Microsoft's Apps Removed By AT&T And Verizon

Microsoft's Apps Removed By AT&T And Verizon from the new Galaxy S6 models.

Microsoft Corporation is one of the giants in the information technology sector. The company has had ruled the world with its operating system services and products etc. Furthermore, the company has had a good name in the smartphone market as well but it started to decline a few months ago. The company struggled with its recent Windows 8, but it plans to recover with the new Windows 10 and other products. As the smartphone Microsoft online marketplace is quite limited, the company is working with other smartphone makers in order to make its apps accessible to more customers.

The company plans to get its apps to more customers and their phones unless carrier services intervene. Therefore, Microsoft might struggle to reach the masses that it is hoping for. The company wishes to get at least three of its core apps including OneDrive, OneNote, and Skype to be preinstalled in most of the smartphones. Samsung previously announced that its new version of Galaxy models, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge would roll out with these three apps preinstalled in it. However, it is believed that not every device available in the United States will have these apps.

According to sources, it is said that Neowin has reported about the missing of the OneDrive app in the Galaxy S6 devices by AT&T. Moreover, there are no Microsoft apps in the devices that are being sold by Verizon. These both carrier services are the largest US mobile carriers that cover the market share of more than 70 percent together. It can be said that Microsoft’s effort might go in vain. Hence, any efforts made by the company to make Samsung agree upon something, US mobile carriers might end up removing more than half of the company’s apps and software in the new Galaxy devices sold by them.

AT&T has yet not confirmed or commented on the issue yet giving any reason about the exclusion of Microsoft’s apps. However, Verizon came out to confirm that this decision is being made keeping customers’ values and satisfaction in mind. However, there could be another reason apart from customers’ choice and all. AT&T, as well as Verizon, both offer their own cloud services that can compete with Microsoft’s OneDrive.

The spokesperson of Verizon wrote in an email to El Reg “I can confirm that the Microsoft apps are not preloaded. But customers are free to download them from the Google Play Store at any point they would like. That way they can pick and choose which of those apps they want to install and use and can remove them when they want as well. We aren't blocking or disabling their usage.”