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WP7 developers complain of missing payments, broken reporting tools

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 6:55PM EST
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Microsoft is making good progress in its efforts to woo developers to the new Windows Phone 7 platform, but we hope the company is equally devoted to keeping devs on board once they arrive. As the Redmond giant struggles to become a leader once again in the mobile space, developers and the apps they build are integral to Microsoft’s success. But in a blog post last week, developer Nicholas Yu made some troubling comments. Yu found that the number one feature users are requesting of his app — a Google Voice client called GoVoice — is the addition of push notification support. Yu notes in his blog post, however, that he is hesitant to add the functionality.

According to Yu, Microsoft’s analytics and reporting functions do not work so he has no idea how many copies of GoVoice have been sold. More importantly, Yu says that he has not yet been paid by Microsoft and he’s not sure when his first check is coming. Since maintaining a push server has associated costs, Yu cannot justify the expense because he has no idea if his app is making money or not. In other words, problems with Microsoft’s developer program are preventing Yu from improving his app and meeting the demands of Windows Phone 7 users.

And it’s not just Yu. Justin James is another developer who recently voiced similar complaints. James wrote a lengthy post about his negative experience with the Windows Phone 7 developer program. He even claims Microsoft told him there will be no developer payouts until February, 2011.

As we’ve stated before, Microsoft needs to do everything in its power to attract new Windows Phone 7 developers and encourage them to bring the best possible experiences to their apps. By allegedly not providing reporting tools and not paying its developer partners in a timely fashion, Microsoft appears to be doing just the opposite.

Read [Nicholas Yu] Read [Justin James]

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.