Microsoft is cleansing the Windows Store ahead of Windows 10 launch

Microsoft is cleaning house in the Windows Store, enacting policies that could see some apps removed as it tries to reduce clutter and ensure fair pricing ahead of the Windows 10 launch later this year. The new policies, designed to make it easier for users to find quality apps, will also clamp down on developers who abuse keywords to game the Store’s search results. First off, Microsoft wants to ensure users can distinguish between different apps, which means developers will need to use icons that accurately reflect what a program does, and that aren’t too similar to other app icons in the store. The same rules will apply to application titles, and to application functionality. “For example, when there are many apps that do not provide differentiated value (e.g. many flashlight apps with the same look and feel and functionality), some may be removed from the Store,” Bernardo Zamora, a product manager on the Windows Apps and Store team, said in a blog post. It’s unclear in such cases how Microsoft will determine which apps stay and which apps go.