Microsoft Updates YouTube App After Cease and Desist Order From Google

An ongoing feud between Microsoft and Google surrounding the YouTube app for Windows Phone 8 has led to Microsoft rolling out an update to the app, which went live yesterday in the Windows Phone store.

Google has elected not to develop a YouTube app for Windows Phone 8, likely because of its lack of users, so Microsoft took matters into its own hands and developed its own YouTube app, which was released on May 7. Just over a week later, Google sent Microsoft a cease-and-desist letter, claiming the app violates the YouTube terms of service because it doesn't display ads and allows users to download content from the app.

Microsoft has now made the next move, with the release of the updated version of the app yesterday, which disables the ability to download content from the app. The YouTube app for Windows Phone 8 will still not display ads. The update is available in the Windows Phone Store now, but current users of the app will only lose the ability to download content if they elect to upgrade the app.

Google does not allow other platform makers to build YouTube apps for their operating systems and that includes Apple and BlackBerry. Google, instead, builds the apps for the other platforms and maintains and updates them. There is no YouTube app for BlackBerry 10 and Google suggests users instead access YouTube from a web browser.

Google's cease-and-desist letter originally asked Microsoft to either block or pull the YouTube app from the Windows Phone Store by yesterday, May 22. Instead Microsoft answered with the release of the update. Now, it's Google's move.

Source: ZDNet