Windows Phone 7.8 and 8.0 to feature new Share option for apps

A new menu option in Windows Phone 7.8 for sharing apps

When we covered the Windows Phone 7.8 custom ROM last week in our hands on video, one thing we missed that has been brought to our attention involves the Program list.

Evidently, when you press-n-hold any third party app within the jump list, you now have a new option besides the current Pin to Start, Rate and Review and Uninstall and that’s Share.

The Share button will presumably allow you to quickly pull up the Windows Phone Store link for that app and allow you to email, SMS or perhaps even distribute over social networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc).  We simply do not know at this point because although the menu item is there, it does not seem to be tied to any part of the OS just yet. Translation: nothing happens when we press it.

Assuming this isn’t part of the custom ROM per se but rather Windows Phone 7.8 (and we believe that to be the case as it is found in numerous 7.8 ROMs), this appears to be yet another minor change coming in the OS update due after Windows Phone 8.

Speaking of, we’re quite certain if this new feature is in Windows Phone 7.8 it will surely be in Windows Phone 8 as well. Once again, while it’s not a ground breaking new addition, it should go a long way in making it much easier to pass on apps to friends or colleagues. In fact, we wonder if the Windows Phone 8 version will use NFC for tap-n-pass functionality? That could be interesting.

Thanks, Justin A., for the find!

Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.