Microsoft has a new Android app named AppComparison, and it tries to entice users to switch from their Android-powered to devices to a Windows Phone.
The app, once downloaded and fired up on an Android device, shows the user which apps for the Windows Phone matches the ones that are currently installed on the device. Microsoft believes that customers may think a bit more of switching to a Windows Phone such as the Microsoft Lumia 950 if their favorite apps are also available once they switch devices.
For instances when there is no direct match for the user's apps, AppComparison does not simply state as such. Instead, the app will direct the users to the Windows Phone version of some popular apps.
The release of AppComparison to the Google Play Store comes as the Lumia 950 is made available in the United States through the Microsoft Store and through AT&T. Many users of Android devices, however, may be hesitant to make the switch because some of the apps they use the most are not yet available for the Windows Phone. This is partly due to some developers deciding not to create versions of popular apps for the Windows Phone because it could be a wasted effort, as the market share of the platform is still comparably low to Android and Apple's iOS.
Users that would be interested to see if their favorite apps have corresponding versions for the Windows Phone if they do decide to make the switch to a Lumia 950 can simply download AppComparison from the Google Play Store. The app is free, and would help in the decision to switch from an Android device to a smartphone powered by Windows 10 Mobile.
User reviews on the app, however, seem to indicate that instead of pushing users to switch to Windows Phone, the app is backfiring and is instead showing users that only a few of their apps have Windows Phone equivalents.
"After seeing the comparisons and the other recommendations, I know I would not change even if I would love the devices and Windows 10. So few apps and bad replacements," wrote Wilhelm Haas in his review of the app.
"I can't tell if there is the problem or if there just aren't enough apps available to match, but it only finds matches for about 25 percent of my apps, and of those it just tells me it's "like" the app I have," wrote another reviewer, Joe Kovacs.
