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Microsoft blames Google for ‘manufacturing’ reasons for blocking Windows Phone YouTube app

Lewis Leong

Lewis Leong

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Microsoft and Google are having a spat about the Windows Phone YouTube app. Google has no plans for building a first-party YouTube app for the Windows Phone platform so Microsoft has taken it upon themselves to build one.

The company built and provided a huge update recently to their YouTube app for Windows Phone, but was forced to take the app down due to Google’s request. The dispute stemmed from the fact that Microsoft was not implementing ads to Google’s satisfaction. The app also included the ability to download videos for offline viewing, which Google doesn’t allow.

Microsoft blames Google for ‘manufacturing’ reasons for blocking Windows Phone YouTube app

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Microsoft then began working with Google directly to release a YouTube app that meets all of the search giant’s guidelines. Then earlier this week, Microsoft re-released its YouTube app for Windows Phone, only to have it taken down again by Google for not implementing ads properly. Clearly frustrated, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, David Howard took to the internet to call out Google directly, stating that “their objections are nothing other than excuses” and that “Google’s reasons for blocking our app are manufactured.”

“Google’s reasons for blocking our app are manufactured”

Howard goes on to say, “We think it’s clear that Google just doesn’t want Windows Phone users to have the same experience as Android and Apple users.” He claims that Google is blocking the app because it’s not built using HTML5, but neither are the iOS or Android versions, which are both coded natively. “…we shouldn’t be required to do something that apparently neither iPhone nor Android has successfully figured out how to do,” writes Howard.

“We think it’s clear that Google just doesn’t want Windows Phone users to have the same experience as Android and Apple users.”

In terms of displaying ads, it’s obvious that Microsoft is trying to work with Google to implement properly. “Our app serves Google’s advertisements using all the metadata available to us. We’ve asked Google to provide whatever information iPhone and Android get so that we can mirror the way ads are served on these platforms more precisely. So far at least, Google has refused to give this information to us,” says Howard. He later adds that he’s confident that Microsoft can fix the problems with Google’s cooperation.

For now, Windows Phone users will have to suffer without a YouTube app while these two tech giants figure out how to play nicely. To read the full response by Howard, check out the source link below.

Source: Microsoft on the Issues Blog

Lewis Leong

Lewis Leong

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