Google Chrome could soon be available to install on Windows Phone smartphones.
Google brushed off calls for a Windows Phone port last year, but added that while it was not in their plans for 2013 they were willing to “keep an open mind to any and all platforms”.
Now we’re in 2014 and it seems they’re making good on that promise.
Earlier this week Google Software Engineer Carlos Pizano reopened the ticket requesting a WP8 port, to assign it to another Chromium developer, dxie, ‘for investigation’.
Microsoft is set to announce a notable upgrade to their mobile OS next month, something that should see it build on its successes in Europe, where it has become the fastest growing mobile OS. Recent analyst reports put its European marketshare at over 10%, with a share of 11% in the UK alone.
With Microsoft currently only allowing Internet Explorer-based browsers to be listed in the Windows Phone Store, not to mention a vocal disdain for anything Google from many users in the Windows Phone camp, it’s unclear precisely how, or even if, a Chrome port would work.
Even so, it makes sense for Google to, as they state, ‘investigate’ the possibility. The number of Windows Phone users who would benefit from a seamless continuation of the desktop Chrome experience on their Windows-based smartphones is considerable.
- Source: WMPU