Updating Your Application

1. What Windows Phone versions exist today?

The following table describes the Windows Phone releases and corresponding operating system version numbers.

Note:
A Windows Phone 7.5 device is a Windows Phone that is running Windows Phone OS 7.1.

For more information on OS compatibility, see Windows Phone OS Application Compatibility.

3. What are the current update scenarios I should be thinking about?

There are three main scenarios to consider when updating your application. These are discussed here.

• You want to update an application written for Windows Phone OS 7.0 

  

  In this scenario, you have already published an application that supports Windows Phone OS 7.0. This is shown in the above diagram, where the version numbers shown are for illustration purposes only. The diagram shows the application being updated through multiple updates. Phones that are running either Windows Phone OS 7.0 or Windows Phone OS 7.1 can run this application. Customers, who have your application installed, will receive an update notification when you publish a new update. To submit an update for your application, go to the lifecycle tab on the application page in App Hub and select the Submit an update action.

• You want to update an application written for Windows Phone OS 7.1 

  

  In this scenario, you have an application that targets Windows Phone OS 7.1. This is shown in the above diagram, where the version numbers shown are for illustration purposes only. The diagram shows the application being updated through multiple updates. Only phones running Windows Phone OS 7.1 can run this application. Customers, who have your application installed, will receive an update notification when you publish a new update. To submit an update for your application, go to the lifecycle tab on the application page in App Hub and select the Submit an update action.

• You want to update an application written for Windows Phone OS 7.0 to take advantage of new platform features introduced with Windows Phone OS 7.1 

  

  In this scenario, your application was originally built for Windows Phone OS 7.0. Although it can run on phones with Windows Phone OS 7.0 or Windows Phone OS 7.1, you now want to update your application to take advantage of features available for devices that run Windows Phone OS 7.1. At some point, you decide to submit a Windows Phone OS 7.1 update for your application. When you have successfully published the update, two versions of your application will exist, a Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance and a Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance. As the above diagram illustrates, you can continue to update both the Windows Phone OS 7.0 and Windows Phone OS 7.1 application instances. You can version the Windows Phone OS 7.0 and Windows Phone OS 7.1 instances of your application independently of one another. To learn more, see How do I maintain Windows Phone OS 7.0 and Windows Phone OS 7.1 instances of my application?

4. Can I update my Windows Phone OS 7.0 application with an update targeting Windows Phone 7.1?

If you only have a Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of your application, you can submit a Windows Phone OS 7.1 update. This will create a Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application. Once you have a Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application, any attempt to further update your Windows Phone OS 7.0 application instance with a Windows Phone OS 7.1 update, will result in the following error.

You are trying to update a Windows Phone OS 7.0 app, but your XAP manifest indicates this is a Windows Phone OS 7.1 app. Please upload a XAP that has set the target Windows Phone OS version to 7.0.

5. Can I update the Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of my application with a Windows Phone OS 7.0 update, even after publishing a Windows Phone 7.1 update?

Yes. You can continue to update the Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of your application even after you have published a Windows Phone OS 7.1 update. The updated XAP file must target Windows Phone OS 7.0.To submit an update, select the Windows Phone OS 7.0 application instance from the lifecycle page of your application on App Hub.

6. Can I update the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of my application with an update targeted for Windows Phone OS 7.0?

No. If you attempt to update a Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application with an update targeting Windows Phone OS 7.0, you will receive the following error.

Platform downgrade is not allowed.

7. How do I maintain Windows Phone OS 7.0 and Windows Phone OS 7.1 instances of my application?

When you have published a Windows Phone OS 7.1 update for your Windows Phone OS 7.0 application, you now have two instances of your application. These instances can be updated independently. You can update these instances in order to continue to service customers who still have devices running Windows Phone OS 7.0, while also servicing customers running Windows Phone OS 7.1, with your application enhanced to take advantage of Windows Phone OS 7.1 features.

You can manage both application instances through the lifecycle page for your application on App hub. When you have a Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of your application and a Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application you will see a dropdown at the top of the lifecycle page, which allows you to choose an application instance of the application and apply an action to that instance. This is shown in the following diagram.

When you have both Windows Phone OS 7.1 and Windows Phone OS 7.0 instances of your application in the Windows Phone Marketplace, you need to be aware that catalog details, pricing and some actions that you can perform from the lifecycle page in App Hub are shared across both instances of your application. The properties that are independent for each application instance, as well as those that are shared across Windows Phone OS 7.0 and Windows Phone OS 7.1 instances, are illustrated in the following diagram.

The properties shown in the preceding diagram are described here.

• XAP File

  When updating an instance of your application, you must supply a XAP file for the Windows Phone Operating System (OS) that instance supports. For the Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of your application, you must update the application with a XAP file that targets Windows Phone OS 7.0. For the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application, you must update the application with a XAP file that targets Windows Phone OS 7.1.

• Version Number

  The application version number entered during the update submission is not shared and applies only to the instance of the application that is being updated. The version numbering rule remains unchanged. Every submitted update must have a version number that is higher than the version number of the application instance for which the update was submitted.

• Published/Unpublished State

  You can publish and unpublish (Remove from Catalog) each application instance independently of one another.

• Catalog Details

  Catalog details submitted during either the Windows Phone OS 7.0 or Windows Phone OS 7.1 update will apply to both Windows Phone OS 7.0 and Windows Phone OS 7.1 instances of your application. Catalog details may also be updated using the Edit Catalog Details action on the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance, and this will affect both instances of your application.

  Important Note:

  If the Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of your application supports fewer languages than the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance, only the catalog details for languages submitted as part of Windows Phone OS 7.0 update will be applied to the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application. Languages not in the Windows Phone OS 7.0 of your application will remain unchanged on the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application.

• Pricing

  Pricing information submitted during either the Windows Phone OS 7.0 or Windows Phone OS 7.1 update will apply to both Windows Phone OS 7.0 and Windows Phone OS 7.1 instances of your application. Pricing information may also be updated using the Edit Pricing action on the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance, and this will affect both instances of your application.

• Ratings and Reviews

  All ratings and reviews received for either instance of your application will be shared by both. This includes ratings and reviews that you received for your Windows Phone OS 7.0 application before you published your Windows Phone OS 7.1 update.

• Hidden/Live Property

  An application can be hidden in Windows Phone Marketplace by selecting the Hide action on the lifecycle page of the application in App Hub. When you have both Windows Phone OS 7.0 and Windows Phone OS 7.1 instances of your application, this action is available only on the Windows Phone OS 7.1, but affects both instances.

From the lifecycle page for your application on App hub, you can perform actions for each application instance. When you have both Windows Phone OS 7.1 and Windows Phone OS 7.0 instances of your application some actions are applicable to both instances and some operate only on the instance you selected. The following table describes these actions and how they operate when you have both a Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance and a Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of your application.

The heading Action Available on refers to what instance of your application you will see these actions on, when you select one of your application instances from the dropdown box on the lifecycle page. For example, the Edit Pricing action is only available when you have selected the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application from the dropdown. Applies to Windows Phone OS 7.0 Instance refers to whether the Windows Phone OS 7.0 is affected by this action. Applies to Windows Phone OS 7.1 Instance refers to whether the Windows Phone OS 7.1 is affected by this action. For example, when the Remove from Catalog action is selected on the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance, it only affects the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application.

If the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application is published as hidden, re-publishing an unpublished Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of your application will make the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance visible as well. If you want to keep the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance hidden, you should use the Hide application action on that instance of your application to change the state back to ‘hidden’ for both versions of your application. Be aware that the publishing option that is selected during Submit an update on a specific instance of the app can affect the hidden/live state of the other instance, if it is in a published state.

Caution:

If you unpublish the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application (by selecting Remove from catalog), while keeping the Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance published, there is no way to check whether the Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of your application is published as hidden or live, or to change the property. To check or change the hidden/live property, you must re-publish Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance, since the actions related to hidden/live are only available on that instance. The Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of your application will not be available to customers with Windows Phone OS 7.1 phones after you have removed the Windows Phone OS 7.1 version of your application from the catalog.

8. Can I add a new language to the Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of my application?

You can add new languages to the Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of your application. If you also have a Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application, these languages must be present in the Windows Phone OS 7.1 of your application. To add a language to the Windows Phone OS 7.0 instance of your application that is not present in the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance of your application, you must first update the Windows Phone OS 7.1 instance with that language and then submit the Windows Phone OS 7.0 update with that language.

9. Can I update my application while another update for this application is in progress?

No.

10. How do I check what version of Windows Phone OS is running on a device?

To see which Windows Phone operating system (OS) version is running on a device, do the following:

1. On Start, flick left to the App list.

2. Tap Settings, About, More info.

For information on phone updates, see Phone updatesFAQ on windowsphone.com