Microsoft has accused Google of deliberately keeping YouTube off Windows Phone in an attempt to damage the brand.
After being blocked three months ago, Microsoft this week re-launched a YouTube app for Windows Phone, only to have it blocked again after just one day online.
Microsoft deputy general counsel David Howard wrote in a blog post that Google doesn't want Windows Phone users to have the same experience as Android and Apple users.
"Google's reasons for blocking our app are manufactured so that we can't give our users the same experience Android and iPhone users are getting," wrote Howard. "The roadblocks Google has set up are impossible to overcome, and they know it."
YouTube has never made its own smartphone app for Windows Phone, despite offering apps for Google's own Android operating system and rival Apple iOS.
Microsoft created its own YouTube app for Windows Phone three moths ago, but it was soon blocked by Google, which owns YouTube, on the grounds that it did not allow ads - which Google profits from - and that it allowed videos to be downloaded. Microsoft has a competing advertising business.
After fixing these issues, Microsoft this week released a revamped YouTube app for Windows Phone, but it was again blocked by Google as it still did not comply with its requirements due to the fact that it wasn't written in HTML 5.
"We've been working with Microsoft to build a fully featured YouTube for Windows Phone app, based on HTML5. Unfortunately, Microsoft has not made the browser upgrades necessary to enable a fully-featured YouTube experience, and has instead re-released a YouTube app that violates our Terms of Service," YouTube said in a statement. "It has been disabled."
In his blog post, Howard said "building a YouTube app based on HTML5 would be technically difficult and time consuming", and pointed out the fact that Google doesn't use it for its own iOS and Android YouTube apps.
Windows Phone users can still use their web browser to access YouTube.com.
Howard said Microsoft was still happy to work with Google to resolve the issue, but for now "their objections are nothing other than excuses".
After being blocked three months ago, Microsoft this week re-launched a YouTube app for Windows Phone, only to have it blocked again after just one day online.
Microsoft deputy general counsel David Howard wrote in a blog post that Google doesn't want Windows Phone users to have the same experience as Android and Apple users.
"Google's reasons for blocking our app are manufactured so that we can't give our users the same experience Android and iPhone users are getting," wrote Howard. "The roadblocks Google has set up are impossible to overcome, and they know it."
YouTube has never made its own smartphone app for Windows Phone, despite offering apps for Google's own Android operating system and rival Apple iOS.
Microsoft created its own YouTube app for Windows Phone three moths ago, but it was soon blocked by Google, which owns YouTube, on the grounds that it did not allow ads - which Google profits from - and that it allowed videos to be downloaded. Microsoft has a competing advertising business.
After fixing these issues, Microsoft this week released a revamped YouTube app for Windows Phone, but it was again blocked by Google as it still did not comply with its requirements due to the fact that it wasn't written in HTML 5.
"We've been working with Microsoft to build a fully featured YouTube for Windows Phone app, based on HTML5. Unfortunately, Microsoft has not made the browser upgrades necessary to enable a fully-featured YouTube experience, and has instead re-released a YouTube app that violates our Terms of Service," YouTube said in a statement. "It has been disabled."
In his blog post, Howard said "building a YouTube app based on HTML5 would be technically difficult and time consuming", and pointed out the fact that Google doesn't use it for its own iOS and Android YouTube apps.
Windows Phone users can still use their web browser to access YouTube.com.
Howard said Microsoft was still happy to work with Google to resolve the issue, but for now "their objections are nothing other than excuses".
No comments:
Post a Comment