by brad
8. September 2010 08:00
Today is the first of what I hope will be many tips related to developing for Windows Phone 7.
These tips are meant to be easily digestible and useful tips for anyone that is currently developing or considering developing applications for Windows Phone 7.
Our first tip comes from the official Windows Phone 7 Application Certification Requirements. If you are planning on having an application ready to go in October when the Marketplace opens, then you should definitely be familiar with all of the application policies. It’s probably worth nothing that these requirements are subject to change.
Application size and the Windows Phone Marketplace
If your final installation package (XAP file) is over 20MB, it will not be available for distribution through the carrier networks. Instead, a user will have to download it to a PC or to the phone through Wi-Fi. This is important, especially if you are charging for your application, since you don’t want to discourage people from downloading your app if it can be avoided. That “You can’t have this now” message your users will see if your app is over 20MB falls under the category of discouraging.
Your application can download additional content once the application runs, but you must disclose the approximate size of this content if it’s greater than 50MB. If downloading large amounts of data, your application must also warn the user that this many result in additional charges from their carrier.
The absolute maximum size of an installation package is 400MB. Again, you can download additional content after installation, but the initial installation package can’t be larger than 400MB.
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