Introduction
This guide contains the general information on the procedures and requirements for the successful submission of a Windows Phone app to the Windows Phone Store.
Test on Devices
Test your app thoroughly on a Windows Phone before uploading it to Windows Phone Store. The Windows Phone Simulator is ideal for prototyping your ideas, debugging memory leaks, simulating memory warnings, and getting a good feel for how your app is going to work. However, since the Windows Phone Simulator simulates the operating system, not hardware, it is not a replacement for testing on an actual device.
As the developer account only allows for three phones to be registered for app development, you will need to sign up for your own account to test your app. The free account allows for one phone to be registered for app development. To register a phone, use the Windows Phone Developer Registration tool. This is a stand-alone tool that’s installed as part of the Windows Phone SDK.
App Review Process
Microsoft will take up to 5 to 7 business days to make sure it meets their certification requirements. If not, the changes made will be available to publish or made live within 24 hours.
After your app has been reviewed and approved, it will be published to the store within the day.
If an issue is discovered during the review of your app, the university will be notified via email. You will then be contacted on the details regarding your app rejection which explains how you can resolve it before resubmitting.
Information and Assets
A XAP or APPX file is the package you use to submit your app on Dev Center. It contains the executable file and all other resources required to run your app. The maximum size for a XAP package is 1 GB. The maximum size for an APPX package is 4 GB.
In addition to your binary, you will need to submit or assign several attributes for your application, including:
ATTRIBUTE NAME DESCRIPTION
App Name
Your app's name is the first thing your customers see when they find your app in the Windows Store, and is visible in many places when your app is installed. Choosing the right name for your app is an important task.
The space to display your app's name is limited in many places, so think of as short a name as you can. While your app's name can have up to 256 characters, the end of a very long name may not always be visible to customers.
Description
For every language your package supports, you can tell users about your app with a concise, effective description in 2,000 characters or less. This will be the description seen in the Store.
Be sure to keep it simple and free of typos, profanity, and unnecessary characters. Make your text "pop," but don't go so far that it can't be understood. If you choose to use bullet points for listing your app's features, use them sparingly.
Version The version number of the app you are adding. Numbering should follow typical software versioning conventions (for example, 1.0.0 or 1.0.1 or 1.1.0.1).
Description of update The Description of update field is an optional description of what's in your latest app update.
This field isn’t available for the first version of an app.
Keywords
You may enter up to five keywords or phrases to help users find your app using the Store search feature.
For example: SMU, business, higher education, postgraduate, undergraduate doctoral
Website URL The website you plan to provide for users who have questions regarding the app. The Website URL must lead to actual contact information so that your users can contact you regarding app issues, general feedback, and feature enhancement requests.
Privacy Policy URL A URL that links to your company’s privacy policy. Any app that enables the Internet capability (or otherwise collects or transmits any user’s personal information) requires a privacy policy. Enter the URL for your privacy policy here, if your app needs one. This is displayed to your customers in the Details section of your app's listing.
(Optional)
Primary Category The category that best describes the app you are adding. Choose one from the list:
books + reference
business
education
entertainment
personal finance
game
government + politics
health + fitness
kids + family
lifestyle
music + video
news + weather
photo
social
sports
tools + productivity
travel + navigation
Pricing All apps by default will be released to the Store as free. If you are adopting a paid model for your app, kindly contact IITS for further information.
Available Date The date your app will become available on the App Store. If no date is specified, the app will be released immediately once the Review Team has approved it.
Territories Indicate the App Store territories in which you want to make your app available. Unless specified, your app will be available in all App Store territories worldwide. Placing the app worldwide is recommended as some international students are using their own country's Microsoft account instead of the one from Singapore.
App tile icon The App tile icon is displayed along with the title of your app in the Store and on the phone. You’ll need to provide the icon with the following dimensions: 300 pixels by 300 pixels. The icon must be uploaded in PNG format and the recommended resolution for it is 96 dpi.
Screenshots
Engaging screen shots can make a significant influence on a user’s perception of your app. This is your opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities, graphics, and usability of your app. When creating screen shots to be posted to the Windows Phone Store, follow these general guidelines:
Make sure the content is legible and appropriate.
Consider cultural sensibilities and restrictions.
Take screen shots on the target device (not the Simulator).
RESOLUTION SCREENSHOTS
WVGA
Portrait Mode
480 pixels by 800 pixels
Landscape Mode
800 pixels by 480 pixels
Version
Windows Phone OS 7.1 Windows Phone 8
WXGA
Portrait Mode
768 pixels by 1,280 pixels
Landscape Mode
1,280 pixels by 768 pixels
Version
Windows Phone 8
HD720p
Portrait Mode
720 pixels by 1,280 pixels
Landscape Mode
1,280 pixels by 720 pixels
Version
Windows Phone 8
Signing Identities and Certificates
Code signing your app lets users trust that your app has been created by a source known to Microsoft and that it hasn’t been tampered with. All Windows Phone apps must be code signed and provisioned to launch on a device, to be distributed for testing, or to be submitted to the store. Code signing uses cryptographic technology to digitally sign your app and installer package.
The university maintains the set of production identities and certificates required for the signing of your binary to be submitted to the Windows Phone Store. Developers are required to submit the entire project, including all external libraries and SDKs, and a set of specific instructions to compile and run, where applicable. The codes will subjected to vulnerability assessment before being signed and submitted to the Windows Phone Store.
App ID
An App ID uniquely identifies a Windows Phone app and the university will assign your app with an appropriate App ID.
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