Deploying Windows Phone 8 app to customer device before submitting to the store

Question

One of our customers likes to test our application while still in Beta and before we are able to deliver the finished app to the store.

Is this possible? The only way I can think of is to unlock a customer device from our developer account. But as you can only register up to 3 devices this is not an option.

Can the customer set up (if willing to) a developer account on his own, register the device as developer device and then install our application. Has someone already done this? Or are the app locked to the developer account which has build the app?

Or can the customer install the windows phone SDK and at least deploy the app to the emulator to have a look at the app?

Regards

Answer 1

You should take advantage of the Beta testing functionality:

1. Go to the Windows Phone dev center and on the App info page, under More Options, click Beta.

2. Associate your customers Microsoft accounts (using Live ID)

3. Upload the XAP

It will generate a link that will allow your customers to test the app. Only users added in step 2 will be able to download the app.

Answer 2

You can submit a beta app to the store. When submitting the app, you have to specify the live ids of the users participating the beta. Only those users will be able to download the app, and they don't need to have an unlocked device.

Also, to answer your other questions, yes the customer can deploy your XAP in the emulator if he installs the emulator, and no the XAP isn't locked to the developer account which has built the app.