Google Maps on Windows Phone Disabled?

[photobriangray]

http://www.windowscentral.com/google-now-blocking-windows-phone-using-google-maps

Just checked my phone's browser, even searched google for my address, no access to maps. Check it out, post your results...

Apparently, the gMaps App is not affected.

Edit by Dave Blake: Link to competing website removed.

 

[bilzkh]

If so...and we're talking browser web apps (technically open to all) here... that is seriously screwed up.

 

[photobriangray]

Whoa.

h4rm0ny's reply:​

Further update. I opened up Firefox and I changed the User Agent String to be that of a Nokia Lumia running IE10. Google maps then became inaccessible. It was accessible normally. (Original platform before faking a phone was Firefox on Windows 8 Pro).
If anyone wants to try replicating this, use the following User Agent String:

Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 10.0; Windows Phone 8.0; Trident/6.0; ARM; Touch; IEMobile/10.0; Nokia; Lumia810)​

So that confirms that Google are deliberately blocking browser access to maps on WP devices.

​

 

[squire777]

Whoa.

h4rm0ny's reply:​

Further update. I opened up Firefox and I changed the User Agent String to be that of a Nokia Lumia running IE10. Google maps then became inaccessible. It was accessible normally. (Original platform before faking a phone was Firefox on Windows 8 Pro).
If anyone wants to try replicating this, use the following User Agent String:

Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 10.0; Windows Phone 8.0; Trident/6.0; ARM; Touch; IEMobile/10.0; Nokia; Lumia810)​

So that confirms that Google are deliberately blocking browser access to maps on WP devices.

​

Google showing their true colours. I hope there is some legal action taken over this.

 

[Robert Carpenter]

This is all I have to say: I cannot wait until Anonymous steps in to bring the peace.

 

[wozburger]

I've actually always had this happen (since November I think) on my Lumia 920 when I've tried to access gmaps on the browser.

 

[nokiafan99]

Google is scared of new Windows 8... you can not access maps.google.com using IE10

It seems google is scared of new windows phone 8... seriously??

Check this link out : Is Google now blocking Windows Phone from using Google Maps? | Windows Phone Central

You can't access maps.google.com using the IE10 browser on your windows 8 phone... shame on google.


Sorry about the typo in the title... One cannot access maps.google.com through IE10 on windows phone 8

 

[E Lizzle]

Re: Google is scared of new Windows 8... you can access maps.google.com using IE10

You can get to it by switching the browser into desktop mode, but it really works like crap and it's not really anyone's fault. What happens is it becomes ambiguous as to whether pinch-to-zoom should target the page itself or the map, since the site isn't designed for pinch-to-zoom or such a small screen. The symptom is you pinch-zoom to make the map portion of the screen larger, and then you're screwed because once the map fills the screen, all zooming and moving actions are consumed by the map, you can no longer move to any part of the page.

-E

 

[jdevenberg]

Couldn't Google get hit with some serious fines over this?

 

[Black Helicopter Steve]

Holy crap, Google. From what I have been reading this is intentional since people who change the agent strings in their various browsers to emulate IE10 mobile and Nokia Express are getting redirected. Google is such a dink.

Been contemplating my next phone for some time, but now I know what not to use.

 

[Black Helicopter Steve]

Couldn't Google get hit with some serious fines over this?

In Europe, yeah. In the US? Who knows?

 

[ammarmalik2011]

Microsoft is getting #scroogled

Though in all seriousness it's likely a bug of some sort. Let's not jump to conclusions.

 

[philxor]

For me it doesn't work in either desktop or mobile mode and the fact it just immediately redirects to the google homepage means google is likely just doing it deliberately. I never use it natively anyways, I use gmaps but still kind of annoying.

 

[Black Helicopter Steve]

Microsoft is getting #scroogled

Though in all seriousness it's likely a bug of some sort. Let's not jump to conclusions.

Considering that changing agent strings is all it takes to get redirected and it is happening to Nokia Express and IE10 I think it is hard to imagine this as a bug.

 

[jdevenberg]

Microsoft is getting #scroogled

Though in all seriousness it's likely a bug of some sort. Let's not jump to conclusions.

Considering that changing agent strings is all it takes to get redirected and it is happening to Nokia Express and IE10 I think it is hard to imagine this as a bug.

I agree. A bug that just happens to only effect a platform that they actively try to cripple? That would be quite the coincidence.

 

[squire777]

I see the google troll is here on queue to defend his beloved company

 

[ammarmalik2011]

Considering that changing agent strings is all it takes to get redirected and it is happening to Nokia Express and IE10 I think it is hard to imagine this as a bug.

It is a bug because its not working on my iPhone either. It's not redirecting, but maps.google.com is opening in a totally ****ed up way that it's unusable. So yes, it's some backend issue.

 

[ammarmalik2011]

I agree. A bug that just happens to only effect a platform that they actively try to cripple? That would be quite the coincidence.

how many mobile platforms did you open maps.google.com within the last hour? hmm?

 

[ammarmalik2011]

I see the google troll is here on queue to defend his beloved company

google troll? I use an iPhone dude. Insult, but at least insult correctly.

 

[E Lizzle]

Re: Google is scared of new Windows 8... you can access maps.google.com using IE10

Yeah, I can't get to it now, either. It did really work like crap though, so they are probably doing a favor.

-E