Microsoft Clamps Down on ‘Racy’ Apps
Any adult or ‘racy’ content is being closely monitored by Microsoft in the Windows Phone Marketplace. After Apple launched their heavy-handedness against provocative material being shown on apps Windows has followed suit and will ensure that their handle on it is much tighter when it comes to censorship. The sexually-suggestive material is not allowed but swimsuit material is!
Only modest or subtle material will be allowed as currently there are no ways to stop children or underage people downloading apps of that kind. That means that apps developed for Windows Phones will be stringently checked and monitored so that no lewd content gets through the net. Each developer must meet Microsoft’s standards when it comes to sexy apps, but there is a way around it for legitimate customers of the app and that is to have a silhouette of the male or female model.
It’s not just new apps that are being scrutinised but existing ones will be painstakingly checked to see if they are breaching the new rules. Developers that submit apps to the marketplace will be emailed beforehand to make sure that they will check and change any pictures or images of provocative material, so that it makes the job easier for Microsoft. This tough approach to developers shows that Microsoft is taking Apple’s approach to app development and censorship seriously and as there are expected changes in the Windows Phone line-up this is a good move at this time before the marketplace becomes flooded with more Windows Phones.
Adult content at the moment is a little less checked on for Windows Phone users but with the introduction of Internet Explorer 9 and its stronger parental controls as well as Windows looking to clamp down on any underage viewing of sexual material, it shows that the firm are taking the responsibility of their application marketplace well.
As there are millions of apps launched every day, although many are for Android and iOS, the Windows Phone Marketplace is growing in numbers thanks to the introduction of the Nokia Lumia 800 and 900 which have seen a fantastic growth in sales compared to recent years for the Finnish company. There aren’t that many smartphones out there that run on the Windows Phone Mango operating system but the hope that more follow Nokia is very high.
Not only will Microsoft check and penalise existing and current apps, but it will check the reaction of customers to see what they believe should and shouldn’t be accessible. As Windows are a global name and people see them as a household name they are far more likely to offer their opinion and complete surveys than any other software supplier.
It seems like it’s just a matter of time before the Windows Marketplace will have more and more apps submitted to it so that it can start to become a genuine competitor to the Android Marketplace (or Google Play) and the iStore. If you want to find out more about the Nokia Lumia 900 or the Nokia Lumia 800 then check out Mobile Phone Checker for more information.