14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Phone 7 users who purchase an application can install (or reinstall) it only five times before being charged again for the it, Microsoft France notes in a recent post on their forums. Basically, as soon as a user has reinstalled the same application the sixth time, he / she would be charged again for it, the said post appears to imply.
However, it seems that an error slipped in here, or a miscommunication, as things are actually a little different than that.
“According to the licensing terms, customers are allowed to download an application to 5 phones at a time that use the same Windows Live ID,” Microsoft notes on an article on its support website.
Further more, the company explains that the Marketplace would immediately associate any purchased application with the Windows Live ID of the user who made the acquisition.
“Marketplace does this for you automatically. If you accidentally remove an app from your phone, you can reinstall it by selecting the app in the catalog and selecting buy or install. You will be notified that you have already purchased the app and prompted to confirm reinstall,” the company explains.
This means that there is no limitation to the number of installs and reinstalls that one can subject an application to, but only to the number of handsets on which one can use the same application on at the same time.
“You can install an application 5 times before being charged again,” a Microsoft France support employee stated on the aforementioned forum post, but it seems that the matter was actually not explained properly.
“Applications you purchase are only licensed to you,” Microsoft explains, adding that any updates for these applications would be offered for free.
“If you remove an app and want to reinstall it later, you will need to buy or install the app again. You will be notified if you have already purchased the app and prompted to confirm reinstall,” the company continues.