Ovi Store [updated] | Nokia

The introduction of Windows Phone into Nokia’s lineup (the Lumia era) sealed the fate of the legacy store. The old Symbian-based Ovi Store was slowly wound down, eventually shuttering its doors for good in 2014.

Nokia tried to retrofit a modern app store onto Symbian—an operating system built in the 1990s for keypad phones. Symbian lacked modern security frameworks, background app management, and a robust graphics stack. Developers hated coding for Symbian C++, and users hated the experience. By the time Nokia switched to MeeGo and eventually Windows Phone, the damage was done. nokia ovi store

"Ovi" means door. For a few years, that door was slightly ajar. It offered a glimpse of a world where every Nokia phone, from an Indian taxi driver’s cheap touchscreen to a London banker’s E72, could download the software they needed instantly. It promised global, localized access to the app economy before the term "app economy" existed. The introduction of Windows Phone into Nokia’s lineup

If you were cool in 2009, you weren’t scrolling through the App Store or the Android Market. You were holding a Nokia N97, sweating slightly because the battery was low, and frantically refreshing the to see if a new theme had dropped. "Ovi" means door

The idea was revolutionary: Nokia didn't just want to be the company that made the hardware; they wanted to own the ecosystem. They wanted to be the gatekeepers of your digital life.

: Users in many countries could charge app purchases directly to their mobile phone bill rather than needing a credit card. Social & Local Discovery