Windows Phone Marketplace: Why Can't This Just Work?

[Jason Dunn]

<p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/wpt/auto/1301426270.usr1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Is anyone else getting a bit fed up with the fact that Windows Phone Marketplace can't seem to do what it was designed to do on a&nbsp;consistent&nbsp;basis? Every time I go into Marketplace I'm never quite sure what will happen. I haven't had the <a href="http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/winphone/forum/wp7-wptips/marketplace-crash-must-reset-phone-focus/6e759bd6-a991-4087-830a-9aa975ca2f2a" target="_blank">problem of it crashing</a> on me yet, but the above photo is a new issue that I can't seem to get past: moTweets Pro and the Facebook app won't update and instead give me an error about the license. It starting happening over the weekend and despite daily variations of <em>tap and hold/tap here</em>, I'm not able to get the apps updated. I've deleted the downloaded apps and re-downloaded them in an attempt to get the problem fixed. No joy there. A device reboot hasn't helped either.</p><p>I've had various glitches with Marketplace since getting my first Windows Phone 7 device, but this has to be the most frustrating. The Facebook app is free, so why would there be a license issue? And I purchased the moTweets Pro app, so one would expect I'd have a license to update it. Anyone else seeing similar issues with these, or other, apps?</p><p>I have no experience with the Android Marketplace, but when I compare the Windows Phone Marketplace to the Apple App Store, it simply doesn't measure up. In owning an iPod Touch and purchasing apps for it over the past three years or so, I've only ever had one app download/install go a bit wonky - and it was easily fixed by rebooting the device. Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace has to get significantly more reliable if people are going to trust it and purchase apps with confidence.</p>

[cPT.cAPSLOCK]

Nope, never had any trouble.

I've been using WP7 for almost a month now, but I never had trouble.
The only thing was that it was a little slow, but now I've got NoDo (trough the so called "Hungarian Method (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=12463892&postcount=1)") it's perfectly usable.

[jimmyfal]

Dude, the update is in the air, and fixing the marketplace was second on the list next to stupid copy and paste. So write your article after the imminent update, THEN complain.

[Sven Johannsen]

Dude, the update is in the air,
Did you notice the big AT&T at the top of poor Jasons device? No, the update isn't in the air.

[Fritzly]

Dude, the update is in the air, and fixing the marketplace was second on the list next to stupid copy and paste. So write your article after the imminent update, THEN complain.

Your comment is as optimistic as inaccurate; the update is not available, at lest not yet, for the vast majority of WP 7 users.... Less than ever for US based ones.....

Besides, what happened to "manners"?.............

[cweeks]

I've had problems with Marketplace crashing (usually about once a week) but it only takes a reboot to fix, and on WP7 that's fairly quick. I haven't been irritated by it enough to complain yet. Even though I'm stuck with AT&T for another 18 months, I'm still confident that I'll get the upgrades eventually.

I have also had some problems with programs not updating right away, or telling me to try again later... I think this is more a problem with the program itself than the Marketplace. Usually the programs update just fine a day or two later.

None of this is a showstopper so far, and at least I haven't had my phone *bricked* like many of my iPhone-using friends. :)

[Jason Dunn]

Dude, the update is in the air, and fixing the marketplace was second on the list next to stupid copy and paste. So write your article after the imminent update, THEN complain.

I believe the others have given you a sufficient smackdown, but frankly it doesn't matter anyway - this is the experience I've had since day one with Windows Phone 7, and it's a black mark on the eye of the product. Apps matter today, and Microsoft released a buggy Marketplace experience. Even if it were to be fixed tomorrow, it wouldn't change the last few months of me using it.

[Don Tolson]

Are you sure this is a Marketplace issue? There was a recent 'update' to the Facebook app, and maybe that caused the problems. I use the Facebook app from the Marketplace almost daily without any problems, but it's possible you've had a corrupted version?

Hate to suggest it, but maybe a hard reset (reload) of your phone O/S might solve the problem.

I experience crashes in Marketplace almost daily. I'm hoping the NoDo update will help with that.

[Jason Dunn]

Are you sure this is a Marketplace issue? There was a recent 'update' to the Facebook app, and maybe that caused the problems. I use the Facebook app from the Marketplace almost daily without any problems, but it's possible you've had a corrupted version?

Well, it's a Marketplace issue insofar as that's what I'm using the get the apps - I don't have any other choice, right? One would think that if I deleted the downloads, re-did them, it would download a fresh version, right?

Hate to suggest it, but maybe a hard reset (reload) of your phone O/S might solve the problem.

Nah. This isn't Windows Mobile 6.x. We need to break away from the mentality that starting over with a wipe is the thing we should do whenever something acts weird. :) This is an application issue.

I deleted the Facebook app, re-downloaded it, and now it's working just fine. So what kind of crazy sense does that make? Presumably the file I downloaded was the same file as the one from Marketplace - unless it was a different, smaller upgrade-only version. Regardless, it's now working. The worst part was having to type in my long and highly secure Facebook password...if only this thing had copy and paste! :rolleyes: :D

moTweets Pro, however, remains broken. :(

[Jason Dunn]

Well this is just silly. The Facebook app I just downloaded from the Marketplace is saying there's an update again and I get the same license error when trying to install it. Augh! :mad:

[Darius Wey]

Anyone else seeing similar issues with these, or other, apps?

I experience this same issue every now and again on my Mozart. At least for me, it's not specific to any app. I've seen it affect Xbox LIVE Extras, a handful of games, and even the Facebook app. No amount of restarting the download process or rebooting fixes it; it usually requires a complete uninstall and reinstall of the app, which is especially horrible when you have a bunch of saves tied to a game.