Windows Phone 7 is a good operating system but it still has some things to learn until it could match iOS or Android. However, as time passes, it looks like it approaches its rivals. A good example is the fact that, for quite a while, WP7 has a kind of Cydia platform on which users can find and download different homebrew applications.

However, Bazaar is not as mature as Cydia, because you don’t have the possibility to view the tweaks you have downloaded from here, and obviously their number is not as big when compared to the platform dedicated to iOS. But things are evolving easily. For example, we have discovered an app which will let you manage all the tweaks and homebrews that you have downloaded from Bazaar. Yes, it’s not a feature of the above mentioned platform, but to be honest, this doesn’t matter, as long as it gets the job done. The name of this app is XapHandler and we are going to review it today.

So, in a few words, XAPHandler is a homebrew which has the target to manage homebrews. Using it, you are able to manage all your XAP files, doing clean installations of your tweaks in order for them to run properly and view the date when you have downloaded them and their most relevant information.

xaphandler-homebrews-installation-in-unlocked-wp-7-roms

xaphandler-homebrews-installation-in-unlocked-wp-7-roms

The great thing about XAPHandler comes from the fact that it allows users with unlocked ROM’s (stock) to install different homebrews and tweaks by just using their Internet Explorer. This has no importance for those which have already flashed their Windows Phone 7 devices but it becomes very important for those which are still using the default ROM. And the installation of different apps is not just strictly related to Internet Explorer. It can also be done by using the e-mail application, or the PC.

In order to install XAPHandler on WP7 devices which have been unlocked (interop) but, without running on any custom ROM, the following tutorial is perfect for you:

  1. At the end of this post you will find a link. Follow it in order to flash your Windows Phone 7 with XAPHandler;
  2. When the above mentioned process finishes, you will be provided with a list of home brews. Now it’s time to open ‘Run Tools’ or another registry editor on your device.
  3. In the ‘Policies’ menu, you have to search for XAPHandler.
  4. Tap on ‘Trusted’ for each homebrew you need.

This short tutorials is valid only for those users which are not using a custom ROM. Those which have installed another firmware in their Windows Phone 7 device don’t have to follow it. They just have to open this application and confirm that XAPHandler can associate all XAP files. Now this tweak will run in the background and it won’t need to be opened again. Because, every time, you access a XAP file it will be automatically managed by it. You will receive relevant information regarding the name of a specific homebrew, its description, its developer etc.

For already installed homebrews, XAPHandler for WP 7 offers you two important features. You have the possibility to update the apps you have already installed when a newer version is available and you can perform a clean installation of a specific tweak if it doesn’t run properly.

XAPHandler is a tool which adds some of the Cydia default features for the owners of Windows Phone 7 users. We recommend you try it and share your opinions on it here.

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