Renaming a Windows 8.1 App

October 21, 2013

One of the often overlooked improvements for the Windows Store in Windows 8.1 answers one of the more common questions I’m asked by developers.

Previously the name you reserved for your app was someone permanent. Sure, you could rename your app but it required republishing your app under the new name and delisting your old one. The downside of this was that your existing users had no idea and therefore ended up orphaned from future upgrades.

With 8.1 you can now rename your app by simply reserving a new name and changing your app’s manifest to reflect the new name. By doing this you’ll be able to retain your existing users while rebranding your application.

Also with the introduction of 8.1 comes the ability to have different names for different languages. This helps prevent the often referenced (albeit untrue) “Chevy Nova / Doesn’t Go” naming problem in a global marketplace.