Microsoft once again commits to cleaning up the Windows Store

Offer real value with your app. Provide a compelling reason to download your app from the Store.

Don’t mislead our joint customers about what your app can do, who is offering it, etc.

Don’t attempt to cheat customers, the system or the ecosystem. There is no place in our Store for any kind of fraud, be it ratings and review manipulation, credit card fraud or other fraudulent activity.

Visual and category clutter negatively impact customer experience with Windows Store.

This includes apps with similar icons and titles that can be confusing to customers, in addition to app icons and titles when they don’t match the app content.

Apps that can’t be distinguished from other apps in the Store, have icons or titles that are too similar to other apps already in the Store, or don’t properly represent the functionality of the app may be removed.

We may also remove apps that do not offer unique content, creative value or utility.

The price of an app must reflect its value. Customers need to know that when they purchase apps from Windows Store, they are paying a fair price. While developers retain sole pricing discretion, they should price apps based on their app’s value and functionality. This means that similar apps should generally be comparable in price.

If an app is priced significantly higher than other apps in its category and it is determined that users might be confused and believe (incorrectly) that the higher price is warranted based on superior functionality or value, it may be removed from the Store. 

It is important that when a customer purchases an app, she or he knows what they are buying. Informational apps, like guides, tutorials, instructional content, reference materials, and other similar types of apps must be easily identified.

In order to make it clear to users what they are buying, informational apps that are not easily identifiable as reference apps, must distinguish themselves by prominently displaying a text or banner labeling it as such. If an informational app violates this policy, it may be removed from the Store.

Customers can more easily identify what they are buying when an app’s title, description, tags, and keywords are accurate and relevant to the app’s function. For these reasons, Windows Store requires that an app’s description or title does not state that the app is similar to, or better than other apps, unless the apps are comparable.

In addition, developers may not use popular and irrelevant keywords to manipulate an app’s placement in search results or overall ranking.

If your app has a title, description or keywords that are not relevant to the app purpose, or include keywords that are not related to the app, it may be removed from the Store.