Google reportedly blocking Windows Phone users from accessing Google Maps in the browser

Hundreds of tweets and forum posts have, over the last few hours, claimed what we’ve independently confirmed: it’s not currently possible to access Google Maps from within Windows Phone’s Internet Explorer browser. Attempting to visit maps.google.com or even maps.google.ca result in a redirect to the company’s search page. The issue is not present on Android or iOS.

Microsoft, over the past few months, has publicly sparred with Google over its shutting down of Exchange Activesync support at the end of January. Microsoft expressed “disappointment” in the action and implored any affected users to transition to Outlook.com, its new (and excellent) mail offering. By turning off Activesync access (which applies to all platforms, not just Microsoft’s), Windows Phone users will not be able to sync Google contacts or calendars. Because Microsoft has yet to implement CalDAV and CardDAV support in its mobile OS, users will be out of luck by the end of the month. Apple, on the other hand, will be unaffected by the change as it implemented the new calendar and contact sync standards in its latest version and has push support for mail via a native app. Android users, of course, will suffer no such issues with sync as their phones tie directly into Google’s activation servers.

While it’s currently assumed that the redirect is a bug and not the status quo going forward, we’ve yet to hear from Google on the issue. Microsoft also claimed that Google continues to prevent Windows Phone users from accessing important YouTube metadata, crippling the mobile experience for its user base. Google has yet to release native Maps or YouTube apps for Windows Phone and, if recent comments are any indication, doesn’t plan to anytime soon.

Via: The Verge