Microsoft restricts app publishing for Windows Phone marketplace

To prevent apps from a single publisher crowding out other apps for Windows Phone 7 devices, Microsoft has imposed limits on "bulk" publishing by some makers of apps for its Windows Phone Marketplace. Microsoft senior director for mobile platform services product management Todd Brix said Microsoft will certify a maximum of 20 apps per day from a single publisher. “In recent weeks a handful of companies have individually published hundreds of apps in a matter of a few days. We call this bulk publishing. While these apps meet our certification requirements and give consumers a wider selection of content, we’re also finding that publishing them in bulk degrades our customers’ experience. By publishing hundreds of apps in a short amount of time, the popular ‘New’ Marketplace list category fills quickly, pushing the other new apps out and reducing the diversity of the shopping experience," Brix said in a blog post. Finding a balance According to Brix, Microsoft’s philosophy is that an app marketplace should balance quality, choice and variety with a great customer experience, “which includes easy shopping and discoverability." Brix said Microsoft offers customers thousands of apps and games, and does not want to compromise the quality of customers’ experiences in using – or shopping for - any one of those apps. “We’ve evaluated the impact of bulk publishing, reviewed some very thoughtful input from both our user base and our developer community and concluded that we need to take the following steps to restore the balance of choice and experience," he said. Only 20 apps per developer per day To avoid a scenario where bulk publishing crowds out other apps in the Marketplace in the future, he said Microsoft limited the number of apps any one developer can have certified in a single day to 20, effective immediately. “Developers creating a large number of apps can still submit all of them for certification, but they will be certified at a maximum rate of 20 per day rather than all at once. This change helps us retain a balance of choice and customer experience by enabling customers to see a broader and more representative assortment of new apps from the developer community when they see ‘New’ apps every day," he said. But he said the limit is subject to change based on the ongoing evolution of Marketplace and input from customers and developers. Talks with developers Also, he said Microsoft is reaching out to the companies who most recently published a large number of apps with similar functionality in a short period of time. “We’re offering to work with these developers to explore how they can better take advantage of the Windows Phone platform to improve the functionality of their apps and reduce the need for large numbers of similar apps," he said. He said many of the most recently published bulk apps are being removed from Marketplace while these developers update and republish their apps. Microsoft also said that it is committed to create and share additional guidance and best practices in the near future to help developers create compelling apps that offer localized or targeted experiences, without having to create dozens of unique apps. Evolving marketplace Brix said that Windows Phone Marketplace has been steadily evolving to reflect developer and customer feedback. He said that while they move to the next version of Windows Phone, codenamed Mango, the Marketplace is evolving to give developers more of what they’ve asked for. “Mango will bring support for both app submission and purchase in 19 more countries, improved search and discovery of apps and the introduction of a Web based Windows Phone Marketplace from which customers can shop for apps and install them directly to their Windows Phone," Brix said. Also, he said Microsoft has maintained and evolved its commitment to transparency in the policies and communications that impact the developer community. — TJD, GMA News