Apple releases iOS 6 beta 4, removes YouTube app for good

Apple today released iOS 6 beta 4 for developers that brings the next generation platform a step closer to commercial release for consumers. The big change in the new beta is the removal of the dedicated YouTube app. Yes, after Apple removed Google Maps and introduced its own maps in iOS 6, another Google service has been given the boot. “Our license to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended, customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store,” an Apple representative told The Verge.
Google, meanwhile, said “we are working with Apple to ensure we have the best possible YouTube experience for iOS users.” It seems that the pre-loaded YouTube app will be removed only from iOS 6 while it will continue to be present on older versions of iOS 5.
AllThingsD has heard this is likely to be a part of Google’s new YouTube strategy as it tries to build its own YouTube apps across platforms. The iPhone app, for instance, did not show all content and was devoid of any ads, which would have been a big missed monetizing opportunity for Google.
Things certainly look interesting as we inch closer to the launch of the next iPhone as well as the commercial release of iOS 6 later next month.