Google, Microsoft reconcile to work on a YouTube app for Windows Phone

At last! Here’s the moment Windows Phone users have been waiting for since a long time. Google and Microsoft have finally gone down the kiss-and-make up route. The companies will be working together in order to create an official YouTube application for Windows Phone.

The app will, in all likelihood be developed using YouTube’s very own iFrame API. The app will be compliant with all of Google’s Terms of Services for YouTube and will include advertisements as per the search giant’s demand. The jointly-developed application will hit the Windows Phone Store probably as soon as next month.

In a joint statement, the companies said, “Microsoft and YouTube are working together to update the new YouTube for Windows Phone app to enable compliance with YouTube’s API terms of service, including enabling ads, in the coming weeks. Microsoft will replace the existing YouTube app in Windows Phone Store with the previous version during this time.”

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Google, Microsoft, now kiss!

This decision comes not long after Microsoft ended up updating its natively-built YouTube app for Windows Phone on the very day Google expected the company to pull the app from its store following a cease-and-desist notice.

The series of back-and-forth between the two companies regarding the YouTube app started earlier this year when Microsoft accused Google of hindering the development of a full-fledged one. Earlier in May, Microsoft developed and launched its own YouTube app that replaced the earlier one which was nothing more than a glorified wrapper that redirected users to the video hosting service’s mobile website.

Google, though, was aggrieved that Microsoft had not sought its permission before publishing the app. They were also enraged over the fact that the app did not comply entirely with its Terms of Services. Using the app one could download videos and the app contained no advertisements, points which compelled Google to serve a notice to Microsoft.
Microsoft ended up pulling the download feature but still did not add advertisements to it. We guess there won’t be any more of these Microsoft released updates for the YouTube app anymore - It’s just going to be the Google backed application now. Good move, Google. Both the companies as well as us benefit from this move.