About Optional Submissions and Final Certification

During development, each build of each individual product is contained in a content package.

When the product build in a content package is ready for certification, you submit it to Microsoft, and Microsoft performs a series of reviews on the build.

This topic provides an overview of the process of submitting products to Microsoft for certification reviews.

• Optional submissions and final certification
• Making an appointment for a certification review
• Exception requests
• Certification results
• CFR challenges

Optional submissions and final certification

There are two types of certification review, each of which checks the submitted product both for functionality and compliance with Xbox One standards and requirements:

Optional submission
You can request a preliminary pass through the certification process for a content package before you have completely finished developing the product build in that content package.

An optional submission can help you make an early identification of any problematic aspects of the build that might slow down your submission for final certification later on.

Final Certification
Final certification is the submission that you make when you believe the product build in a content package is complete and ready for release.

Making an appointment for a certification review

You must make an appointment at least a month before you expect to make either a preliminary, optional submission or a final certification submission for any product. If you are developing a game, contact your developer account manager or release manager to make an appointment; if you are developing an application, contact Xbox App Partner Requests (xboxapps@microsoft.com).

It is understood that the actual date of any scheduled submission may need to be adjusted to accommodate last-minute issues, but identifying a target date allows your developer account manager and the Certification Team to plan for your submission in advance-which, along with producing other benefits, generally reduces the time required to complete the review.

Exception requests

If you want to request that an exception to the usual Xbox One product guidelines be made for one or more of your content packages, contact your developer account manager before you submit the content for certification review.

Certification results

In both types of certification submission, you will be notified when the process is completed.

• If the submission is complete and free of errors, your developer account manager will approve your submission to enter the certification workflow.
  

  Important Incorrect or incomplete submissions will be delayed by the time it takes to identify what is wrong and to assemble correct, complete materials-usually at least one or two days.

• The length of each certification test pass is dependent on content type and current submission volume.
  
• If any issues are identified during the test pass, they are reported to you.
  
• As soon as you have addressed all identified issues, you can resubmit the content package.
  
• If you have any questions about the results of a certification submission, or about how to correct an identified issue, contact your developer account manager, or send mail to Xbox App Partner Requests (xboxapps@microsoft.com).
  

CFR challenges

If your submission for certification fails, Microsoft will provide you with a list of conditions for resubmission (CFRs).

If you believe that any of the CFRs are in error, you can submit a CFR challenge to explain why you believe the submitted product does not actually infringe upon the identified guideline or rule.

Your developer account manager can provide you with information about how to submit a CFR challenge.