What happened to the Windows Phone store?

[vrlny]

I used to be able to download new apps directly from the Windows Phone store on my computer. I can no longer do that. I have to go to the store on my phone directly.

Is it Lumia 640 specific? I just upgraded from the Lumia 521, and was able to read about apps, the permissions they required to run AND DOWLOAD THEM from the website on my computer to my phone.

I tried both Internet Explorer and Firefox, but I still can't download any apps from my computer.

This is very annoying :angry: because looking at the permissions required to run an app is very important to me, and it's difficult to find it now on the website. Though I can still find it in the store on my phone, it's not that easy anymore.

Anyone else experiencing this odd behavior from their computer when on the store website?

 

[ven07]

It is not odd

Microsoft launches unified app store on the web ahead of Windows 10 launch | Windows Central

The ability to send apps to your phone is not there for now and you can't download the apps to desktop either

 

[vrlny]

But why take away the ability to see the permissions the app requires? That's so important! You can only view that on your phone.

Can anyone find the permissions required for an app in their browser on their computer?

 

[ven07]

I have been told that the permissions were not viewable in the w8 store either, so the store we're seeing now is just an updated version of it... So I have been told....

It's weird to think that MS would overlook sth like that, nonetheless, the w10 landscape is fluctuating and MS is looking for feedback, so if you don't like it, report it

 

[Godson Arun Kumar]

This is absolutely frustrating. with slow internet speeds over here large apps and games necessitated installing them manually after downloading them from the web store as the download either gets stuck at pending or fails. Now I can't install large memory games on my lumia, greeaat. Seriously why this complication? Beginning to really doubt this universal app strategy.

 

[ven07]

Beginning to really doubt this universal app strategy.

Eh why? universal app strategy is not equal to ability to see the size and "last update" date :/

 

[vrlny]

The permissions were there before.

I'd look at the apps, click on one that looked interesting, and then look at the permissions it required. If it only needed permission to run the features of the app, i.e. not ask for access to my contacts, photos, etc., then I downloaded it from the website to my phone.

Now, if I want to look at apps, I have to do it on my phone. Great if you have an unlimited plan, but I don't. I'm not going to use my 1 GB data plan on my phone to search for apps. Nor am I going to waste my phone's battery just to search for apps. Ridiculous!

I'm now using my home wifi, with my phone plugged into the charger, to look at apps.

Hopefully, Microsoft will revert back to the "old way", i.e. let us look in the app store for required permissions, and download from our computer to our phone.

 

[Godson Arun Kumar]

Eh why? universal app strategy is not equal to ability to see the size and "last update" date :/

Yeah, I can see that but tis coz of this realignment of app stores that they've updated the web store and removed this feature to manually download apps isn't it? So, it's indirectly related to the universal app strategy. Will this option be added later on is this te way its gonna be? Manually installing apps equates to data savings if I had to re-install for example and when download fails while installing an app directly from the phone store mostly due to poor internet speeds. Installing from phone store also doesn't guarantee termination of installation due to low storage space. If installed manually, I could mount the app to phone memory and install in my SD card whereby space constraint is removed. If installed directly from phone store the app downloads and installs in the same storage as selected by us as you know. To me this is a vital feature and can be a deal breaker.

 

[vrlny]

The store website has been updated. You can see app requirements, now ambiguously called "Capabilities".

You can view this on your computer, so you don't have to use your phone's data plan just to search for apps. You still can only download the app from your phone.

Wording is weird, IMO. Here's an example for the MSN Weather app, which comes with the phone:

CAPABILITIES:
Use your location
Access your Internet connection
Use an anonymous Microsoft account
Use information about your device
Use your music
Use the photos in your media library
Use the media items that are currently playing
Use your device network services
Use your phone
Use any of your Windows Phone sensors
Access your browser
Access your home or work networks

Shouldn't the wording be "uses", and "accesses"?

After reading the app's "capabilities", I uninstalled it from my phone. There's no reason for a weather app to need info about my device, access my music, photos, "media items that are currently playing" or "home or work network" to work.

Re. the store, in general, one importation option is missing -- a drop-down that lets you select from the following:

1) view apps for phone only
a. Windows phone 7
b. Windows phone 8

2) View apps for computer/tablet only
a. Windows 8
b. Windows 10

3) View apps that work on both (utilizes your selection(s) from 1 and 2, above).

 

[ven07]

Yeah, I can see that but tis coz of this realignment of app stores that they've updated the web store and removed this feature to manually download apps isn't it? So, it's indirectly related to the universal app strategy. Will this option be added later on is this te way its gonna be? Manually installing apps equates to data savings if I had to re-install for example and when download fails while installing an app directly from the phone store mostly due to poor internet speeds. Installing from phone store also doesn't guarantee termination of installation due to low storage space. If installed manually, I could mount the app to phone memory and install in my SD card whereby space constraint is removed. If installed directly from phone store the app downloads and installs in the same storage as selected by us as you know. To me this is a vital feature and can be a deal breaker.

We don't know whether or not this was an oversight or a planned move by MS. I tweeted Gabe about it and he kindly asked if we could report the issue