Windows Phone Store
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The Windows Store website
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| Original author(s) | Microsoft |
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| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
| Initial release | 21 October 2010 |
| Development status | Merged with Windows Store |
| Operating system | Windows Phone |
| Type | Digital distribution |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | Windows Phone Apps |
Windows Phone Store (previously Windows Phone Marketplace) is a digital distribution platform developed by Microsoft for its Windows Phone platform that allows users to browse and download applications that have been developed by third parties. Like much of the new Windows products, it features "Metro UI"; the UI is presented in a panoramic view where the user can browse categories and titles, see featured items, and get details with ratings, reviews, screen shots, and pricing information.
The Windows Phone Store (replacing Windows Marketplace for Mobile) was launched along with Windows Phone 7 in October 2010 in some countries. It was reported on 4 October 2010 that the Windows Phone SDK was downloaded over half a million times. At the end of February 2013, the Marketplace had more than 130,000 apps available. With the rollout of Mango (Windows Phone 7.5) the online web Marketplace was unveiled by Microsoft; it offers various features like silent, over the air installation of apps to the user's device. In August 2012, Microsoft rebranded the "Windows Phone Marketplace" to "Windows Phone Store". The change was seen on Windows Phone devices and on the Windows Phone website; the Marketplace section was changed to "Apps+Games".
In 2015, Microsoft announced that Windows Phone Store would be phased out and replaced by Windows Store which would act as a "universal" store for all Windows-powered devices. As part of this process, the Windows Phone Store website was moved to a site that also contained the PC Store merging the store effectively.
Windows Phone Store had support for credit card purchases, operator billing, and ad-supported content. The Store also features a "try-before-you-buy" option, where the user has an option to download a trial or demo for a commercial app. Other features are said to be similar to Windows Phone Store's predecessor, Windows Marketplace for Mobile. The Windows Phone Store had 61 categories split up into 16 main categories and 25 sub-categories. Apps can only be placed in one category. Windows Phone Store also featured downloads for 3D games that will have integrated Xbox Live connectivity and features.
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