Microsoft updates Windows Store for Windows 8.1

Microsoft has updated the Windows Store for Windows 8.1 in a new release. According to the company, the software store has been given improved navigation options and the layout is more in line with the Store environment of Windows Phone.

The layout of the updated Windows Store now includes a navigation bar that is always visible. The bar has links to, among other things, the start screen, the charts, categories and app collections that are grouped in so-called ‘collections’. The account details are also accessible via the bar. Microsoft says it has limited the number of options to prevent an overcrowded navigation bar.

The aforementioned collections, which have been available on Windows Phone for some time, are now also on the front page of the Windows Store. Apps within these collections are classified thematically, for example under ‘music apps’, while developers can also offer apps in the Red Stripe Deals collection, for example. Apps that are on offer are now also accentuated by visually emphasizing the offer price more.

Purchases in the Windows Store that can also run on Windows Phone devices will now also be available there, and vice versa. For example, a developer can now choose to have an app run on all Windows-compatible devices of the buyer after purchase.

The updates to the Windows Store follow shortly after the changes in the spring update that Microsoft has released for Windows 8.1. An update is expected in the fall that will return the start menu.