Microsoft reveals list of banned mobile apps

 

Gallery

By Barry Collins

Posted on 7 May 2009 at 09:49

Microsoft has published a long list of no-nos for its forthcoming mobile apps store, Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

The list of banned items includes VoIP applications, which many mobile networks block on the grounds that they could deprive them of call revenue.

Applications that have an over-the-air footprint that's larger than 10MB are also persona non grata, as are apps that operate outside of Microsoft runtimes.

Several of the regulations are designed to protect Microsoft's interests: apps that alter the default browser, search client or media player on the phone are banned, as are those that encourage people to use a marketplace other than Microsoft's own.

Microsoft's clearly wary about potential privacy abuses, too. Software that "publish a user's location information to any other person without first having received the user's express permission (opt-in) to do so, and that do not provide the user a means of opting out" are outlawed.

Ditto any application that sends user data without their permission, including "contacts, photos, SMS or other text communication, browsing history [or] location information".

The guidelines may help Microsoft avoid some of the controversy that initially surrounded the iPhone App Store, when Apple was accused of arbitrarily banning certain applications.

It was suggested earlier this week that Apple may be preparing to relax the strict rules on iPhone applications, following the introduction of parental controls on the iPhone 3.0 software, which is currently in beta.