either - the device generated some kind of error. At least with headphones, at least without. A reboot helped, but literally half an hour later the problem appeared again! At the same time, I myself had been tormenting the device for a long time, trying to find a way out - the music in the player would not play (the smartphone tried to open each track for a long, long time, but to no avail), and I also could not listen to the ringtone. There was no sound coming through the headphones either (the conclusion is that the speaker itself is working). And, of course, the phone didn't ring when incoming call, but only blinked the screen, and after picking up the phone the speaker remained dead.

An attempt to adjust the volume, change the melody, turn off 3G Internet or switch the phone to 2G mode, disable the energy saving mode and other manipulations did not lead to anything. Only reboot. At the same time, the phone is practically “clean” - contacts are loaded, mail is configured to work, Skype is installed, Mail agent is installed and that’s it. No viruses for you.

I decided to turn to Nokia for help. To do this, I went to their official website and in the “Contact” section, I selected “Visit support page.” There is a field “Need additional support” with the column “Enter the serial number (IMEI) of your phone”, which is what I did, having found out the name by *#06#, after which I logged in using my account Microsoft entry and I had the opportunity to talk with a specialist technical support Nokia online chat.

The girl answered all my questions regarding the described bug quite tactfully and skillfully. Her opinion is that the problem is the new SIM card, which was incorrectly registered in software phone. She had not heard anything about the jamb I described, the problem was not widespread (according to her information), so I was asked to backup all the data and perform a general reset of the phone to factory settings. Thus, the software will be completely reset and the glitch should disappear. In principle, the usual solution proposed by any support service is: a) do a general reset b) replace the SIM card.

We listened to the advice and did a general reset. Of course it didn't help - Today the situation repeated itself again. The phone rang, but after answering there was silence, no voice could be heard. The chime is just vibration and the same silence in the speaker, the microphone also does not work.

At the same time, I Googled this topic, asking the search engine queries such as “nokia lumia sound disappears”, “nokia lumia speaker sound disappears”, etc. As a result, I realized that the problem is quite widespread and apparently only the manufacturer himself does not know about it (as usual, however). Let me give you examples:

1. Question/answer on the Microsoft website regarding the Lumia 920 - answers.microsoft.com:

2. Question/answer on an unofficial site dedicated to Nokia Lumia - lumiaru.com:

3. In the same place, but about another model - Lumia 720:

4. Discussion on the forum dedicated to Windows Phone - w7phone.ru:

5. Discussion of Nokia Lumia 520 on the famous resource w3bsit3-dns.com:

6. Discussion of a similar bug in Lumia 920 on the official Nokia technical support forum:

And that's not it. Previously, I found an example of the problem of sound loss in the FAQ on the website of the Windows Phone operating system itself. The solution was to make a general reset or stomp into the SC. Just the point?

I also came across a topic on some forum with exactly the same jamb, only on a Windows smartphone made by HTC.

Conclusion: The described problem is not only with Nokia Lumia, but with Windows Phone 8 in general. Or a Windows glitch appears with a certain application. Possibly a problem with some specific micro-SIM cards (MTS?), although the sound disappeared not only during the communication session, but also simply while listening to music. That is, the buyer of any smartphone on this operating system is not insured against this trouble. And the jamb is clearly not new, but it is very, very sad, and when it will finally be found, understood and corrected, science does not yet know. Maybe never. But still we wait and hope. Because, frankly speaking, I don’t see the point in taking a smartphone to a service center - the malfunction is most likely software, and there is simply no cure for it yet. Unless you flash your smartphone to custom firmware at home and lose the official warranty. Maybe it will help, but I can’t say for sure - I haven’t tried it. Or this case is individual, therefore it concerns only the nth audience of users of certain applications. Wait and see.

PS. I asked a question about the problem on the official Nokia support forum. My topic was pasted as a message to a whole thread of similar victims. The only complaint is that the sound disappears. As an assumption, the situation is typical for those who have Mail Agent or ICQ installed. In our case there is a Mail agent. Now let's take it down and test it. Then I’ll write back as an addition to the article. Discussion at the link.

Update from December 24, 2013

So, uninstalling the Mail Agent application is indeed solved the problem: Over the past 5 days, the sound on the smartphone has no longer disappeared. What conflicts with what - Mail Agent with Windows Phone or Windows Phone with Mail Agent - remains behind a veil of secrecy. However, the tablet was found, so if you are worried about the same problem, you can eliminate it by simply demolishing the crooked application.

Mobile operating room Windows system Phone is now very actively developing, and it’s hard to argue with that. I also have a Windows Phone (Nokia Lumia 925), and I am very pleased with it. To be honest, I'm tired of Android, I want something new. But this article is not about my Lumia, and not about which OS is better. Phones running this operating system work stably, and in terms of accessing the Internet via Wi-Fi, everything is just as good.

For example, over several months I have not noticed a single problem in which Nokia Lumia would not want to connect to Wi-Fi, or the Internet would not work.

But, as I noticed, various questions appear about the problems that still arise when trying to connect a Windows Phone to Wi-Fi, or after connecting. Typically, these are problems when a connection to a wireless network is established, but sites on the phone do not open. Or, for example, when Nokia Lumia does not see Wi-Fi network. Moreover, he does not see only one, the desired network, but he sees the neighboring ones.

In this article, we will try to figure out why problems may arise with connecting a Windows Phone to wireless networks, and how to solve these problems. On this moment, version WP 8 (I will show this version as an example), an update to Windows Phone 8.1 will be released soon. Perhaps there will be some changes in working with wireless networks.

Windows Phone connects to Wi-Fi, but the Internet does not work

This is probably the most popular problem. And as a rule, it is not the smartphone that is to blame for this problem, but the access point (router) itself. You connect the phone to the network, I wrote how to do this in the article, it connects (status: connection established), but when I try to open the site in the browser, an error appears: “The page cannot be displayed”. Applications such as VKontakte, Twitter, Skype cannot access the Internet.

When a smartphone cannot obtain an IP address

Typically, routers themselves distribute IP addresses and have a DHCP server enabled. But it happens that DHCP is disabled for some reason (when, for example, IP is registered manually on devices). To be honest, I haven’t found how to manually register an IP address on Windows Phone 8. I think that in Windows Phone 8.1 this problem will be fixed.

If your phone is unable to obtain an IP, you will most likely see an error something like: “The phone cannot connect to the Wi-Fi network because the network is not responding. Please try again later". Or, next to the name of the network, there will simply be an inscription “protected”.

You need to check if the DHCP server is enabled in the router settings. If not, then turn it on. I wrote how to do this in a separate article. See after the heading “Checking whether the DHCP server is enabled on the Wi-Fi router.”

You can also try the one on which your wireless network works. Try, for example, just n, or g.

Nokia Lumia does not see Wi-Fi network

When I write Nokia Lumia, I mean any phone on Windows Phone 🙂, well, you understand.

I highlighted a problem on some forum that Lumia (I don’t remember exactly which model), I didn’t see my home wireless network. It simply wasn't on the list of networks available for connection. The problem is not uncommon and can occur on any device.

So, in the case of an operating system from Microsoft, I would also recommend changing the channel on which the router broadcasts your wireless network. How to do this is written in detail. Since it is interference on the channel that usually causes such problems. Try some static channel rather than Auto mode. And don't put the channel higher than 12th.

Afterword

It seems like I wrote about all the popular problems. If you have encountered any other problem with the Internet via Wi-Fi on Windows Phone, or know any new solutions to the problems described above, you can share useful information in comments. Don't be lazy :)

The Internet via Wi-Fi does not work on a phone with Windows Phone 8 (8.1)? Solving problems connecting to Wi-Fi on Nokia Lumia updated: June 6, 2014 by: admin

Windows Phone is an operating system from Microsoft that replaced Windows Mobile OS. After Microsoft bought Nokia company, the main smartphones using this system were Nokia Lumia. Due to the technical and functional attractiveness of Nokia devices, Windows Phone was able to gain its market share. However, many note that the system is unsuccessful and has caused more disappointment among users over several years of use.

How to solve problems with downloading and subsequent installation of applications on Windows Phone?

In addition to Lumia, Windows Phone is installed on some smartphones from HTS, Acer, Alcatel, Huawei, Samsung and even LG. The main advantage and distinctive 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. Otherwise, the system is similar to its competitors: applications can be downloaded from Windows Store Market, there are mail, social networks, and messaging services.

Smartphone models are different, and most common problems their uses are the same for everyone. There are many user complaints that applications are not downloaded or installed on Windows Phone 8 and older, often this happens after an update. Periodically, programs crash, and when you restart the phone and restart the application, everything repeats.

Ways to solve application installation problems

In Windows Market, when you click on a link, the program begins to download, but after that the process freezes indefinitely. The same thing can happen during the installation phase. The OS shows the process, but the program never appears in the list of installed ones. There are several reasons why this could happen:

you have completed Windows update Phone;
incorrect settings;
There is not enough space on the phone;
account problems.

In fact, the problem is very common and is probably due to a flaw in the system itself. Here are the options for solving it.

Check that the time and date are set correctly on your phone:

Go to Settings, then Time & Language, select Date & Time.
Uncheck the option automatic installation date and time, then manually enter the time, time zone, and date.

Check your profile account. If you can’t access it, reset your password on account.microsoft.com and enter a new one on your phone. To do this, go to “Options”, “ Email and uch. records" and check the "E-mail" box.

The reason may be that you have too many devices associated with your account. Remove unnecessary device through the web interface of your Microsoft account. After this, you will have to reset your phone settings and re-configure your account login.

Here are some other methods that may help if applications won't install:

If the phone does not respond and it is impossible to enter the “Settings” item, a reset can be performed as follows:

Press and hold the volume down and power buttons at the same time until vibration starts (about 10-15 seconds).
After the vibration starts, release the buttons and immediately press Volume Down again until an exclamation mark appears on the screen.
Press the following buttons in order: volume up, volume down, power button, then volume down again.
Wait until the reset procedure completes.

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 large volumes via Wi-Fi or you are in a place where there is no wireless networks. Then you can download from the official store setup files programs to your computer, and subsequently install them from the card to the device.

At the same time, Windows Phone sometimes displays the error “Unable to install the organization’s application.” The reason may be the following:

You have downloaded unofficial files. Windows Phone is a closed system that does not allow installation third party programs. Of course, the protection can be bypassed with 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 your phone has blocked it.

The solution to the problem where the organization's application cannot be installed comes down to the correct download and installation:

Download XAP files from the official store.
Copy them to the root directory of the memory card.
Go to the store again, there you will see that the SD card item has appeared.
Go into it, check the application boxes and click Install.

Flashing a smartphone

If problems with your phone cannot be solved by all of the above methods, it makes sense to reflash it. This is usually done in service center, but for Nokia Lumia models there is special program Nokia Software Recovery Tool, allowing you to do this at home without having 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 this, the installation of the firmware on the phone will begin.
Click done and disconnect your phone.

These are the ways to solve the problem of apps not downloading and installing. Try different options, starting with the most basic ones. If you have ideas why other applications on smartphones crash or do not download and how to solve this, leave comments and share your opinion with other users.

Unfortunately, Microsoft's Marketplace doesn't have many apps and games compared to the Android and iOS markets, which is why many owners Lumia smartphones wondering if it is possible to download Google Play Market on Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile and install applications from it?

Let’s not delay the answer and say right away that installing the Play Market on Lumia will not work. No way. Don't even try to find a solution - there is none.

However, there is still an opportunity to play the games you want. Now we will tell you two ways in which this can be done:

First way will help you find an analogue of the required Android application in the Marketplace. The idea is to use the Switch To Windows Phone program, designed to quickly switch from the Android operating system to Windows.

Second looks much more interesting, because it can be used to install files with the .apk extension on Windows 10 Mobile.

Please note that to use the second method, Win 10 Mobile must be installed on your smartphone.

Method 1: Search for analogues using Switch To Windows Phone

First, you need to install Switch To Windows Phone on your Android device to analyze installed games and applications, and make a list of them. You can download it from Google Play directly from your smartphone.

It is clear that this option is only suitable for those who have such a smartphone. If not, then you can ask your friend for an Android device (after all, you got some cool games from him, right?).

Subsequently, you need to open the application on a smartphone with WP and Windows 10 Mobile and try to find analogues of applications and games from an Android phone.

Method 2: Installing files with the extension .apk

Foreign craftsmen have created a tool called wconnect, with which you can install applications in .apk format on phones with Windows 10. Below is a list of supported devices compiled by the developer. Nothing is known about working on other devices.

Supported smartphones:

Lumia 920
Lumia 925
Lumia 929 (Lumia Icon)
Lumia 830
Lumia 930
Lumia 1520
Lumia 635
Lumia 730
Lumia 820
Lumia 435
Lumia 928

How to install Android apps on Windows Mobile 10:

Download wconnect and ADB tool on your computer and extract the contents of the archives into folders.
Open the wconnect folder and run IpOverUsbInstaller.msi and vcredist_x86.exe.
On your Windows 10 Mobile smartphone, go to Settings ->Updates and security —>For developers, and turn it on Developer Mode And Device discovery(Developers Mode and Device Discovery).
On your PC, navigate to the extracted wconnect folder and open Command Prompt (hold Shift and right-click on the folder, then select “Open Command Window”)
Connect your smartphone to your computer via USB or Wi-Fi.
Navigate to the extracted ADB folder and open Command Prompt using the method mentioned above.
IN command line enter adb devicesand pressEnter. If the smartphone is connected successfully, you will see it in the list of connected devices.
Copy the .apk file of the Android application you want to install to the ADB folder and in the command line type adb install APKNAME. apk, Where APKNAME – this is the name of your application or game.

After completing these steps, the application should appear on your Lumia smartphone.

Tell us in the comments if you were able to install the .apk file on your device? We hope we helped you.

For me, an admirer of Microsoft products, it’s painful to watch how they mediocrely ruined the most promising mobile operating system, how barbarically they trampled on the image of a transnational company, how cynically they destroyed the hopes of fans. Recently, I admitted that Microsoft smartphones have gone to another world. As sad as it may be, we must admit that Microsoft’s attempt to become the third mobile OS was unsuccessful. The smartphone market share is falling catastrophically; the company has not released new devices for a year. Some may argue about some kind of imaginary rebranding, revision of views, etc. All this is just talk and empty chatter.

For me, an admirer of Microsoft products, it is painful to watch how the most promising mobile operating system was ineptly ruined, how the image of a transnational company was barbarically trampled, and how the hopes of fans were cynically destroyed. Recently, I admitted that Microsoft smartphones have gone to another world. As sad as it may be, we must admit that Microsoft’s attempt to become the third mobile OS was unsuccessful. The smartphone market share is falling catastrophically; the company has not released new devices for a year. Some may argue about some kind of imaginary rebranding, revision of views, etc. All this is just talk and empty chatter.

Case design and materials

The world around us is inexorably changing: old plastic body materials have been replaced by metal and glass. But it seems not for Microsoft. I got the impression that the company’s developers and designers continued to take out blank housings from Nokia warehouses, putting new stuffing into them, and trying to sell them. I was very surprised how in 2015 it was possible to release flagships with a plastic body. I understand the thesis that plastic differs from plastic, but in the Lumia 950/950XL it was clearly of low quality. And how can one explain that the case of smartphones creaked, “like a shabby saddle” by Mikhail Sergeevich Boyarsky. Did the authors of the design really not notice this themselves before releasing the product to the market? Haven't they done any crash tests? Or is the banal “maybe it will pass” inherent in them? To say that this defect was due to the fact that the removable battery looked simply banal and ridiculous. Only the lazy did not write about the creaky case. When I first picked up a smartphone, I felt the product was cheap. It was a smartphone from 2013, but not from 2015. What kind of competition with Samsung, Apple, LG and even some Chinese manufacturers in terms of design quality could we talk about? Competitors have gone far ahead and have learned to make devices that are almost masterpieces in beauty and style.

"Tiled" interface

I will immediately disappoint those who think that I have seen the light about the “poorness” of the “tiled” interface of Windows smartphones. I still really like him. Moreover, I think that it is a fresh breath of air against the backdrop of the boring, empty desktop on Android and iOS.

I still don't like the competitors' desks. As one of my friends said: “The most fun in the iOS world is swapping widgets and putting them into folders.” I’m not talking about Android at all. Sometimes it reminds me of the battle of functionality versus aesthetics. I'm annoyed by the clutter of desktops on such smartphones. A couple of widgets and icons and your table looks like a dump of unnecessary things.

In Windows Phone/10 Mobile, tiles act as both widgets and icons quick access. They are lively, interactive, convenient.

But Microsoft wouldn’t be itself if it hadn’t ruined such a cool idea. Not only did the developers lack the patience to wait, improve their work, or seek recognition. The company tried to make concessions and compromises. I understand that many users disliked desktop Windows 8 and then transferred this dislike to mobile version. But why didn’t the developers of the “tiled” interface continue to stick to their line? Why was it only in the second year that tile transparency and the ability to set your own photos for wallpaper appeared? Why couldn’t it be possible to copy the best in this regard from competitors? They never disdained this. No, we are proud, we will not copy, better market We'll lose! Some questions...

Progressivity of the platform

Until the last moment, I did not believe that the mobile OS from Microsoft would not be able to impose at least some kind of fight on its competitors. It was sad to realize that Windows smartphones are no worse, and sometimes even better, in their price segment. They were equipped with pretty good hardware, they had excellent cameras, and excellent speakers. After all, few of them budget smartphones on Android boasts such gorgeous cameras and applications for them as in the same Lumia 640. Few people can work on 1 GB random access memory and at the same time work correctly. Surfing the Internet, chatting with friends in in social networks, even through those not very high-quality applications (more about them below) - this is a special strong point of smartphones.

But this applies to the first Microsoft smartphones, and then it got worse and worse. A particularly egregious fact for me was that most Windows Phone smartphones never received an update to Windows 10 Mobile. The excuse was great: they say the hardware component won’t cope. But the new devices that immediately received Windows 10 Mobile were much weaker than their predecessors. How is it necessary to disrespect the user in order to lie so blatantly and feed him with promises? Only Microsoft can do this. The smartphones that replaced the good x20 series were on old hardware and only caused irritation among fans and laughter among competitors. Over time, production was stopped altogether. There was no point in hoping that users wouldn’t switch en masse to competitors.

Universal Applications

Almost one of the reasons for the failure of Windows smartphones was considered to be an insufficient number of applications for this mobile platform. A certain logical chain has been built for me. There are no apps because Windows Phone is not popular, and it is not popular because there are no apps. Some kind of vicious circle. I understand the developers: why make an application for a platform where three and a half people are crippled.

This is where Microsoft was supposed to work. It was necessary to encourage these same developers in every possible way, to allocate resources and funds to them. The company has high hopes for universal applications, tried to create all sorts of projects to port applications from Android and iOS, but almost all of them were closed over time or postponed indefinitely. Just promises, words, words, words...

I am especially perplexed by Microsoft's cross-platform focus. There is no logical explanation for the fact that Skype and Office 365 work much more correctly on the iPhone than on Windows smartphones. It’s like you don’t have to believe in your products in order to make applications for them that work much worse than those that the company itself produces for competitors. Or as in the saying: “Give your wife to your uncle, and yourself...”, which is very strange.

Continuum

This innovation is the only thing that makes me very sorry for the mobile OS from Microsoft. A truly awesome feature that turns your smartphone into a full-fledged desktop PC. None of our competitors even have something like this. This was a real chance to take a shot at the mobile systems market.

Microsoft missed this chance. In the year since Continuum appeared, it has hardly changed. Some applications have appeared, some functions have been improved and that’s it. It seems that the company has cooled down and lost interest in this idea. Developments may be underway, but very unnoticed. Plus, I’m increasingly reading that universal applications in Continuum mode sometimes work disgustingly.

Lately there have been rumors that work is underway to rethink the mobile platform. I really hope there is a place for Continuum mode in this new Microsoft vision.

Taking care of the user

The success of any operating platform primarily depends on how the development company treats its users. Unfortunately, Microsoft has always had problems with this.

It’s necessary to deceive your users twice so brazenly and shamelessly without even bothering to explain everything in an elementary way. Probably everyone understood that I'm talking about Microsoft's empty promises to update old smartphones to new version BY. Not only did they simply delay entering the smartphone market, but they also managed to lose even that small part of users. You just need to know how to do it!

It seems that immediately after Satya Nadella took over as head of Microsoft, the company had already decided to get rid of the mobile segment. There could be two reasons: either the new CEO was getting rid of the legacy of his predecessor, or the company simply did not know what to do in this smartphone market. Then it would be more logical to switch to Android immediately after purchasing Nokia, while simultaneously promoting your services on this platform. I don't find any other explanation.

Usually, when a person or, in this case, a company is late for something, he takes a closer look, adjusts, copies, developing and adding his own. But apparently prejudices about their greatness took over in the company and the fall was very painful and unpleasant.

The good news is that Microsoft finally had the courage to admit that they failed in the mobile segment, that they were unable to offer anything meaningful to their competitors. The latest news that Windows 10 will be compatible with ARM processors gives us hope that Microsoft will be able to return to the mobile OS market in a new way.