How does installing a XAP file from sd card work?

[AndyCalling]

I am considering two scenarios and want advice before I put too much work in and get frustrated. When I bought my Lumia I checked that I could install apps from sd card as there's no way I wanted to be beholden to a single shop to buy my apps from. That would be economically foolish, to encourage anti-competitive behaviour in my supplier. However, I now hear mixed things suggesting it isn't really possible? It is hard to find out about as threads on this topic get closed everywhere as it is seen as a sign of piracy to want to install an app on one's phone or something (yea, I don't get that myself but it seems to be the case). Hopefully not this thread though?

Anyway, the two scenarios are 1) I download a number of large games and keep the XAPs in a games folder on my sd card. I can then install a game, play it, uninstall at will and install another so keeping only one game in my limited 8gig internal app space at any one time. Is this possible? Scenario 2) I download the free wp8 SDK from MS and experiment with writing my own XAPs for my own use and for my friends. Possibly if any are really good I could put them on my web site for others. I don't want to market them in Microsoft's shop or anything (for which there is an expensive subscription), just personal use really. Now, I assume that's possible?

Can anyone confirm this and detail the process? Please don't lock this thread. Just because I want to install apps on my device does not mean I'm a pirate. Same as with my Android and Win7 and 8 boxes, I just want to understand the process of installing legitimate apps without needing to get them from Microsoft's shop which does not equal piracy. Thanks.

 

[DavidinCT]

If these are apps you downloaded off windowsphone.com, yea, you and put them on a MicroSD card and it should be able to reinstall them. You will have to go into the store when you have apps on your SD card and it will check the marketplace with your purchace history, if you own the app then it will reinstall from there, if you do not own the app, it will just install the demo. Only flaw with this plan is, when you uninstall the game, it removes all the data, so if your playing a game, you have to start it over when you uninstall and reinstall.

If you want to install a XAP from a questionable site or home made, then you need the Dev kit AND a Dev account. You need an account ($99 a year or with a edu email going through dreamspark) with Microsoft to "dev unlock" your phone. This is the only way on WP8 devices to install a home built or unencrypted XAP. Also, you cant install these XAPs via SD card. You need to do this even though you do not plan on publishing the app/game in the marketplace.

 

[AndyCalling]

Hmm, I was starting to hear stuff along these lines but didn't want to believe it. I was hoping that saved games got saved to my Xbox account in the same way that Steam saves my games to the cloud, but despite claims about WP8 being very cloud based it seems not to be able to do this? That's unexpected. Still, better than being restricted to only one big game.

That dev locking stuff sounds very dodgy. Just because an app comes from someone other than MS does not mean it comes from a 'questionable site'. Most of my PC apps are not bought through Microsoft, many other companies are also trustworthy it turns out! This sounds like monopolistic anti-competitive manoeuvres to me. Especially as they add the side-load feature to WP8, for what possible purpose? All it does is provide the veneer of flexibility without any trousers. That's starting to feel like sharp practice to me.

Thanks for the tips. Best I take my phone to the local unlocking shop in the high street and get it 'dev unlocked' as you say, I'm not getting an expensive sub just to be able to get permission to use my own apps! After all, I have already given myself permission and for free. Shame I'm banned from letting my friends use them. I hope it doesn't cost any more than normal unlocking.

Is there anyone with a dev sub charging a reasonable fee per app to upload free apps so free app makers don't need an expensive sub for only a few uploads? That would open them to mates with locked phones.