I need the community’s help: I’ve found myself trapped and have been unable to escape for several months.
Here’s the situation: I created a Windows app, but I can’t build an audience for it because Microsoft blocks any activity related to my app – both its download from the internet and its launch. Of course, my app is signed with a valid digital signature, and as its developer I guarantee that it is 100% safe.
The problem is that despite all my efforts, no one is using my app – because the operating system itself hints at its potential danger and openly advises all users to avoid it, explaining that my app has a “low reputation” (and how could it have a high reputation if the system itself is constantly blocking it?).
I don’t know what to do: this is someone else’s operating system, and I’m just a guest in it with no moral right to ask for anything (let alone demand), but it’s already been several months, and I still haven’t found a solution.
I have repeatedly written letters to them and published appeals (both on Tech and on Medium) to draw their attention to my problem, but the corporation does not respond at all.
What should I do?
p.s.
I want to remain an independent developer, so I can’t afford an EV certificate (I’m an individual, not an organization), and I don’t want to get involved with publishers.
Looks like my app was finally approved, and it is no longer blocked when downloaded or launched (still can’t believe it). I hope it won’t be blocked after this message
A huge thank you to everyone who helped me solve this issue — I truly appreciate it
To Microsoft: if you genuinely want more new apps in the Store, you need to improve the verification process for independent developers. While I fully support all your security measures and policies as a user, as a developer, I believe modernization is necessary because not all developers and apps pose a risk to end users.
To developers: unfortunately, I don’t know exactly what or who helped me (as I have reached out in many places and spoken with many people over the past few months). But one thing I know for sure — never give up (even if your messages/questions/accounts are ignored/blocked/removed) and always strive to make your product the best it can be.
Maybe. But when I tried, nothing worked (you can find the full history of my attempts on Medium via the link in my first message).
The most frustrating part is that I never figured out what actually helped: Microsoft doesn’t provide any reasons for either blocking or unblocking. And this lack of feedback is really discouraging — it could have been resolved much faster (or might not have been an issue at all) if they had simply explained what exactly was wrong with my code and what I needed to do to ensure their system didn’t flag my app as “dangerous”.
To improve your app’s reputation with Microsoft, try submitting it to the Microsoft Store for better visibility and trust. Encourage users to leave positive reviews, as this can help boost its reputation. Additionally, request a SmartScreen review through the Microsoft Defender portal and share your app in developer communities to build credibility. While it may take time, persistence and positive engagement are key to overcoming this challenge.
It doesn’t work that way: when you try to publish such an app, the Store simply issues a warning and refuses to publish (this is described in great detail in my Medium journal at the link above):
Unfortunately, I’ve encountered an even worse problem — now I can’t update an app that has already been published in the Store (update ~7 hours later: the local moderator of “answers.microsoft.com” deleted my message, citing that my complaint about the impossibility of publishing an update resembled a threat (lol, what?), so link is outdated now, sorry).
