Microsoft is cleaning up its
Windows Store catalog, by ejecting misleading apps. After modifying the Windows Store app certification
requirements to try and prevent fake apps from reaching the app store in the first place, the company has started to comb through its app listings, and has already removed more than 1,500 apps from the store.
Writing in
the Windows Blog, Todd Brix cited complaints from earlier in the year over apps with misleading or confusing titles, such as developers attempting to scam Windows users by making them pay for an app named similar to a legitimate popular app. "We took the feedback seriously and modified the Windows Store app certification requirements as a first step toward better ensuring that apps are named and described in a way that doesn't misrepresent their purpose," states Brix.
The changes to the policies require the name of the software to "clearly and accurately reflect the functionality of the app," to make sure the app is categorized correctly, and that icons "must be differentiated to avoid being mistaken with others."
Scanning through the app listings is an ongoing process for Microsoft, with some developers found to be violating the new policies said to have "good intentions and agree to make the necessary changes when notified." As to affected customers, Brix writes "we will gladly refund the cost of an app that is downloaded as a result of an erroneous title or description."
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