When it comes to YouTube, Google and Microsoft haven't exactly been the best of friends. Microsoft first tried to push a significant update to the Windows Phone YouTube app back in May, before Google blocked it for not adhering to its guidelines for advertising; another update was pushed a few weeks later, and it too was blocked.
Now it appears Microsoft has given up trying to resolve the issues Google had with the application, abandoning the old app for a 'new' version that immediately redirects users to the mobile YouTube website. Features such as account management, video downloads and notifications are gone in favor of an experience that doesn't even qualify as a real app.
While the old version of Microsoft's YouTube app doesn't appear to be coming back, there are several other working YouTube app alternatives that Windows Phone users can download. MetroTube sticks out as a crowd favorite, but there's also myTube, PrimeTube and several others available on the Windows Phone Store.
The removal of a decent Microsoft-made YouTube app for Windows Phone is just the latest development in a series of Google-related issues with the platform. Google Account synchronization is still somewhat broken on the platform due to Google's move to end support for Exchange ActiveSync, and there's a serious lack of official apps for Google services that both Android and iOS users can currently enjoy.