Microsoft, Google To Build New Windows Phone YouTube App Together

Microsoft and Google appear to have buried the hatchet over the YouTube app that’s been available for Windows Phones, and say they’re “working together” to get a new app out “in the coming weeks.”

The two companies issued a statement today, two days after the deadline that Google had given Microsoft to remove the previous app from the Windows Phone Store. Earlier this month, Google sent Microsoft a cease-and-desist letter because Microsoft’s version of the YouTube app wasn’t showing Google’s ads.

Google’s letter asked Microsoft to remove the app by May 22nd, but today’s statement says the two companies are moving on and putting that disagreement behind them.

Microsoft and YouTube are working together to update the new YouTube for Windows Phone app to enable compliance with YouTube’s API terms of service, including enabling ads, in the coming weeks. Microsoft will replace the existing YouTube app in Windows Phone Store with the previous version during this time.

It’s a welcome sign of cooperation from two companies that have barely missed an opportunity to battle in recent months (and years, for that matter) — with most of the aggression coming from Microsoft’s side via its Scroogled campaign as well as recent attacks on Google’s Chrome Web browser and Google Docs. (See related entries below for more history between the two companies.)