Apple will not include a Youtube app on the next version of its iOS software for iPhone and iPad.
Although the app giving access to the online video library has been an included feature on the iPhone since its first model was released five years ago, Apple says its licence to include the Youtube app has expired ahead of the release of iOS 6, according to Computerworld. Users of Apple’s mobile gadgets will still be able to watch Youtube videos via the Safari Web browser, and a future, yet-to-be-announced app from Google.
Apple has often featured its Youtube app in commercials for its mobile devices. The app is one of the most popular features on the smartphone.
Youtube was the fourth-most commonly used app for iPhone users in March, according to a report looking at U.S.-based smartphone subscribers by comScore Inc. It attracted more than 25.5 million unique visitors during the month, reaching more than 78 per cent of all iPhone users.
Comparatively, the Youtube app for Android drove 24.7 million unique visitors, reaching 46 per cent of Android users.
Google has owned Youtube since acquiring it for $1.65 billion in stock in October 2006. Apple and Google have been competing to control the smartphone marketplace, with Google’s Android operating system first surpassing Apple’s market share in January 2011. Currently, Android devices account for more than half of smartphone users globally.
