Skip to main content

Microsoft says Google ‘refuses’ YouTube app access to Windows Phone users

YouTube blocking microsoftWe’ve previously heard that Google wasn’t planning on developing Gmail or any of its other apps for Microsoft’s Windows 8 platform. However, the search engine giant is also reportedly blocking a full-featured YouTube app from debuting on the Windows-themed OS as well.

Microsoft said on Wednesday that Google executives are preventing the Redmond, Washington-based company from offering “proper access to YouTube.”  Dave Heiner, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Microsoft, revealed this news through a blog post, acknowledging the importance of offering the video streaming app on mobile devices.

“This is an important issue because consumers value YouTube access on their phone,” Heiner wrote. “Yet Google still refuses to allow Windows Phone users to have the same access to YouTube and Android and Apple customers enjoy. Microsoft has continued to engage with YouTube personnel over the past two years to remedy this problem for consumers.”

This drama surrounding YouTube isn’t a new obstacle for Microsoft, as the executive revealed that the company has been struggling to resolve this issue for the past two years. As it stands, the YouTube app for Windows Phone is merely a limited version of the streaming service, considering Google doesn’t allow Microsoft access to YouTube’s full APIs.

The focus of Heiner’s argument in his recent blog post seems to be that Google executives are specifically responsible for this blockade; not the YouTube company as a whole.

“As you might expect, it appears that YouTube itself would like all customers – on Windows Phone as on any other device—to have a great YouTube experience,” he wrote. “But just last month we learned from YouTube that senior executives at Google told them not to enable a first-class YouTube experience on Windows Phones.”

Google responded to Microsoft’s accusations, issuing the following statement according to AllThingsD:

“Contrary to Microsoft’s claims, it’s easy for consumers to view YouTube videos on Windows Phones,” the statement read. “Windows phone users can access al the feature of YouTube through our HTML5-based mobile website, including viewing high-quality video streams, finding favorite videos, seeing video ratings, and searching for video categories. In fact, we’ve worked with Microsoft for several years to help build a great YouTube experience on Windows Phones.”

Oddly enough, a full-fledged YouTube app is present on one crucial Microsoft device: the Xbox 360. The app was released this past August and was part of YouTube’s new platform strategy to please fans when it comes to controlling the user experience.

[Image credit: Annette Shaff / Shutterstock.com]

Editors' Recommendations

Lisa Eadicicco
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Lisa Eadicicco is a technology and video game reporter based in New York City. She graduated from Purchase College in 2012…
Finding recipes on TikTok and YouTube is my new favorite way to cook
Someone taking a picture of a llama cookie.

As an avid baker, I've always hated searching for a recipe on Google and subsequently wading through the extensive backstory of the baker to find it. It's like a buried treasure hunt — only it's painfully slow. One thing I do love, however, is how succinct video recipes are from TikTok and YouTube.

I never have to wonder what the food looks like on these apps; I see and hear almost every step in a way I know I can replicate. And I learn a lot more from them than written recipes teach me. So that got me thinking: What is the best way to bake with video recipes? Will using a quick one-minute video from TikTok be enough, or will a more in-depth 10-minute recipe from YouTube be better?

Read more
Google is killing off its lightweight YouTube Go app
Three phone screens showing the new Android 12 Go Edition.

Google is killing off its lightweight YouTube Go app, an app designed for phones with low storage and limited access to robust LTE and 5G networks. The company cites improvements to the mainstream YouTube app that rendered this service redundant. The app will remain available for download in the Play Store until August. The app boiled down YouTube to its essentials and stripped away things that weren't necessary like commenting, posting, or creating videos.

"When we launched YouTube Go in 2016, it was designed for viewers in locations where connectivity, data prices, and low-end devices prevented us from delivering the best experience in the main YouTube app. Since then, YouTube has invested in improvements to the main YouTube app that make it perform better in these environments, while also delivering a better user experience which is inclusive of our entire community," the YouTube team said.

Read more
How to adjust ad settings for YouTube
Youtube video on mobile. Credits: YouTube official.

Advertisements are nearly inescapable online and not every ad is appropriate for every audience. Luckily, YouTube has expanded its restrictive ad settings to give account owners the option to avoid ads that might be harmful to them. The company launched the feature in 2020 to limit ads for alcohol and gambling, but now it's extended the setting to allow users to limit ads for weight loss products, dating sites, and pregnancy/parenting products.

Read more