Microsoft removing its own web apps from Windows Phone Store

Microsoft had hoped that it could influence developers into building a dedicated Windows Phone app by publishing some web apps to the Windows Phone Store, a strategy used by Apple in the weeks before the App Store launch. That approach may have backfired for Microsoft though, with it being forced to remove three of the 40 or so apps that it published.

The reason for the sudden removal is currently unknown, but according to Neowin, Southwest, one of the apps removed, had complained to Microsoft due to having no prior knowledge that Microsoft was going to make such a move. The other apps removed include Atari Arcade and Cars.com.

Windows Phone developers have also added their two cents to Microsoft’s move, being concerned that the company could be breaking its own policies against apps that just launch a web page.