Google Discussions Disabled in Windows 8 Phone / IE10 ?

[Mobile User 1]

I recently switched to Windows Phone 8 OS from an Android phone. I am currently using a Nokia Lumia 920 and have been happy with it so far. However, there is one feature which I used frequently on my old phone that appears to be disabled (or maybe unavailable) in this phone. I need your help to figure out how to get it back, please....

In all the mobile browsers I have used in the past, whenever I searched for any term on google.com, I was always able to filter the search results by clicking on "Videos" or "Images" or "Flights", etc... one of the most important filters for me personally was "Discussions" and it used to be accessible by clicking on the "More" button after searching for a term on google.com. For some reason, I can NOT find "Google Discussions" on Windows Phone 8/ IE10..... I tried the HTC phone and the Nokia phone with no luck what so ever. Am I missing something or maybe doing something wrong? Is Google Discussions just not available? Please help...

Thanks.

 

[kenzibit]

If you want filtering in your searches, Bing does that for us but forget anything that is made by Google. They don't like us so have not made any official app (youtube, google+ etc) for us. I for one has written to them many times including reaching to a couple of their bid dudes in the developing team and nothing! So it's up to us on Windows Phone to have our own way of carrying out Google stuff on our phones.

 

[jsgiv]

This is a google issue - not IE10/WP8 issue. I'd suggest emailing google and asking them when they are going to update their support for IE 10.... Google controls the display of content and are probably disabling for some weird reason.

 

[Mobile User 1]

If you want filtering in your searches, Bing does that for us but forget anything that is made by Google. They don't like us so have not made any official app (youtube, google+ etc) for us. I for one has written to them many times including reaching to a couple of their bid dudes in the developing team and nothing! So it's up to us on Windows Phone to have our own way of carrying out Google stuff on our phones.

I would be more than happy to use Bing's but I just checked the Bing search pages (using both the desktop version of IE as well as the mobile version) and was NOT able to filter (or focus my search results by) "Discussions". I wonder if this is a browser thing or an OS thing? All other mobile browsers (FireFox, Safari, Opera, etc...) seem to provide access to "Google Discussions" with no problem. Are there any tricks in Bing that might allow me to search (only) online forums, blogs, and newsgroups (and nothing else) ?

 

[kenzibit]

This is a google issue - not IE10/WP8 issue. I'd suggest emailing google and asking them when they are going to update their support for IE 10.... Google controls the display of content and are probably disabling for some weird reason.

The reason basically is " the don't like WP, fear WP in the mobile market and wanna eliminate us. They don't care about any user on Windows Phone that needs their services. Main reason why it HURTS me a lot when Microsoft keeps on releasing apps for them all in the name of Marketing. Is Google not interested in marketing also? It's sad...smh

 

[Mobile User 1]

This is a google issue - not IE10/WP8 issue. I'd suggest emailing google and asking them when they are going to update their support for IE 10.... Google controls the display of content and are probably disabling for some weird reason.

I will try posting the same question in the google groups although I have a feeling that I will get the response "this is a Microsoft IE issue" - a response I already got when I asked the AT&T tech person at the AT&T store. In the mean time, is there any way to force Bing to only search forums, blogs, and newsgroups? There's got to be a trick that would allow me to mimic this feature as it doesn't seem to be currently present in Bing (at least not for the time being).

 

[kenzibit]

I would be more than happy to use Bing's but I just checked the Bing search pages (using both the desktop version of IE as well as the mobile version) and was NOT able to filter (or focus my search results by) "Discussions". I wonder if this is a browser thing or an OS thing? All other mobile browsers (FireFox, Safari, Opera, etc...) seem to provide access to "Google Discussions" with no problem. Are there any tricks in Bing that might allow me to search (only) online forums, blogs, and newsgroups (and nothing else) ?

Not that I know off. I doubt if it's an OS, browser or bing thing. All what we view is from google. Why not try another browser at the Windows Phone store? Or even download the Google search app, it allows browsing in it plus filtering. Try and find out of you'll find what you seek.

 

[Mobile User 1]

Not that I know off. I doubt if it's an OS, browser or bing thing. All what we view is from google. Why not try another browser at the Windows Phone store? Or even download the Google search app, it allows browsing in it plus filtering. Try and find out of you'll find what you seek.

I feel dumb saying this, but I haven't thought about downloading another browser on my phone LOL... thanks, I will try this. Do you recommend a specific one? Is FireFox available yet for Windows Phone 8 ?

 

[kenzibit]

I feel dumb saying this, but I haven't thought about downloading another browser on my phone LOL... thanks, I will try this. Do you recommend a specific one? Is FireFox available yet for Windows Phone 8 ?

Try UC Browser. The Google search app ( allows blog filtering) when you tap the arrow under the search glass.

 

[Mobile User 1]

Try UC Browser. The Google search app ( allows blog filtering) when you tap the arrow under the search glass.

Thanks again for all your help and prompt responses kenzibit, I really appreciate it.... I am downloading it as we speak

 

[iPwnza]

There disabling it out of rage that WP Is actually selling. Forget google.

 

[kenzibit]

Thanks again for all your help and prompt responses kenzibit, I really appreciate it.... I am downloading it as we speak

You welcome, I will say I was online at the right time ;-)
Enjoy Windows Phone.....it's the best mobile OS out there ;-)

 

[Mobile User 1]

There disabling it out of rage that WP Is actually selling. Forget google.

I would.... but currently Google is the only option I know of that offers the "Discussions" search option. I hope Bing offers it soon though.

And just to update everyone on this issue, downloading the Google Search app worked for this purpose just as kenzibit suggested.

Also, when I posted this problem in the google newsgroups as suggested here, I got the same response I expected: "the problem is IE not google". I am not a "techie" so I don't know which side is correct or how to investigate the details. However, they did bring up an interesting point.... if google wanted to block it for windows users, they would've blocked it for all IE versions. However, this feature works in IE desktop version but not the mobile version. Also, they said it works in ALL other mobile browsers with no issues. If Google wanted to block some of their features, they would've blocked it for many of their competitors not just one. At this point, I don't care about the details as I found my work around. I just wanted to update everyone on the situation and hope this thread helps others experiencing the same problem.

 

[iPwnza]

Google doesn't care about desktop users, they have no products deployed there that they actually care about and develop (Other then that science experiment called ChromeOS). On the other hand, they see WP8+ as the demise of android for them, now that the 920 is actually selling.

 

[peterpphoto]

My browsing experience has been pretty bad on my lumia 920 as I can't sort/filter anything I search using bing or google. On my desktop on both I get an option to sort by Anytime, Past 24hrs, Past week and Past month. I also have noticed a significant lag on some websites, one that comes to mind is The Verge, the visual marquee that you can swipe through on the homepage lags but on my iPhone it moves quick. I'm pretty sure that it's mobile IE10 causing the problem.

 

[ksj1]

It's not an IE problem as Google is ignoring the "Use desktop version" setting on WP8's IE10 and only serving up the mobile version.

 

[Guzzler3]

Google Blocking

I've found that Google is blocking the following from WP8, IE

Maps
Discussions

Post up anything else you find.

 

[socialcarpet]

Re: Google Blocking

I'll be damned... you're right!

Like I needed anymore reasons to despise Google. Ha.

 

[sinime]

I've not been a fan of google, and since Bing started offering rewards, I've not had anything to do with google for a while now... Except YouTube... Anyhow, noticed there was a google + app in the store (didn't DL) does it maybe give access to the blocked features, or is there maybe an app available that does?

 

[peterpphoto]

It's not an IE problem as Google is ignoring the "Use desktop version" setting on WP8's IE10 and only serving up the mobile version.

Is Bing also ignoring it because when I go to bing.com in IE10 on my Nokia Lumia 920 I don't get the filter options either.