WP8 updates on WP7 apps

Question

Since the release (and in some cases prior to) the release of Windows Phone 8, several WP7 apps on the marketplace have had updates that simply state "Updated for Windows Phone 8."

What does this mean, exactly? Because the marketplace allows multiple XAP uploads, is it a new XAP for WP8 but the app only allows a single description (thus "updated for WP8")? If so, does the marketplace push an update for WP7 even if the WP7 XAP hasn't changed?

Or, are there changes to the 7.1.1 SDK that optimize for WP7 apps on WP8? If so, could you provide a link outlining this? (I did a search, but all I could find is the 7.1.1 update targets 256MB devices.)

Bottom line, although I know WP7 apps are compatible on WP8, is there something I should be doing with my WP7 apps for WP8 while still functional on WP7?

Answer 1

Take a look at this, seems to be an issue that is being worked on at the moment.

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/wpsubmit/thread/789b3017-d242-4151-9d0b-84c85c4b3c24

Answer 2

These tags of "Updated for Windows Phone 8" don't necessarily mean that the app has been upgraded to a Windows Phone 8 application. It could also mean that the developer has tested and fixed bugs that can break functionality for a Windows Phone 7 app in Windows Phone 8. For example, I found two bugs involving local storage in Windows phone 7 projects when running on Windows Phone 8. Therefore, I had to make some adjustments to get my project running 100% on Windows Phone 8 (but its still a WP7.1 project). For more information on bugs and "quirks" when running WP7.1 projects on Windows Phone 8 here is a link to Microsoft's information.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsphone/develop/jj206947(v=vs.105).aspx