Google has held off on killing access to its sync service on Windows Phone devices, after the Internet giant granted an extension until the end of the year, according to a report from The Verge.
Google initially said it would withdraw support for its Exchange ActiveSync protocol on January 30, but it subsequently gave more time and extended the cut-off to July 31. Now, Microsoft has until December 31 to develop support into the Windows Phone platform.
A spokesperson for Microsoft confirmed the extension to The Verge, saying: “We’ve reached an agreement with Google to extend support for new Windows Phone connections to the Google Sync service through December 31, 2013.”
The Redmond-based firm is actually in the process of shipping the necessary fix for its platform. CardDAV and CalDAV support is part of the latest Windows Phone 8 update, which uses IMAP for email, although that solution is only available for selected devices at this point.
Microsoft has said in the past that it hopes Google’s discontinuation of Exchange ActiveSync support will bolster its Outlook.com email service, which turned one-year old yesterday.
The scuffle is the latest installment a long-running ‘turf war’ between Google and Microsoft. The duo have previously sparred over the issue of Windows Phone apps for YouTube and Google Maps, while Microsoft regularly takes pot shots at Google’s search business as part of the Scroogled campaign for its Bing product.
See also: Rivals: The long burning turf war between Google and Microsoft
Headline image via Kevork Djansezian / AFP / Getty Images
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