Microsoft is making it easier for mobile developers building apps for iOS, Android and Windows Phone to integrate data from Windows Live into their applications. With the recently released update to the developer platform known as Messenger Connect, Microsoft introduced APIs for SkyDrive, Hotmail and Messenger, which can be used in both websites and mobile apps.
The company says it has now streamlined the process of those integrations with changes based on developer feedback.
Now, there is no server-side code needed in the application setup process. The new registration process at manage.dev.live.com is extremely lightweight, says Microsoft. The only information needed to create an application is the name and language of the app:
After clicking “I accept,” developers will receive a client ID and client secret. Providing the URL that users are redirected to is now optional, Microsoft adds.
Also new are mobile optimized sign-in and user consent experiences – that is, sign-in and acceptance screens built specifically for mobile devices. A code sample, which shows how to access a user’s SkyDrive photo albums from Windows Phone, is now available.
More code samples showing how to integrate user access to Hotmail, Messenger and SkyDrive data are on their way, too.
You can read more about these changes here on the Windows Live blog.
