Things have been rocky between Google and Microsoft as of late. Just this month, Microsoft complained that Google was blocking it from offering a "fully featured" Windows Phone YouTube app, and then there was some brouhaha surrounding the mobile version of Google Maps. However, one of the biggest pieces of news came last month when Google announced plans to stop offering the Exchange ActiveSync-powered Google Sync to new users on Jan. 30, recommending instead that consumers use the CalDAV and CardDAV protocols for syncing calendar and contact information and IMAP for mail. Unfortunately for Windows Phone users, Microsoft's OS doesn't support CalDAV and CardDAV, meaning that new Windows Phoners that try to set up their devices after Jan. 30 won't be able to sync their Google-based calendars and contacts with their handset.
The good news is that, according to a new report from The Verge, Microsoft is planning to bring CalDAV and CardDAV support to Windows Phone. There's no word yet on when the support will come or when Microsoft will announce its plans. Interestingly, The Verge's sources claim that Microsoft first learned of Google's plans last summer while finishing up Windows Phone 8. Delaying WP8 at that point would've put its holiday debut in jeopardy, though, and Google's mid-December announcement didn't give Microsoft much time to create a solution before Jan. 30. It's said that Microsoft is asking Google to push its Sync end date back six months so that Microsoft can release CalDAV and CardDAV updates and make sure existing Gmail users on Windows Phone don't run into issues. Google has reportedly not answered Microsoft's requests yet.
This whole situation between Google and Microsoft is kind of a mess, and while the end of Google Sync may not be a direct shot at Windows Phone, it's still a bummer that new Windows Phone users will be unable to sync their Google-based calendar and contact info after Jan. 30. It also doesn't make the whole Google-Microsoft situation any better. Since Google's calendars and contacts are widely-used, it's not a huge surprise to learn that Microsoft is cooking up CardDAV and CalDAV support for Windows Phoners that use them, but it's great to hear and should come as a relief to anyone that was considering a switch to Windows Phone in the future. How many of you Windows Phone folk out there use Google for your calendar, contact and email?
Via The Verge
