PinCodeKeeper WP7 app – Submitting to Marketplace

In this article I will write about the process when submitting the PinCodeKeeper WP7 app to Windows Phone Marketplace. Before you submit any apps you must test your app and make sure that it works according to the WP7 guidelines. Remember to also test how your app reacts when being deactivated and activated again (Windows button and then back button). If your app fails to resume at any point it will not pass certification.

The submission process is pretty easy and it’s just to follow the steps. Go to App Hub and select Submit for Windows Phone.

Step 1 Upload

Application name: PinCodeKeeper

Default language: English (International)

Version: 1.0

Add your xap file (remember to build and submit Relase version).

Additional notes (I did not fill in anything there)

Step 2 Description

Application title: PinCodeKeeper

Supported languages: English (International), German

Category: Productivity

Detailed description:

The PinCodeKeeper app is a secure and easy way to store and view all your different PIN codes.

The concept is as easy as brilliant:
There PIN code card is a table with cells creating a color pattern. You can select cells and enter the digits in your PIN code in a pattern that you will remember and recognize. When this is done the empty cells will be filled with random numbers. This way you will be the only one knowing the pattern for your PIN code.

You can look at your PIN codes in public knowing that the PIN code card only make sense to you and the PIN code card can be stored on the phone without compromising your PIN code.

Featured app description: Secure PIN code storage

Keywords: PIN code, pin code, pincode, pin, PIN, PIN-code

Step 3 Artwork

App icons in resolution 99×99, 173×173 and 200×200

Background art in resolution 1000×800 (optional, can be used for featured app on Zune).

For app icons and background art I used the same image but with different resolutions.

Image used for App icons and Background art

Screenshots in resolution 480×800. You can add up to 8 screenshots from you app and I think it’s important to add as many as possible so the potential user easily gets an impression about you app.

When I’m creating screenshots I’m using WP7 Screenshot Tool created by Cory Smith.

I added the following screenshots for my application.

The Splashscreen

Main Menu with pin code list

View a pin code

Add new - step 1

Add new - step 2

Add new - step 3

Add new - final step

About screen

 

Since the application I’m submitting supports both English and German I now need to repeat step 2 and step 3 for the German version (same information but translated to German).

Step 4 Pricing

No trial support.

Checked Worldwide distribution.

Currency in USD.

Application price: 1.99 USD.

Step 5 Submit

You can review the information you have added before submitting for certification.

Check automatically publish to marketplace after passing certification.

That’s all you have to do and it’s now just to wait for your application to be certified. Mine failed twice before it got certified. The first time it failed because pressing the back button did not remove the numeric input keyboard but it to you directly to the previous page. That took me about 5 min to fix. The next time it failed was because if you were in a specific screen and the app got deactivated, then activated clicking back would fail. That was also just a 5 minutes fix. The reports you get when the app fails are very good and makes it easy for you to reproduce the failure reason.

The following is from my second failure report.

Comments: The application does not resume normally after deactivation.
Steps to reproduce:
1. Launch the application.
2. Select the “+” button from the application bar.
3. Select the “Scramble” button.
4. Select the “Save” button.
5. Enter a PIN code name and select the checkmark.
6. Select the newly created PIN code.
7. Select the “?” from the application bar.
8. Press the device Start button to deactivate the application.
9. Press the device Back button to reactivate the application.
10. Press the device Back button.
11. Notice the application silently terminates.

The PinCodeKeeper is now available in the Windows Phone Marketplace. Just search for PinCodeKeeper and you will find it. You can also use this direct link: http://social.zune.net/redirect?type=phoneApp&id=643b1f1b-359c-e011-986b-78e7d1fa76f8

References

Reference: 

PinCodeKeeper WP7 app – Submitting to Marketplace