Submitting and Publishing Apps announcements

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  Windows Phone Store Badge- Get More Exposure for your App!
  Jo T Smith Friday, February 01, 2013 6:20 PM

  Hello all,

  You can now display a badge to let your customers know that your Windows Phone app is available in the Windows Phone Store! 

  Use this link to get all the details and download the Windows Phone Store badge. 

  The Windows Phone Store badge is intended to provide a clear way to communicate the availability of your app on the Windows Phone Store. The badge can be used in your print or digital media, and is made available in a number of colors, sizes, and digital formats. The following shows some examples of the badge.

  

  

Building Windows Store apps with C# or VB announcements

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  Add a cloud-based backend service to an app in minutes using Windows Azure Mobile Services!
  Jeff Sanders Wednesday, February 27, 2013 2:36 PM

  Learn how to build apps with Windows Azure Mobile Services

  Windows Azure Mobile Services Forum

  
  
• Link
  Need Help with Windows Azure Mobile Services?
  Jeff Sanders Thursday, March 21, 2013 6:53 PM

  Forum link: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/azuremobile/threads

Developing for Windows Phone announcements

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  Need Help with Windows Azure Mobile Services?
  Jeff Sanders Thursday, March 21, 2013 6:56 PM

  Forum link: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/azuremobile/threads

Dev Center App announcements

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  Dev Center App Update!
  Arvind Ladha Friday, March 01, 2013 7:55 PM

  Thank you for all the feedback regarding the new Dev Center App!  

  We released an update (version 1.1.1302.26 published on Feb 28, 2013) to fix these issues:

  -  App would fail if the background agent was turned off

  -  App would show an incorrect notification “update required”

  - UI graphic improvements

  IMPORTANT: This app requires a Windows Phone Dev Center active account and won’t work without one.

  Please take a minute to download the update. Please send us feedback either by email and this forum.
  

  
  

Windows App Studio Beta announcements

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  Certification Guidance for Windows Phone App Studio built apps that hope to publish in Windows Phone Store
  ArisDadsApps Wednesday, October 16, 2013 5:45 PM

  Making the move to the Windows Phone Store?

  Now that you've used App Studio to jump start building your killer app, are you ready to launch it to the world on the Windows Phone Store? Before you go, make sure you've scrubbed out any leftover template items.

  If your app uses template images or titles, still has placeholder text (like [insert name here]) or uses template metadata (such as the icon, long description or keywords), it won't meet app certification requirements. Use a template to learn how to do it, then change it into your app, and you'll be off to a good start on your way to the store.

  Here's a handy checklist of examples to remember.

  Use:

  • Your own titles
  • Your own iconography (app Logo, Pin to start tile)
  • Your own long description

  Don’t use:

  • Template placeholder text ([insert name here])
  • Template app content

  Have fun building your app in Windows Phone App Studio, and we'll see you in the Windows Phone Store!

• Link
  Sideload error using the Installable Package
  App Studio Support Team Tuesday, November 11, 2014 4:33 AM

  When attempting to sideload Windows App Studio Beta apps using the Installable Package, some devices are returning a "Can't Install Company App" error.  We are investigating and will resolve the error shortly.  In the meantime, you can sideload Publish Packages using the Windows Phone SDK deployment tool.
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  Video Tutorial on Windows Phone App Studio
  App Studio Support Team Friday, September 20, 2013 10:10 PM

  Windows Phone MVP, Maciej Grabek (http://maciejgrabek.com), put together this great tutorial on Windows Phone App Studio.  Maciej, great work on this!

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBBkO3AtExQ

   
  

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  How create a screenshot so you are ready to publish.... (without opening the SDK)
  ArisDadsApps Thursday, August 01, 2013 11:20 PM

  To publish your app on Windows Phone Store and share it with the world, you need three things:

  A) Your signed .XAP file (created for you in Windows Phone App Studio after you've generated your app by Download Publish Package)

  B) Your app tile in 300x300 PNG format (same one you already created as your 'app icon' in the 'describe your app section of Windows Phone App Studio)

  C) At least one screenshot in 768X1280 PNG format (this is not created automatically, so here you go. You can create this in many methods, but this is one way to do it without opening visual studio)

       1) Install your app on your device by scanning the QR code generated in Windows Phone App Studio.

       2) Launch your app and take a few screenshots of the app by pressing the Power button and the Start button.

       3) Find those screenshots in your "albums" under "screenshots" then save to your SkyDrive.

       4) Download from Skydrive and open with Paint. 

       5) In Paint resize (under Home) to 768X1280 pixels if needed

       6) When you are ready publish in Dev Center and you have to "upload images", just use WXGA option and check "Automatically create lower resolution screenshots from WXGA"

  You can also do this using the emulator or the snipping tool.  Check it out at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsphone/develop/gg442300(v=vs.105).aspx.

  Now, you are ready to publish at https://dev.windowsphone.com/publish

  Community, please reply if you have a better way to do this.  I'm all ears!

• Link
  Certificate sideload problem now resolved
  App Studio Support Team Tuesday, November 11, 2014 3:23 PM

  Hello everyone,
  
  First we would like to apologize for the inconvenience that the failing cert has caused for any of you.
  
  Next, We would like to let you know that the problem is now resolved. We had loaded the wrong cert into the latest site revision, which is now fixed.
  Please go ahead and load the cert again, and it will now allow you to properly load it as well as your app package.
  
  Again we are very sorry for the inconvenience.
  
  The App Studio Team

Register and Manage Account announcements

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  Unifying Developer Registration: Windows and Windows Phone
  Donielle S.-MSFT Wednesday, November 06, 2013 9:16 PM

  Over the last month, we’ve brought the Windows Store and the Windows Phone Store together into a single marketing and operations team to deliver a better experience for developers, end users and partners. Our focus remains to improve the way we help you reach new users and better monetize your apps, all while reducing friction and cost. Today we are making a set of changes that will simplify doing business with us. 

  I’m pleased to announce a unified registration experience for both Windows Store and Windows Phone developers, available at a lower cost. As a result of these changes, Windows Store developers are now also Windows Phone developers, and Windows Phone developers are also Windows Store developers. Welcome all! 

  Here’s what you can expect: 

  • Registered Windows Store developers can now submit apps to the Windows Phone Store, using the same Microsoft account.
  • Registered Windows Phone developers can now submit apps to the Windows Store at no additional cost, using the same Microsoft account.
  • New developers can register and existing developers can renew their account using the same Microsoft account. Developers will enter registration information just once and pay a single lower price of $19 for an Individual and $99 for a Company account, providing access to publish
    apps for both Windows and Windows Phone users.
  • Developers already registered with both Windows Store and Windows Phone using the same Microsoft account will receive a code via email this month, valid for a free one-year
    renewal when their existing registration is up for renewal.
  • Students continue to be supported through the DreamSpark program.

  You will continue to use the separate Windows Store and Windows Phone Dev Center Dashboards to submit and manage your apps. You can expect some differences in the steps you take to renew your account. The most notable for some of our Windows Phone developers is the addition of a credit card to validate all new account and renewals. You can read more about today’s changes on the Windows and Windows Phone Dev Centers. 

  Publish your app for both Windows Store and Windows Phone and earn prizes

  With the holiday selling season approaching, this is an ideal time to tune-up and publish your apps for both Windows and Windows Phone to help increase your downloads and revenue. Last year holiday sales of paid apps grew 40% over baseline, and we expect an even more robust Holiday 2013 due to an even larger base of Windows and Windows Phone users with more ways to pay for apps. 

  As an added incentive, we’ve partnered with Nokia via the DVLUP community to give you an easy way to learn more and complete challenges as you develop for both the Windows Store and Windows Phone. Along the way, you’ll earn points that can then be redeemed for great prizes (for example, Nokia Lumia phones and more).  DVLUP is currently open to developers in more than 20 countries. To participate, register for the DVLUP program and take advantage of the two new challenges available today: 

  Publish a new app for Windows Phone 8, or port an existing Windows Store app
  or
  Bring your Windows Phone app to Windows 8.1

  I’m hopeful that the steps we’ve taken will encourage you to publish your apps for both Windows and Windows Phone users around the world. I’ll share more in the weeks ahead, so stay tuned.

  Quoted from Todd Brix on the 'Windows Phone Developer Blog'( http://blogs.windows.com/windows_phone/b/wpdev/archive/2013/11/06/unifying-developer-registration-windows-and-windows-phone.aspx)
  

Share your How to samples (archive) announcements

• Link
  Need Help with Windows Azure Mobile Services?
  Jeff Sanders Thursday, March 21, 2013 6:58 PM

  Forum link: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/azuremobile/threads

Building Windows Store apps with HTML5/JavaScript announcements

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  New Version of Windows Application Certification Kit available now!
  Matt Small Wednesday, November 21, 2012 2:09 PM

  A new version of the Windows ACK (and the SDK) is now available to download. This new version of the ACK will be enforced by the Store certification system in December, but you can start using it right now to improve the quality of your applications. Among other new tests and improvements, this new version will verify that the app icon shown in the Store is not the default one. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/desktop/hh852363
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  Great Video Based Training Series from Microsoft Virtual Academy!
  Jeff Sanders Thursday, March 28, 2013 12:17 PM

  https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/training-courses/learn-html5-with-javascript-css3-jumpstart-training

  https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/training-courses/developing-windows-store-apps-with-html5-jump-start

  https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/training-courses/advanced-windows-store-app-development-with-html5-jump-start

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  Need Help with Windows Azure Mobile Services? Forum link...
  Jeff Sanders Thursday, March 21, 2013 6:49 PM

  http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/azuremobile/threads
  
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  Design case study: Website to Metro style app
  Jeff Sanders Monday, May 21, 2012 11:30 AM

  Designing websites has been a common practice for decades. With Windows 8 Consumer Preview, designers and developers can use the web technologies they are familiar with, including HTML5, Cascading Style Sheets, Level 3 (CSS3), and JavaScript, to build Metro style apps for Windows. Here we explore how to expose the capabilities of a website to make it a great Metro style app for Windows 8 and show ways to provide additional value, personalization, and richer experiences  using features of the Windows 8 platform. 

  Our aim is to help designers and developers reimagine their websites as Metro style apps.  

  Design case study: Website to Metro style app

• Link
  Add a cloud-based backend service to an app in minutes using Windows Azure Mobile Services!
  Jeff Sanders Wednesday, February 27, 2013 2:35 PM

  Learn how to build apps with Windows Azure Mobile Services

  Windows Azure Mobile Services Forum

• Link
  Patterns and Practice Sample - Hilo app
  Jeff Sanders Tuesday, February 26, 2013 1:03 PM

  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/jj674095.aspx

  
  

Windows Phone push notifications announcements

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  **FIXED** Financial Summary Reporting Delayed for June
  Jo T Smith Monday, July 08, 2013 5:23 PM

  Hello all,

  The June Financial summary data has been loaded, so please visit your Dev Center Dashboard to review your June payout details.

  Thanks!

  Jo

• Link
  Need Help with Windows Azure Mobile Services?
  Jeff Sanders Thursday, March 21, 2013 6:58 PM

  Forum link: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/azuremobile/threads

Payouts and Reporting announcements

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  1099 Tax Forms – Understanding IRS informational returns issued by Microsoft
  PatrickMSFT Monday, February 02, 2015 6:59 PM

  In the run up to the tax filing season you may have received one or more 1099 forms from Microsoft.

  These are important tax forms that Microsoft is required to issue and file with the IRS, but what exactly are these forms, and why might you have received them?

   

  I’m a US developer selling paid apps that…	I should receive this/these form(s)
  Received less than $600 in payments from Microsoft in the applicable tax year (payments could be from app sales and/or non-app   sales, like a contest or promotion)	None
  Received at least $600 in payments from Microsoft in the applicable tax year (payments could be from app sales and/or non-app sales, like a contest or promotion) Important Notes: Certain business entities will not receive 1099-MISC forms regardless of the payment amounts received from Microsoft.  Please consult your tax professional for further information	1099-MISC   : Payer - Microsoft Corporation EIN: *****4442
  Generated greater than 200 app sales AND the   total purchase amount of these sales was greater than $20,000 USD in the applicable tax year Important Notes: 1099-K contains gross purchase amounts, not payments made to you If you receive a 1099-K form then you will not receive a 1099-MISC form   for the payments that correspond to those purchases that are reported on the 1099-K*	1099-K   : Payer - Microsoft Corporation EIN: *****4442

  *In a few situations it is possible to receive both a 1099-MISC and a 1099-K form for paid app sales.  In these cases the amounts shown on the 1099-MISC form were amounts not reportable on the 1099-K. 

  There are various reasons for this, including (but not limited to):

  • Payments were made to you in the applicable tax year, but the app purchases were made in a prior year (and these purchases were not reportable on a prior year 1099-K).

  • Payments were made to you in the applicable tax year, but they do not have a corresponding purchase transaction

  I’m a US developer selling ad supported apps that…	I should receive this/these form(s)
  Received less than $600 in payments from ads in apps (pubCenter) in the applicable tax year	None
  Received at least $600 in payments from ads in apps (pubCenter) in the applicable tax year Important Notes: Certain business entities will not receive 1099-MISC forms regardless of the payment amounts received from Microsoft.  Please consult your tax professional for further information	1099-MISC   : Payer - Microsoft Online Inc EIN: *****0505

  If you have additional questions/concerns, please email 1099@microsoft.com