Microsoft has this week launched their Windows Phone Marketplace in 22 new countries. This expansion makes it even easier for users worldwide to make purchases from the online Windows Phone app store, significantly broadening the reach and accessibility of the platform.
As well as launching in new areas across the world, Microsoft also revealed that it is planning to make a number of major changes to its Windows Marketplace to clean up spam and improve the search facility. Microsoft explains after the jump.
“To help address that, this week we’ve started reviewing the keywords that developers assign to their apps and removing ones that aren’t relevant. You can learn more about this cleanup effort in Todd Brix’s post on the developer blog. It will take us at least several weeks to complete our review, but our expectation is that you should start seeing more relevant search results when it’s done, particularly for popular apps.”
Global Expansion of Windows Phone Marketplace
The Windows Phone Marketplace is now available in Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Israel, Thailand, and Vietnam. This expansion is a significant step for Microsoft as it aims to capture a larger share of the global smartphone market. By making the Marketplace accessible in these new regions, Microsoft is not only increasing its user base but also providing developers with a broader audience for their apps.
The inclusion of countries from diverse regions such as the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia highlights Microsoft’s commitment to making its services globally inclusive. This move is expected to foster local app development, as developers in these regions now have a platform to showcase their work to a global audience.
Improvements to Search and Spam Reduction
In addition to expanding its geographical reach, Microsoft is also focusing on improving the user experience within the Windows Phone Marketplace. One of the major changes involves cleaning up spam and enhancing the search functionality. This initiative is crucial for maintaining the quality and relevance of the apps available on the platform.
Microsoft has started reviewing the keywords that developers assign to their apps and removing those that are not relevant. This cleanup effort, as detailed in Todd Brix’s post on the developer blog, aims to ensure that users get more accurate search results. The process is expected to take several weeks, but the end goal is to provide a more streamlined and efficient search experience, particularly for popular apps.
This effort to improve search functionality is a response to user feedback and is part of Microsoft’s broader strategy to enhance the overall usability of the Windows Phone Marketplace. By reducing spam and irrelevant search results, Microsoft hopes to make it easier for users to find the apps they need, thereby increasing user satisfaction and engagement.
Moreover, these improvements are likely to benefit developers as well. With a cleaner and more efficient search system, high-quality apps are more likely to be discovered by users, potentially leading to increased downloads and better reviews. This, in turn, can create a more vibrant and competitive app ecosystem within the Windows Phone Marketplace.
In conclusion, Microsoft’s recent expansion of the Windows Phone Marketplace to 22 new countries, coupled with its efforts to clean up spam and improve search functionality, marks a significant milestone in the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance its mobile platform. These initiatives are expected to benefit both users and developers, making the Windows Phone Marketplace a more attractive and user-friendly destination for mobile apps.
Source: Microsoft
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