14 DAY TRIAL // It’s not a secret that modern Windows has an app problem, and Windows 10 Mobile appears to inherit the very same dilemma, as developers don’t seem to rush either to code for the platform or to update their apps that are available in the store (if this is the case).
And a recent Reddit thread reveals another interesting problem with the Windows 10 Mobile apps. Recently, Microsoft has removed the “last updated” date from the apps listed in the store, so right now, it’s pretty much impossible to tell when the latest version of a specific application was released.
With Microsoft making this change without actually announcing it, it’s believed that the company has decided to remove the last updated information to cover the fact that apps listed for download were updated a long time ago, thus finding a way to hide the embarrassment.
Microsoft and its attempt at transparency
Needless to say, these are serious accusations, especially given the fact that Microsoft’s pushing for more transparency with Windows 10, but it’s no surprise that users turn to such claims: the Windows 10 Mobile upgrade is nowhere to be seen for Windows Phone devices, and Redmond remains completely tight-lipped on everything related to the release date of the OS.
“I can understand not having change-logs for all the tiny bug fixes they make in each build of W10M. But, I can't find any other explanation why this must-have feature was removed,” one redditor posted, while another one continued by adding that “almost certainly. And why there's no download count either. Hide the embarrassing bits.”
While there’s no proof that Microsoft has removed that to hide the fact that Windows 10 Mobile apps have not been updated in a long time, these claims certainly make sense, especially given the fact that, right now, the most downloaded apps on Windows phones are more or less outdated while their Android and iOS counterparts get new versions regularly.
“All of the most downloaded apps (Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, All Google Apps & Most MS apps, Snapchat, Viber, Hike, Line, Shareit) in the Play store have been updated in late Jan, early Feb 2016,” one of the users replying to the aforementioned thread explains.
Windows 10 Mobile is expected to make its public debut for Windows Phone devices sometime this month, but with Microsoft still keeping such details secret, it’s hard to tell if this information is accurate or not.