Earlier today, we learned that Google had taken down Microsoft’s official YouTube app for Windows Phone 8 after supposedly being in “collaboration” with the search engine giant. Microsoft has revealed that Google’s reasons for blocking the app are “manufactured” and that Google has set up roadblocks that are “impossible to overcome and they know it.”
You are likely to be familiar by now but Microsoft’s official YouTube app for Windows Phone 8 was pulled at first due to violating Google’s terms of service. Microsoft then complied in collaboration with Google to re-release the app, only for the search engine giant to pull the app yet again. Of course this creates frustration and Microsoft has revealed today what is going on behind the scenes. Here’s what Microsoft had to say:
Google asked us to transition our app to a new coding language – HTML5. This was an odd request since neither YouTube’s iPhone app nor its Android app are built on HTML5. Nevertheless, we dedicated significant engineering resources to examine the possibility. At the end of the day, experts from both companies recognized that building a YouTube app based on HTML5 would be technically difficult and time consuming, which is why we assume YouTube has not yet made the conversion for its iPhone and Android apps.
For this reason, we made a decision this week to publish our non-HTML5 app while committing to work with Google long-term on an app based on HTML5. We believe this approach delivers our customers a short term experience on par with the other platforms while putting us in the same position as Android and iOS in enabling an eventual transition to new technology. Google, however, has decided to block our mutual customers from accessing our new app.
Microsoft adds that Google has set up these roadblocks knowing that they are impossible to overcome. Google wants the YouTube app to be based off HTML5, while the Android and iOS apps do not meet this requirement. Microsoft feels like they shouldn’t be required to do something that the iPhone or Android isn’t doing.
“We think it’s clear that Google just doesn’t want Windows Phone users to have the same experience as Android and Apple users, and that their objections are nothing other than excuses. Nonetheless, we are committed to giving our users the experience they deserve, and are happy to work with Google to solve any legitimate concerns they may have. In the meantime, we once again request that Google stop blocking our YouTube app,” Microsoft concludes.
Why do you think Google is toying with Microsoft? Sound off in the comments below.
Further reading: Google, Microsoft, Windows Phone, YouTube
