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Google Backs Down On Maps Redirect

Posted by samzenpus on from the on-second-thought dept.

Dupple writes "A few days ago Google blocked access to its maps on Windows Phone 8, claiming that it 'worked best' on WebKit-based browsers — effectively excluding WP8 users. This, despite Google Maps working fine on desktop versions of IE that use the same rendering engine and users being able to spoof the user agent string on their WP8 devices to gain access. Now it appears that Google has backed down and is now allowing WP8 users access."

5 of 240 comments (clear)

  1. Don't be evil by kawabago · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How soon they forget.

    1. Re:Don't be evil by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 5, Interesting

      They want to remove the crap API code and the easiest way to start that was denying access when using Internet Explorer.

      Except they didn't deny access when using IE. They denied access to anything with "Windows Phone" in its User-Agent string.

      And what is the "crap API code" in question? Especially given that, once you spoof the UA string, maps work just fine in IE10 on WP8?

  2. Re:Perfect Example by moronoxyd · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is a perfect example of why no company should have monopolistic power.

    Yeah. Except... there is that little think called Bing Maps, which does more or less what Google Maps does and is even owned by the company who's mobile browser couldn't access Google Maps.
    So, no monopoly here.

  3. Re:Not So Fast... by jkrise · · Score: 5, Funny

    My Lumia 920 with WP8 still redirects maps.google.com to the Google homepage.

    Dude... did you install the latest Service Pack which came out yesterday?

    And did you reboot your phone after taking off the battery, removing your clothes and loudly proclaiming "I Love Microsoft Products"? Follow the above steps and if your phone still behaves oddly, chances are, the 128-bit registration key has already been registered by the only other user of Windows phones, so call support to get a different key.

    --
    If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
  4. Re:Google's possible complaint... by Luckyo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Actually when it comes to navigation, WP uses nokia maps as base. Those are ahead of google map by a very big margin in terms of accuracy, as they use NavTeq mapping data.

    NavTeq collects mapping data from paid local agents and organisations, and has been doing so before Google came to existence.