Windows Phone Xap Archive [REAL]

Plug your Lumia into your PC. Ensure Zune (for WP7) or the Windows Phone app (for WP8) recognizes it.

Windows Phone allowed unsigned or self-signed XAPs only through company app distribution (enterprise enrollment). Enterprises could provision a custom root certificate onto the device and deploy XAPs via USB or web server. This mechanism is the primary method used today to install custom or archived apps on unlocked (or developer-unlocked) devices.

With no official method to download apps, the "Windows Phone XAP Archive" emerged as a grassroots preservation movement. windows phone xap archive

If you are new to the scene, here is a starter pack you should look for in any archive:

XAP (pronounced "Zap") is the file extension for application packages used on Windows Phone 7, 8, and 8.1. Plug your Lumia into your PC

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Every XAP installed on a consumer Windows Phone must be digitally signed with a certificate trusted by Microsoft. The signature covers:

The signature is stored in a [Content_Types].xml file and a META-INF folder containing a .psm file (package signature manifest). Windows Phone validates the signature during installation and every time the app launches (integrity check). Every XAP installed on a consumer Windows Phone

If the XAP is valid and the phone is unlocked, the app will install to the app list instantly.