I have an old Windows Phone app that I have update to a new Xamarin Forms UWP app. I want the users who have the old version of the app with the old name to automatically get the new version of the app with the new name. Any suggestions on how to accomplish this? I have seen the docs about reserving a new app name in the Dev Center but that does not seem to associate the new name with my existing app. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
OK I think I figured it out in the new Dev Center. When you select your old app name, under App Management there is an option for Manage App Names. This is where you should reserve the new name. Then in the Xamarin Forms App, you go into the Properties for the UWP project, then view the App Manifest. In there, ensure every place you find 'Display Name' uses your NEW app name. Save everything. Then with the UWP project selected in the solution explorer, go to Project --> Store --> Associate App With Store. From the list select your OLD app name. On the next screen, when it matches up to your App in the Dev Center, it will automatically pull the new app name into you project manifest. You can them build the packages for the Store (Project --> Store --> Create App Packages). Once those packages are created, you can launch the Windows App Certification Kit. (The dialog box to do this should come up automatically.)
So one peculiar thing to me was that to create a new submission, I needed to select the Update link on the current submission in the Dev Center. (Why not just have a button that says new submission?? ) Then you can enter all the information for the new submission - update the description, screen shots, urls etc. to reflect the new app name if necessary.
I will say the new submission page is VERY buggy. I have to reload it several times to complete all the tasks I needed, but eventually everything worked.
I hope this helps someone else!!