Microsoft is building a single app store for its next Windows Phone and Windows releases, reports The Verge.

According to sources, Terry Myerson, head of Microsoft’s operating systems group, confirmed the move in an internal company meeting. The change will take place in spring 2014, with the release of Windows Phone 8.1 and a special update of Windows 8.1.

So far, few details of the plan have been released.

Microsoft has previously indicated it is looking to exploit commonalities across its platforms, with Myerson saying that “all of the apps we bring to end users should be available on all of our devices”.

Apple’s approach in its App Store allows phone apps to scale up to run on the iPad but tablet-specific apps won’t function on the iPhone. It operates a separate store for its Mac applications.

Windows Phone appears to be picking up traction with the platform achieving its “highest ever level” of 8.2 per cent market share across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, in the three months to July, according to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.