Google grants Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync stay of execution

Microsoft said Google will be extending its support period for Exchange ActiveSync in Gmail until July.

The move will give users the ability to sync their handsets with Google services until 31 July, at which point Microsoft will take over responsibility.

"At the same time, the Windows Phone team is building support into our software for the new sync protocols Google is using for calendar and contacts—CalDAV and CardDAV," Microsoft's Michael Stroh said in a blog post.

"These new protocols, combined with our existing support for the IMAP protocol for email, will enable Windows Phone users to continue to connect to Google services after 31 July, 2013."

The move rolls back a plan by Google to cut support for its applications on Windows 8. The company in December revealed that it would be ending support for Active Sync on Google services by the end of January.

Google said at the time that it did not see Windows 8 and Windows Phone devices as a significant portion of its customer base. The company developed and helps to maintain the competing Android platform.

Microsoft admitted at the time that Google's decision caught the company by surprise. Redmond suggested that without a compromise, Windows Phone users would be forced to "downgrade" their handsets or use alternative protocols which lacked key features.