Microsoft is cracking down on misleading Windows Phone apps

Microsoft has announced that it is starting to crack down on misleading apps in the Windows Phone store after the company had received reports that there were scam/fake apps up for grabs, asking users to pay for content and functionality that can typically be found for free.

Windows Apps and Store General Manager, Todd Brix, made a blog post, detailing Microsoft's plan going forward, which includes enforcing stricter policies. From now on, all app icons must be differentiated in order to avoid being mistaken with others, apps must be categorized correctly and the name must clearly reflect the functionality of the app.

In addition, Microsoft is conducting a full review of the Windows Phone app store, in an effort to identify the bad eggs and ensure that every app complies with the store's new policies. Due to unresponsive developers, as many as 1500 apps have been forcefully removed so far:

“Most of the developers behind apps that are found to violate our policies have good intentions and agree to make the necessary changes when notified. Others have been less receptive, causing us to remove more than 1,500 apps as part of this review so far.”

“The Store review is ongoing and we recognize that we have more work to do, but we’re on it. We’re applying additional resources to speed up the review process and identify more problem apps faster.”

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KitGuru Says: The Windows Phone store should be a much friendlier place now that this full catalog review is in effect in conjunction with the stricter app policies. How many of you guys own a Windows Phone? Are you glad that Microsoft is cleaning up the store?

Source: Windows Blog

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