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Microsoft updates YouTube app for Windows Phone, apparently surrenders to Google as web player returns

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Windows Phone users have returned to square one with the 'updated' YouTube app today

A few months ago, Microsoft and Google had a brouhaha over YouTube and Windows Phone. Microsoft appeared to play by Google’s rules in making an app for their customers, but Google said it wasn’t good enough. Despite the differences, Microsoft famously released the app anyway to see what would happen. As it turns out, Google was none too happy and remotely killed the app through its access key.

Fast forward to today, October 7th and the app has finally been updated to version 3.2. Unfortunately, the app has reverted back to its old web-player days, meaning if you click a YouTube link in email, MMS messages, etc. it will open YouTube in the browser. In fact, tapping the installed YouTube icon on your phone will simply redirect you to m.youtube.com for that not so premier experience.

No more downloads, no more account management (without logging in), no notifications—just the barebones experience.

Google locked out Windows Phone users

From the looks of it, any discussions between Microsoft and Google may have broken down. As a result, we’re getting the most generic YouTube experience you can imagine on a mobile platform: a web player. If Microsoft is working on an official app, it may have to be in that HTML5 form that Google so desperately wants for Windows Phone (but not for iOS or Android). If that is going to happen, it could take months before we see it land on the Store, if at all.

For now, Windows Phone users are urged to use some of the excellent third-party options like MetroTube, myTube or PrimeTube to get a premium YouTube experience.

Head here to the Windows Phone store to get YouTube version 3.2, though we honestly don’t recommend it.

Thanks, Kevin B., for the tip

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and wearable tech. He has reviewed laptops for over 10 years and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, Arm64 processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, performed polysomnographs in NYC, and was a motion-picture operator for 17 years.