Microsoft gives up on new YouTube Windows Phone app, reverts back to web player

Microsoft appears to have given up, possibly temporarily, on its Windows Phone YouTube application. After Google blocked Microsoft's latest app almost two months ago, it was rendered useless with a "something happened, we're not sure what" error message. Microsoft has updated its Windows Phone YouTube app once again today, but it has simply reverted it back to the basic web player originally introduced nearly three years ago on the mobile platform.

At issue is a war over Microsoft's plans to offer a "fully featured" YouTube app for Windows Phone. Google wants Microsoft to build its app using HTML5, despite its own Android and iOS versions using superior native code. The YouTube APIs and Windows Phone both have restrictions that make it impossible for Microsoft to build a fully featured YouTube app for Windows Phone using HTML5. The Verge reached out to Microsoft to comment on today's reversal, but a company spokesperson refused to comment on the reasons or future of its YouTube Windows Phone app.