More 'crap apps' being let loose in the Marketplace

By Rich Edmonds
last updated

We previously assumed the Windows Phone Marketplace submission review team had a ritual to get unbelievably intoxicated every Friday night, return back to the offices and let through whatever humorous apps they saw, regardless of functionality. We've now had to revise our assumption, as it would appear that the team is simply having some giggles behind the scene throughout the week.

Introducing the app-that-shalln't-be-named (see above photo), no it's not an app dedicated to Lord Voldemort. This is possibly the most interesting submission due to the obscene graphic as the logo (we've actually censored it to keep WPCentral safe for work), which makes us wonder how on earth something this explicit can worm its way through, especially since Microsoft believes Xbox LIVE Avatar toy guns (that don't actually fire rounds or laz0rz) are offensive to the youngsters.

It's perfectly fine to decapitate heads on Skyrim, shoot aliens in Halo, check out some naked women on the Windows Phone Marketplace, but a toy gun on your Avatar is deemed 'unacceptable'.

"Hours of fun await your fingers"

Unfortunately, should you be looking forward to checking this app out via this article, you'll be slightly disappointed. While hours of fun for our fingers is certainly intriguing to say the least, the reviews of this 'crap app' provide an insight into the app's usefulness:

  • "While quite deceiving, the actual use for this app changed my life! Now I drink champaign and flirt with movie stars all day every day!"
  • "This is by far the *** app I have ever. Downloaded even worse is the fact they use a *** chick to try to reel you in. Watching grass grow is more entertaining than this"

What's with this post, and why are we providing attention without firing out the Marketplace link left, right and centre? It's frustration. Pure and simple frustration. We have apps such as this making their way through while solid submissions such as the Carbon Twitter client and even our own WPCentral app had difficulties for various reasons. Not to mention Ffffound experiencing issues due to adult content policies. It makes one consider if all apps should have naked women as app logos to ensure a 100% chance of approval?

We've certainly been here before, and Microsoft has even responded to our cries out for tighter control with revisions being made to the limit of apps being submitted within 24 hours, but this is starting to get slightly silly now. Either the automated system needs working on, or we need some more human verification. 

Thanks goes out to everyone who tipped us on this!

Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

43 Comments
  • Come on Microsoft. Be more vigilant.
  • The problem is still not as prevalent as Android who leads the pack with crap apps. Or Blackberry which counts ebooks as apps and have over 20,000 ebooks on their market
  • Shouldn't have censored the image.
  • Hahaha! Thats what I was thinking.
  • If your that interested in seeing it, it's exceptionally easy to find, but I will let you do the searching for yourself. The point is, we don't need this kind of stuff showing up unexpectedly while incently browsing apps on Zune with no expectation of seeing that kind of stuff appear. It can be very embarassing if younger eyes just happen to be near watching you browse.
  • sounds like an issue worth bringing-up w/ Jeff w during the podcast..
  • I say we use this to our advantage & see if we can sneak some Jailbreak-type of apps through, ha
  • As a developer this kind of thing pisses me off. You launch a legit app you worked weeks on and it quickly gets pushed off the new list by this junk. This junk hurts developers, consumers, and Microsoft.
  • I don't have a problem with the use of a topless woman on the logo. Outside of the US people aren't as freaked out about nudity and sex and one of the things I hated about Apple is that they force their silly American morals on other countries.
    If you install this app, the app icon/live tile is different, it's a (bad) drawing of a man. after installing it, you'll find nothing that has to do with naked women. 
    The real issue here is that the logo uploaded to the marketplace is different from the logo used in the xap file itself and is only meant to draw attention. That's why Microsoft should've decliend it
  • So you don't wear clothes where you live? Intriguing...
  • Come on. That's not what he/she is saying.
  • I'm American, and I have no problem with nudity... I just have a problem with it being thrown in my face when I'm looking for more normal apps.
    I also have a problem with "crapps" since they do nothing to promote the quality of service we're all trying to promote with Windows Phone. One of the reasons I choose WP7 over Android is the quality of service and the lack of bad apps.
  • Excuse my french, but there are a shit load of bad apps on WP. Maybe not as much as Android or iOS in comparison to the number of apps available in general. But lets not act as if the Marketplace isn't already littered with BS apps. At the end of the day, they all are.
  • I'm upset that this picture is in the marketplace but games can't have red blood
  • I don't have anything towards naked chicks, but if I want Pr0Nzzz, I just go to a pR0nnZzzz website. Why would you make a crap app like this? Just a waste of time.
  • This app changed my life. Before I got the app, I had more time before the end of the day, now I have less, and have to work on what to fit in it.
     
    App Review:
    The app does what it says, if even the graphics could use some work. The icon once downloaded is not the same as in the app description. There appears to be a slight delay at times under stress, perhaps something that will be fixed with an upcoming update. It is truly a shame I can not get some Achievement Point from this. As an added benefit it is a great casual game, with a short learning curve, my cat was able to master it in a short time, making this one of the first time my cat and I can both use a modern(it came out recently) game.
  • Excuse me but where are the naked men apps?
  • rj@rojoscleanauto.com,,, lol You send me some pics, and I will send you some. We can make our own "app" baby!! Lol..
  • Wow. Just, wow.
  • LMAO!!!!!
  • You have a great point Mamacita.
  • You tell'em mamacita! Darn sexist crapp apps!
  • LOL
  • I think these "crapps" should be removed not because I'm a prude, but because they do nothing to promote the quality of the Windows Marketplace.
    I do take comfort in knowing that these apps can't do anything to "infect" your phone the way many Android apps can, but I know how these things work... they test the waters and each app is a new chance to see what works and doesn't work.
    It's something Microsoft needs to be very aggressive in stopping.
  • I can honestly care less about these apps, what bothers me is when good apps, like WPCentral's app or FFFFFound's app have problem for make apps for their audience. Microsoft should make a policy and stick to it. 
     
  • A much much needed article. Even when you go to new section in apps we encounter only junk. Just junk.
  • What policy are you talking about? M$ needs numbers in the marketplace, it will (probably) start removing junk apps after it reaches 100k or so. Until then, I'd never allow kids to browse the marketplace, who knows what kind of sick sh$t will land there.
  • I'm not sure why a kid is browsing a smartphone marketplace to begin with.
  • Hmmm either you don't have kids or you keep them in a closet (or you just don't let them use your phone, which is a good idea too).  I understand your point, parents are responsible for making sure their kids don't get into this position in the first place (like letting them Google search and use YouTube unsupervised, horrible idea!), I don't let my kids just wander around my phone and I supervise them when they are using it, but it is very easy to get into the marketplace to look for more games, and kids are not too stupid to use a WP7!  So yes, shame on MS and this needs to be prevented in the future if they want a decent marketplace like Apple.
  • I'm a kid :/
  • I really do not understand the Marketplace revision process. I think they should have at least a couple dozen people to work on that instead of making it only an automated process. This would avoid hundreds of crap apps to be released.
  • MS doesnt care about crap apps, only the numbers. Do you think they dont know that marketplace is a pile of crap with ~10% usefull apps?    
  • Hey Microsoft. How bout this. Get a team of volunteer moderators to review/preview apps as they come in and have their recommendations then go on for final MS approval. This type of process works fine for foursquare and Trapster.
  • Great idea. I volunteer!
  • Who cares. We need to reach 70,000 apps!
  • 100,000 more likely :)    
  • Who cares? We all should. Ever hear of quality, not quantity. We can flood the marketplace with all these "crapps" and get there, but all the people who work on their quality apps may never get recognized because they get burried in a mountain of junk. Not to mention, we all miss out on some great programmers coming to the windows marketplace.
  • That the real truth, till Market does mot reach 100000 every shit is good..As a developer I hate to see stupid nudity apps (downloaded only by people with serious problems with girls, I suppose) knocking down the ranks all other apps.
    Entertaiment category is useless for serious developers, but I begin to see this shits on tools now.. It is pity, MS needs to introduce a new dwdicated category for these apps: 'apps for people who will never have a girl'
  • That is correct, also the developers behind those apps are pitiful
  • Some of the content on Ffffound is indeed adult in nature but can I say that this simple app has some of the most thought provoking and beautiful images I've seen outside of National Galleries.
    What you have to realise with Ffffound is that art comes in many forms and to some an offensive piece of art is porn and to others its the pinnacle of human creation.
    To the dude that wrote Ffffound triple thumbs up. Whoever wrote this disgrace for code could learn from you.
  • How do I find this app!? :-)
  • **Searches for Like button
  • What's the name of the app?