2015 starts with WindowsPhone.com redirect loops and pending downloads

Microsoft seems to be shifting some things around on the backend to the Windows Phone Store as little issues are cropping up for some users. As Microsoft heads into 2015, unifying their Windows and Windows Phone Stores is a priority but such changes can bring hindrances as well.

Two issues that we have noticed starting about a week ago involve WindowsPhone.com and the Store on Windows Phone devices. At first, we thought these were just temporary glitches, but nearly a week later and for a few of us, they are still here.

Redirect Loops

The first issue is an odd one. For some people, browsing to WindowsPhone.com and doing an app search results in a redirect loop error. The message that pops up on the browser is 'Error code: ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS' with the following message:

"The webpage at https://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/search?q=APPNAME has resulted in too many redirects. Clearing your cookies for this site or allowing third-party cookies may fix the problem. If not, it is possibly a server configuration issue and not a problem with your computer."

According to users in our forums, the issue only appears to be happening with those using Chrome or Firefox web browsers and not Internet Explorer. Indeed, a few of us on staff here at Windows Central have been experiencing this problem for a few days now as well. We were hoping that it was just a temporary glitch, but alas, it is still with us today.

Pending downloads

Another issue that is intermittently striking some users is app or game downloads on Windows Phone devices that are stuck downloading. The problem happens when a user tries to update or even install a new app with the download starting but then get jammed during the process. As a result, the app or game stays in 'pending' mode for days at a time.

Some people have reported that cancelling the download, uninstalling the app and then re-downloading it resolves the issue. For others (including ourselves), this is not working. Some apps in particular seem to be having issues like Fitbit, although any new downloads we have tried to initiate in the last 24-hours is also now caught in this bug.

Not so widespread?

Of course, what makes these issues harder to diagnose is determining how widespread they are for users. So far, we have only seen occasional reports and tips from users who are experiencing a problem, making this far from a universal issue.

However, the frequency of reports is increasing and due to the duration of the bugs, we figured it was time for a small article.

Microsoft is making changes and, as a result, such incidences are likely to occur a few times in 2015. Combined with random DDoS attacks on Live services, merging in Windows 10, Smartglass crashes, and other significant changes, Microsoft will need to keep a close eye on such problems.

Anyone here having one or both of these problems? Shout out in comments and give us details (region, browser, app, etc.).

Via: Windows Central Forums 1, 2; Thanks, ZombieZoom, for the tip!

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.