Windows Phone Store: The Clone Wars

Windows Phone Store

The Windows Phone Shop has seen its off-white share of challenges over the years. We take seen cookie cutter or spam apps, misleading apps, update failures and problems with developer revenues all surface. While Microsoft has done a decent chore of responding to these matters, one trouble continues to plague the Shop - cloned or copied apps.

It is not a new consequence or 1 unique to the Windows Phone Store merely one that Microsoft needs to get control of better.

Sympathise that when I refer to copied apps and games I am non talking about games with the same concept. We have a bazillion match-iii games available in the Store with many sharing similar designs, but I don't consider them copies. The clones are those games or apps that simply elevator the code from one title, slap on a new title and submit information technology for publication.

It isn't a problem unique to the Windows Telephone Shop or one that is new, but it seems to have gotten worse.

Windows Phone Store Top Free Games

Nosotros receive review requests from readers and developers, equally well as what we stumble upon ourselves. Over the past few months, several of these requests have been for copied or fake games, which nosotros pass on. If the original title is in the Windows Phone Shop, we focus on that instead. I try to inquiry the authenticity of these games, but I'm not perfect and at present and so one slips through the cracks.

Even Microsoft fails to take hold of these clones in one case they sneak past the certification process. They volition often be included in their meridian rated categories in the Windows Telephone Store. A contempo Windows Fundamental roundup was based on the top free games in the Windows Phone Store. Nosotros noticed one obvious clone in the top listed games, but two were missed.

Equally we saw with the spam apps, these clones are sneaking into the Store more often these days. Almost get caught and are unpublished but many stays in circulation for a good while.

What tin can be washed?

If yous run across a game or app in the Windows Phone Store, in that location is a link on the Store listing that will report a business to Microsoft. The clones are non ever easy to pick out of a crowd, but some stand up out like a sore thumb. Some of the signs include:

Store title doesn't match the title on the app itself
Advert back up is overly aggressive with advertising banners covering central details and you lot see a combination of ad banners and full-screen ads
In that location is a vast number of reviews on the app or game but very few comments
Shop description refers to a different title than one listed

Just keep in mind that these signs practise non always hateful a Windows Phone title is a copy. When I spot one, I search iTunes, Google Play and even our Store for originals. The original versions can jump off the screen at you lot while others are not as easy to notice.

Windows Phone Store Reporting

Along with client reporting potential clones, Microsoft needs to footstep things up during the certification procedure. I exercise not know if there needs to be less automation in the process or just a refinement of the process, but something needs to happen to reduce the number of these clones making information technology to Shop shelves.

When we saw gobs of cookie cutter or spam apps appear, Microsoft tweaked the submission process and express the daily submissions to accost that outcome. When nosotros saw misleading apps that used false descriptions or keyword tags, again Microsoft tweaked the procedure to right that issue. It should not exist too difficult for Microsoft to conform the certification procedure to look for the obvious signs of a cloned app and have a human being take a closer wait at things.

Whatsoever the method, Microsoft needs to step it upwards. I review hundreds of Windows Phone titles throughout the year and enjoy offering my opinion on things and giving these titles a piddling exposure. Nosotros will continue to screen these titles to avoid giving an unauthorized re-create of an app this exposure and appreciate our readers helping hands in making sure everything is on the upward and upwardly.

I just hope Microsoft can find a way to proceed these copies in check. These cloned apps' presence is non off-white to our community or the developers who back up this platform.

Boosted Discussion in the Windows Central Forums

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