The developer of the BBC News applications for Windows Phone and Windows Phone 8 has announced the removal of both applications from the Windows Store. Developed by Microsoft employee Lawrence Gripper, BBC News Mobile allowed users to browse, read, and share news from the BBC. It had LiveTile and push notification support, the ability to open stories in the browser (or read right from the app), and sharing via SMS and email. Unfortunately, the app is no longer available for either Windows Phone or Windows 8, and Gripper seems reluctant to get into the details.
"These have been a labor of love for me since the launch of Windows Phone in 2010 and it is with great sadness today that I removed both applications from the store," he said via his blog today. "I do not wish to comment any further on the matter except to thank the over half a million people who downloaded the application and all those who have supported, tested, rated and emailed over the years."
While Gripper may not be divulging the details of the disappearing apps, Pocket-Lint received a statement from the BBC that suggests the broadcaster had something to do with the removal of the applications from the Windows Store. Speaking to the site, the BBC said:
"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 authorization or endorsement by the BBC. These are available at www.bbc.co.uk/terms. In this case, the terms of use were unfortunately not met, and we have therefore asked for the app to be removed."
Unfortunately, the BBC didn't offer any information on whether or not it has its own official Windows Phone/Windows 8 application in the works. We'll keep you posted.