WP7 Marketplace Tip #2.5 – Free App + Updates Policy Clarified (finally)
It’s been a while, and there’s been a lot of confusion surrounding this topic of “5 free apps”, so here’s the final low down:
- Unlimited number of paid applications
- This includes updates to said applications
- A paid application cannot be made free
- 5 submissions of free applications
- Unlimited updates to accepted free apps
- WARNING: failed submission of free applications will count against the 5 submissions
So let’s walk through a scenario
A (for “awesome” which seems to be my word of the last couple of months) signs up for the marketplace, pays his $99 (or equivalent in local currency) and gets approved. He then submits “A’s AwesomePaid App” which fails submission. He fixes the problems, resubmits and the app is published. Based on feedback he submits 4 subsequent updates. Up to this point A has paid no extra fees.
A then decides to become philanthropic and submits a free application. The application fails submission – and now A is only left with 4 free submissions. A resubmits and the submission goes through, at which point he starts submitting updates, and has 3 submissions left. No matter how many updates A pushes, they will still have 3 submissions remaining.
So I go to sign up for the membership.
The public info says USD99.
When I get to the payment page, it says “Annual hub membership $129″, but in the text box next to that it says “115 AUD (Including GST)”
So which is it Microsoft? Personally I’d prefer to pay USD99 at the current exchange rate.
-dave
Thanks for bringing this up! I’ve floated this around and it turns out it’s affecting a number of different locales and the team is in the process of fixing the pricing so that it reflects the correct price (whatever it turns out to be).
One thing to note is that a developer that ends up paying more than they should have will get their money refunded when the pricing is locked down a little later this moth / beginning of December.