Microsoft slams Google, claims it is intentionally harming Windows Phone

Google has been in the news for quite some time over a variety of FTC investigations and issues concerning mobile, advertising, and search practices, with claims that it is deliberately harming its competition. Now Microsoft’s Vice President Dave Heiner has tossed his voice into the mix, posting a lengthy piece on TechNet that expresses concern over the slap on the wrist Google is poised to get from the FTC while claiming that the search engine giant is intentionally harming Windows Phone and its competition in general.

Heiner states that Google is still blocking Microsoft from offering Windows Phone users a full-feature mobile YouTube app, forcing it to offer a sub-par web-like option instead. Meanwhile, obviously, its own Android OS has a full-feature YouTube app (as well as iOS). Microsoft complained about this to both the FTC and the European Commission back in early 2011.

As Heiner points out, YouTube was one of the most downloaded apps last year. Things get interesting, however, when he claims that Google specifically instructed YouTube to prevent Windows Phone from having access to a full-feature app like Android and iOS. “But just last month we [at Microsoft] learned from YouTube that senior executives at Google told them not to enable a first-class YouTube experience on Windows Phones.”

Heiner then goes on to point out that Google is going to get out of the issue of harmful practices with little more than a slap on the wrist and a mumbled promise to stop. This comes after the FTC came under fire when reports began surfacing that it planned to let Google off so easily. In response, sources have claimed that the FTC will likely extend the investigation while it considers additional penalties it may institute. The European Commission, however, has taken a harsher stance in addressing the issue, and is presently working with Google to form a legal order for dealing with the concerns.