14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has reduced the number of applications that can be published in bulk to the Windows Phone Marketplace to just 10 per day. The new restriction made its debut today, September 30, 2011, and is designed to ensure that high quality is preserved throughout the app bazaar for the Redmond company’s mobile platform.
According to Todd Brix, senior director, Windows Phone Marketplace, the chance was necessary to counteract some developers there were essentially spamming the New Marketplace category with their projects.
“We have (…) seen another spike in what we call bulk app publishing. This is the phenomenon whereby a developer publishes a large number of very similar apps in a single day. As a result the popular “New” Marketplace category fills quickly, pushing the other new apps out and reducing the diversity of the shopping experience,” he stated.
According to official statistics, the number of apps on the Windows Phone Marketplace already passed the 30,000 milestone, and more developers crowd to the hub every day.
The software giant had already dropped the bulk publishing limit to 20 apps per day, but it appears that this failed to really deter developers that are abusing this Windows Phone Marketplace feature.
“We are again observing a small number of developers publishing apps in bulk. Therefore, Effective Friday 9/30 we are limiting the number of apps that can be published in a single day without prior agreement to 10. This means that no more than 10 apps by the same developer will be certified per day (down from 20),” Brix said.
“In addition we will monitor the number of apps published – not just certified – in a given day and be more proactive in correcting instances where the 10 app limit is exceeded. This may include the unpublishing of apps, and in extreme cases, temporary or permanent suspension of an offending developer’s Marketplace credentials.”