Microsoft released a complete overhaul of its YouTube app for Windows Phone 8 this week
When Microsoft released its new YouTube app for Windows Phone 8 on Tuesday morning, questions were posed as to whether or not Google had provided new access to its YouTube application programming interfaces. According to a Microsoft spokesman, that"s not the case.
The spokesman provided the following statement to us regarding the app"s development:
Windows Phone invested additional engineering resources against existing APIs to re-architect a Windows Phone app that delivers a great YouTube experience, including support for unique Windows Phone 8 features such as Live Tiles and Kids Corner. Microsoft did not receive any additional technical support to create the Windows Phone YouTube app.
Microsoft"s previous YouTube "app" for Windows Phone devices was simply a link to the website"s mobile version, which the company said at the time was essentially the best YouTube solution it could create because of restricted APIs.
Though the spokesman didn"t comment on whether Microsoft asked Google to open its YouTube APIs, the company has complained to U.S. and European regulators in the past about the video-sharing site"s restricted APIs. Additionally, the spokesman provided no comment on whether or not a similar YouTube app would be released for Windows 8 and Windows RT devices. Microsoft reminded Windows Phone 7 users late Tuesday that the app would soon be released for their operating system.
Google declined to make a Windows Phone version of its YouTube app, which is available on its Android operating system as well as Apple"s iOS. Clay Bavor, product management director at Google Apps, has said his division has no plans on releasing future apps for Windows or Windows Phone platforms because the company "will go where the users are, but they are not on Windows Phone or Windows 8."
Neowin"s previous article about the app"s release has been updated to include Microsoft"s statement.