Android and iOS users can access Google maps through their respective native applications or by visiting maps.google.com on their mobile web browsers. However Google has restricted access to maps web app to Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8 devices. Users who attempt to visit the maps web app are redirected to the Google mobile search page instead. Access to the web app is even disabled if you attempt to switch the Internet Explorer mobile browser to desktop mode.While Windows Phone users still have access to a mapping solution through Bing Maps (or Nokia Maps on Lumia handsets), it is understandable that Google users who have recently switched to the Windows Phone platform will prefer to have access to their familiar services.
Google has been very poor in their support for Windows Phones and the recently released Windows 8. It seems that Google is only interested in releasing their products where there is a mass user base. Their recent removal of their maps service and YouTube app from iOS caused a lot of issues of Apple users until Google chose to release alternatives. Meanwhile Windows Phone users are the worse off having to rely on third party apps like Metro Tube or the Microsoft designed YouTube client which has limited functionality.
Strangely the issue doesn’t seam to be affecting maps.google.co.uk users who can still access the web apps.
It is disappointing to see that Google is resorting to uncompetitive business practices and it seems that the European website has been left in tact to avoid facing scrutiny form European regulatory commissions. We understand that Google may have ongoing rivalries with companies like Apple and Microsoft, but it is not right that users have to suffer or are forced to choose a platform based on companies resorting to such practices.
source – WMPowerUser