YouTube Launches Own iPhone App in Apple Spat

The next version of iOS is on its way, and this time, it won't include a built-in YouTube app. So YouTube is releasing a new app of its own for iPhone and iPad—one that it says will be an improvement. The move comes after Apple and Google failed to renew a licensing agreement that gave Apple the right to design the YouTube app. Google wanted more say in how YouTube works on the gadgets, the AP notes, and tensions have been rising between the companies, particularly over the Android operating system.

Users will notice at least one big change in the new app: Unlike the old one, it allows advertising. That means more content, including, for example, music videos whose owners won't allow them to be viewed without ads. Android users could already view such videos. "We are offering a better user experience to iPhone users," says a YouTube rep. "We will now have content parity on all our mobile platforms." Still, it could mean less traffic, with users having to visit the Apple App Store to download the software. As for Apple, "they have been a great partner." But "we are the only people that can build the best YouTube app." (More Apple stories.)