Microsoft Addressing Achilles' Heel Of Windows Phone Store With Better App Search
We've been using (and reviewing) Windows Phone devices for years now, and while market share numbers still favor iOS and Android, it's obvious that Microsoft isn't going to give up on the race. The company has been building Windows Phone into a full-fledged mobile OS, and today it stands as a formidable competitor. That said, it still has a few kinks to iron out, one of which is being addressed this week.
Those searching for apps in the Windows Phone Store probably found all sorts of third-party junk that was engineered specifically to trick people into downloading it. Microsoft had previously done little to stop rampant copying of logos and duping of apps, thereby enabling these pranksters to fool users into downloading something like looks like a certain app, but in fact isn't that app.
The screenshot here is a look at how things have improved, as Microsoft now ranks the legitimate apps atop the list. Of course, there's still the issue of why Microsoft allows these seedy lookalike apps to even make their way into the store, but perhaps that's the next item on the addressable agenda. For now, we can only give kudos to Microsoft for starting to make search more sensible in its own store.
Those searching for apps in the Windows Phone Store probably found all sorts of third-party junk that was engineered specifically to trick people into downloading it. Microsoft had previously done little to stop rampant copying of logos and duping of apps, thereby enabling these pranksters to fool users into downloading something like looks like a certain app, but in fact isn't that app.
The screenshot here is a look at how things have improved, as Microsoft now ranks the legitimate apps atop the list. Of course, there's still the issue of why Microsoft allows these seedy lookalike apps to even make their way into the store, but perhaps that's the next item on the addressable agenda. For now, we can only give kudos to Microsoft for starting to make search more sensible in its own store.
