Missing or just hiding?
We’ve continued to document the small issues plaguing the Windows Phone Store as of late and we want to clear up one that we’re getting a lot of tips on: missing apps.
The issue comes up when you try to search for certain apps, namely Facebook, Groupon and WhatsApp for some of you. In short, they’re missing from search results and therefore you can’t download them.
But we should point out that all of the direct-links to those apps still work and will allow you to download the program. In fact, we’ll list the direct links for you down below.
Pro tip from WPCentral: if you ever can’t find an app in the Store via search, simply search on our site for previous coverage of that app and use the QR code or direct Store links. The majority of the time that trick will allow you to grab what you need (that's how we verify your tips, after all). And if you use our official app, it’s just as easy there too. On very rare occasions, the app actually has been "pulled" completely but most of the time, it is just hidden.
As to why this is all happening e.g. apps are not showing when searching, it is most likely due to ongoing upgrades and changes to the Store on the back-end by Microsoft. We wish we could share more info with you but Microsoft is not giving much in the way of details to us on the matter. For now, it’s safe to assume that these above apps will appear in your searches soon.
Some have speculated that the Facebook app is missing due to an impending update. We've seen no evidence for that idea, though we suppose anything is possible. The current version is the same from July, which is v2.7.
Edit: Reader abond32 notes in comments that you can just Search via Bing on your phone by typing the name of the app. That too will bring you directly to the app in the Store.
