Microsoft Store adds new ways to generate revenue for developers

Despite the huge popularity of Windows, the Microsoft Store has never really been featured as a destination for downloading apps. This is because Windows users have long relied on manually downloading and installing apps from vendor websites, and because the amount of high-quality apps in the Microsoft Store is overwhelmingly low. There was one. As a result, developers don’t make much money, and as a result, they are reluctant to update or improve their Windows apps.

Things could change soon, as Microsoft plans to increase its own and developer’s revenue from the Windows Store. Starting with the Universal Windows Platform (UWP), developers can now sell subscription add-ons for their apps in the Microsoft Store .

To enable this, Microsoft has updated its Store API to allow developers to sell subscriptions with 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, 1-year, and even 2-year term options. I did. Users can also try the service with a trial period ranging from one week to one month, depending on the app, before paying for a subscription .

As a premium for adding this feature, Microsoft will receive a 15% cut of the regular app’s share , and developers will receive the remaining 85%. Microsoft is also hoping the Xbox One’s hard work will pay off, and plans to charge 30 percent of the revenue it makes from game subscriptions .

This action could encourage Windows developers to continually update their products with features that could generate high revenue through such add-ons. It is also expected to invite more developers to host their apps on the Windows Store.

Windows developers interested in offering subscription add-ons within their apps can submit a request through the Dev Center dashboard . To take advantage of this new feature, Microsoft recommends that developers should target a newer Windows build than Windows 10 Anniversary Update (build 14393). If you’re a Windows developer, follow this blog post for detailed instructions.