Google Inc. (GOOG) Updates YouTube App For iPhone

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is either trying to play nice or is trying to make its own business despite Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), but after a licensing deal expired between Apple and Google regarding Google Maps and YouTube on the iOS operating systems for iPads and iPhones, Google has now produced an updated YouTube app for the iOS.

The new app by Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is expected to be available for iPads and iPhones – including the new models that are expected to be unveiled Wednesday and in the coming weeks – but due to the expired licensing deal, will not be pre-installed on those iDevices in the latest or future iterations; instead, users will have to upload it manually to their devices. However, the updated app will have a new channel guide to enhance search as well as several sharing options, including Facebook and Twitter along with Google+.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) claims that its search tool finds videos quicker than the version coded by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and it also says that users of the app will have access to more content, including music videos. “The new app is built by YouTube engineers, to give our iPhone and iPod touch users the best mobile experience,” said Andrey Doronichev, head of YouTube mobile.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) said its five-year licensing deal with Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) had expired and that it had removed YouTube and Google Maps from the iOS 6, which is due out in the coming weeks. How the lack of pre-installation will affect Google’s exposure to iPhone and iPad users via YouTube and Maps will be something to follow. Now, investors will have to track the download numbers for those apps rather than just views on iPhones and iPads. Certainly investors like hedge-fund manager Chase Coleman of Tiger Global Management LLC will be watching this frosty relationship closely.