Windows Phone 7 Bug Cripples Apps

Microsoft MSFT has found the source of an error message that has been assaulting users of Windows Phone 7.5. "We've run into an issue with the digital certificates used to sign apps, and this is preventing some phones from installing some apps published during the last couple of days," wrote Microsoft's Mazhar Mohammed on the official Windows Phone blog (via PCWorld). "We've investigated and determined the issue only affects phones that upgraded to Windows Phone 7.5 from an earlier version of the operating system. It does not appear to impact phones sold with Windows Phone 7.5 preinstalled." Mohammed said that Microsoft estimates that the issue only affects a small percentage of the more than 100,000 apps currently available for the Windows Phone platform. "Among the more popular ones affected are the New York Times, WhatsApp, and Translator from Bing -- all of which recently issued new updates," Mohammed added. "There's nothing wrong with your phone and everything else should work fine." Microsoft is currently working on a fix that it plans to roll out in the near future. "Until that's finished, we're going to temporarily stop publishing new apps in Marketplace," Mohammed revealed. "If you get an error message while installing or updating an app, the best thing to do is wait for us to correct the problem, which we're working to do as quickly as possible. I don't recommend uninstalling any apps on your phone, since you likely won't be able to download them again until the issue is resolved. Also, you'd lose any saved data for that app. Again, the vast majority of apps and games in Marketplace should install without trouble." Users can get more information from Microsoft's download answers page. Developers can peruse Todd Brix's blog for information on the company's short-term app publishing and certification plans. Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ