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Microsoft wants to kill fake Windows apps

Microsoft is dead set on making its Windows Phone operating system a legitimate alternative to the incumbents, Android and iOS. And while it wasn’t very well received at first, the company’s Windows 8 desktop and tablet OS is starting to gain some traction over time.

There is no doubt that one of the key components in building a successful OS is the amount of apps that are available in its store… which of course does not mean that having 184 different calculator apps is a good thing. This is why Microsoft is taking big steps to try and clean up its Windows and Windows Phone app stores.

In a blog post on the company’s website, Microsoft’s general manager of the Windows apps and store team, Todd Brix, explained the steps that they are taking to try and clean up the problem with misleading apps in the Windows app store:

“Every app store finds its own balance between app quality and choice, which in turn opens the door to people trying to game the system with misleading titles or descriptions,” said Brix. “Earlier this year we heard loud and clear that people were finding it more difficult to find the apps they were searching for; often having to sort through lists of apps with confusing or misleading titles.”

This lead to a slew of changes in the Windows Store app certification requirements which addressed three key areas of naming an app correctly reflect its intended purpose, ensuring that apps are filed under the correct categories and making sure that the icons are differentiated enough to not be confused with other apps.

Hopefully these changes will make the Windows app stores a more friendly place for users to find the best apps. Still not finding what you want? You can always report an app directly to Microsoft (reportapp@microsoft.com) if you think it infringes on the rules or is misleading. You can also request a refund for paid apps from the Windows or Windows Phone stores if you think you have fallen victim to a fake app.

[Source – Microsoft, Image – Mahesh Mohan on Flickr (CC BY 2.0), Via – re/code]

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