14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based software giant Microsoft has made a few changes to the app submission process for its Windows Phone Store, now allowing developers to associate multiple XAPs with the same app GUID.
Basically, this means that devs are now able to build and submit different flavors of their apps to target both Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8 devices with them.
Through this change, Microsoft also provides developers with the possibility to associate different metadata to their apps aimed at the two operating system flavors.
“One of the key advantages of multiple XAPs per app GUID is that you can associate different metadata, such as long description, with each XAP,” the company notes in a recent blog post.
“For instance, if you have additional app functionality that is now only available with the Windows Phone 8 platform, you can highlight those in the Windows Phone 8 app long description and maintain the applicable metadata long description for the Windows Phone 7 XAP.”
At the same time, having multiple XAPs per app GUID enables app builders to distribute these XAPs for all the markets they are targeting with their software.
“And you don’t have to worry about your app showing up twice or end users finding the wrong version for their device. Our catalog detection will show your 7.x app to those with Windows Phone 7 devices and the 8.0 app to those with Windows Phone 8 devices,” said blog post continues.
Developers who do not want to take advantage of the new functionality can simply leave their apps as they are at the moment. Apps will be visible both to Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7 devices, the company explains.
Devs with Windows Phone 7 apps interested in the new feature can upgrade their apps to Windows Phone 8 and keep the current GUID, yet the software will no longer be listed as available for WP7 as well.
Developers can also add a second XAP to the app GUID (a copy of the 7.x XAP that has been upgraded to Windows Phone 8), which will show the app as available for both platform releases, as a result of the newly added functionality in the Dev Center.
Application builders can learn more on how to make their software available for both platforms through adding multiple XAPs via the aforementioned blog post from Microsoft.