BBC News Mobile pulled from store. Push BBC to bring an official app to WP

[aaa6112]

Folks, you've read the news about the unofficial BBC app being pulled from the store. What a bummer! A lot of us are disappointed, annoyed, frustrated, pissed off.... Let BBC know your thoughts. Send @BBCNews a tweet. If the unofficial app can have half a million downloads, we sure as heck can send many tweets to show them there is enough demand to warrant an official app on WP. Include #BringBBCToWP in your tweets.

 

[afgzee]

Also make a complaint direct to the BBC.

BBC - Complaints - Complain Online

Select the "Make a complaint" option.

 

[aaa6112]

An interesting article by BBC's Technology Correspondent that somebody posted on The Verge's forums. First it was Android's turn, now its WP's.
BBC News - Answers about Android

 

[aaa6112]

bump. keep tweeting folks!

 

[markfive]

Also make a complaint direct to the BBC.

BBC - Complaints - Complain Online

Select the "Make a complaint" option.

Complaint submitted! If anyone wants to follow suit, here's the wording I used for my complaint:

"I am writing to complain about the withdrawal of the BBC News Mobile application from the Windows Phone Store. The BBC do not produce an application for Windows Phone, but the BBC News Mobile application, which was written by a private individual and distributed for free, was a good quality application that made it very clear that it was in no way related to the BBC.
As the application was free to the end user, carried no advertising, and served a market that the BBC have not seen fit to grace with an application of their own, I fail to see how the interests of the licence-paying Windows Phone owner are served by the BBC compelling the author of the application to withdraw it."

Feel free to copy and paste.... :smile:

 

[aaa6112]

Folks, just read this in a related article on The Verge (http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/29/4160036/bbc-news-apps-removed-from-windows-stores):

"Update: A BBC spokesperson has provided The Verge with the following statement:


"The BBC has clear terms of use that are designed to enable further distribution of BBC content and services in a way that is fair to all parties, and does not imply authorisation or endorsement by the BBC. These are available at BBC - Terms - Terms of Use of BBC Online Services. In this case, the terms of use were unfortunately not met, and we have therefore asked for the app to be removed.""

 

[Al_2]

I wouldn't mind so much if the BBC actually produced their own app...but Lawrence's app was filling a gaping hole in the WP app store for the UK. I've sent my complaint off to the BBC but I doubt they'll come back with anything soon.

I'm hoping Lawrence's app will continue to work whilst I still have it on my phone and hopefully I won't need to reset the phone for any reason before the BBC finally do release their own app.

In the meantime we should all set BBC News - Home as an IE favourite and visit it regularly (even if not using it) just so that it registers on the BBC's system that people are accessing it from WPs! The UI is basic and ugly, but on the plus side the news videos do actually work on WP on the mobile site (I'm sure they didn't in the past...so that's a bonus!)

 

[aaa6112]

The BBC do not produce an application for Windows Phone, but the BBC News Mobile application, ...

As the application was free to the end user, carried no advertising, and served a market that the BBC have not seen fit to grace with an application of their own...

off-topic, but why do you address one corporation (the BBC) in plural sense?

 

[markfive]

off-topic, but why do you address one corporation (the BBC) in plural sense?

One of the oldest debates in the use of English, that one... :smile: In British English it's not incorrect to use the plural form, especially when you are referring more to the organisation in terms of those within it, rather than the legal entity (where the singular form would be more correct).

Now, back on topic :wink:

 

[scdkad]

off-topic, but why do you address one corporation (the BBC) in plural sense?

That's how I know it's a British person! Definitely strange- "Nokia are" instead of "Nokia is"...

Okay back on topic!

I wonder how much longer the app is going function..

 

[AndyGriff]

First time post on this forum, so...hi!

BBC News have announced an update to their iPhone/iPad app and end the article with a request for what we'd like to see. I've already posted a reply and would say that the more voices that are heard the better (especially UK users, who are effectively bound by law to fund the BBC).

BBC - The Editors: iPhone and iPad app update

 

[Al_2]

I see the writer of that blog post responded:

Thanks for the comments so far. On developing our own Windows app - we currently have apps for Apple and Android devices, which account for more than 75% of the UK smartphone market. We haven't ruled out developing apps for other platforms but building apps is expensive and as a publicly-funded organisation we have to prioritise the areas where we can reach the most users for the lowest cost.

...Also, on the third-party app that’s been referred to - the BBC has terms and conditions of usage to protect content which has been paid for by licence fee-payers, while also enabling further distribution which is fair to all parties without implying endorsement by the BBC. We asked the developer to conform to these, but instead they decided to remove the app from the store.

 

[Nakazul]

Seems it's going slow to get people signing. You need a way to coordinate your efforts, a way to gather as much people as possible.
As it looks now Apple users just sound condensating :-/ Make a forum post on there site and make/force people posting there. Start 1 for WP7 and 1 for WP8, create a post complaining about the shutdown of the in-official one. If they close a post, a new person shall open a new.
God luck, hope they cave.

 

[aaa6112]

bump.
we need more people to voice their opinion in the official BBC forum (although a blog related to BBC's app for iOS and Android): BBC - The Editors: iPhone and iPad app update
They need to know the Windows / WP community is not a small one anymore.

 

[aaa6112]

Just got this reply from BBC in response to the complaint I had filed on their website:
"This is to let you know that we think it may take us longer but that we will respond as soon as we can. We would therefore ask you not to contact us further in the meantime. This is an automatic email sent from an account which is not monitored so you cannot reply to this address. If it does prove necessary however, please use our webform quoting any case number we provided."

 

[Konstantinos Michail]

This is getting worse.
Removal of the BBC News Applications for Windows Phone and Windows 8 | Grippers.co.uk

 

[Omega Point]

The live tile service for WP7 and Windows 8 has been disabled, WP8 live tiles still working though.

Removal of Live Tile service supporting BBC News Mobile App | Grippers.co.uk

 

[aaa6112]

This is the one app whose tile I've always had in wide mode on my start screen. Gonna miss it badly.

 

[scdkad]

Live tile now not working anymore-took it off my start screen. This one and USA Today were 2 of favorites and now both are gone.