Hi,
These have been a labor of love for me since the launch of Windows Phone in 2010 and it is with great sadness today that I removed both applications from the store.
I do not wish to comment any further on the matter except to thank the over half a million people who downloaded the application and all those who have supported, tested, rated and emailed over the years.
P.s.
Please feel free to leave a comment to cheer me up, jokes would probably help my mood.
GripDev 
96 responses to “Removal of the BBC News Applications for Windows Phone and Windows 8”
Sad news man, hopefully you can tell us why someday. I downloaded this app on all my phones and friends phone, it is simple the best app out there.. Good work, hope you continue to support the platform. Lets hope the big bad bbc see the error of their way.
“why are bricks red?”
wouldn’t you be if you were laid in public?
The Verge says that it’s to do with legal pressures from the BBC
Grrr. The BBC force fantastic apps to be removed and don’t replace them with their own 😦
Very sad news indeed, I guess the BBC are being arses 😦
http://www.smartphonegurus.com/forums/topic/16729-sad-times-bbc-news-applications-for-windows-phone-and-windows-8-are-removed/?p=152251
Though you didn’t mention the reason why, any reasonable person could guess the root cause of this demise. On behalf of all the Windows Phone and Windows 8 users, I thank you for an awesome app and your time spent on perfecting it. We hope the knowledge you’ve garnered in developing the app will spur you on to greater things in the future.
Looking forward to your next app that won’t have to be bullied off the Net like this one in the future. A lot of grease to your elbow bro. Keep your head raised high.
Hi Lawrence- bad news ++ . Your News app is my single most used one on my phone after email. I won’t ask questions you may be legally constrained not to answer, but suffice to say ‘the corporation’ has lost a lot of respect.
Oh, and for that joke:
Q: what do you call a carload of lawyers driving over a cliff?
A: a good start
Booooo! Ah well these things happen, lad. Rest assured you wrote two of my most widely used WinPhone & Win8 apps. They were awesome, and may you use the skills learned to do something even better in the future. Guy walks into a bar… 🙂
Real shame, I loved the BBC app.
Heres my joke anyway 🙂 Hope it works lol
I took the wife to watch Jurassic Park at the cinema last night: four hours in an Odeon. The film itself was only two hours but she was signing autographs on the way out
[…] Gripper, the well-known developer behind the BBC News Mobile app for Windows Phone, has published a new entry on his personal blog. The news isn’t good, folks. Gripper details the removal of the app from […]
Which crustaceans are native to London?
Kings crustacean, Charing crustacean… The Beeb needs a proctologist for a brain scan.
Just because http://youtu.be/npjOSLCR2hE
Hedgehogs!
Why can’t they just share the hedge?
I’m.sorry to hear about this.LG. I have made a complaint to the beeb about it this. Whilst I don’t know what they have done, I have a fairly good idea and its a disgrace. Your app is the best on the marketplace, you deserve better and I really hope that everyone that has used your app makes a stand about this too.
Try not to he deflated. The BBC are quickly slipping into irrelevance so your time is most likely better spent elsewhere…. I hope.you use your skills to develop a new app. The bloody b*stars c*cks need to give you a job though!!
I hope your able to rework the app to feed from different source
What a bummer! Folks, let @BBCNews know you’re pissed. Send them a tweet, and include hashtag #BringBBCToWP. Sad to see these awesome apps get pulled.
You fought a good fight. Your apps will always have a place on my start screen. Long live Gripper’s BBC News Mobile!
I suspect that simply rebranding the app,.like they had to with the Podcast Lounge, isn’t an option in this case. It is such a shame that the BBC have decided to push you in the way they have. A pity that we will now loose the best app on Windows Phone. I must take care not to reset my devices!! Good luck Mr G and I truly hope something positive works out.
Reblogged this on Siliconia Hub and commented:
My favourite application on Windows 8, sigh…
Just what the hell do we pay our licence fee for?
NOT for the BBC to bully those who are doing their own job for them.
BBC have snubbed the WP ecosystem in favour of iOS and Android; no official app support including the ‘must have’ iPlayer.
I will never listen to The Archers again.
A real Shame, this is a Fantastic App – Lets try and get backers to #BringBBCToWP with a petition – https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/make-bbc-keep-the-windows-phone-app-in-the-store-made-by-lawrence-gripper
Such a shame! It was my favourite application on Windows 8!
[…] Describing the apps as a “labor of love,” Gripper revealed the removal of the apps on his personal blog. “It is with great sadness today that I removed both applications from the […]
If the BBC spent less time striking and more time making apps…
What’s brown and sticky?
A stick!
[…] Describing the apps as a “labor of love,” Gripper revealed the removal of the apps on his personal blog. “It is with great sadness today that I removed both applications from the […]
[…] Phone 8 update as a “labour of love” before joining Microsoft, broke the news on his personal blog “with great […]
[…] Phone 8 update as a “labour of love” before joining Microsoft, broke the news on his personal blog “with great […]
OK – so how come I managed to download this lovely looking application today. Have you relented or did someone pirate it?
Have got used to the brilliant official BBC apps. on the iPad and Android I was searching for something like it on Windows 8. What I downloaded looks really cool. If it is a rip off then let me know and I will uninstall it.
Hi,
Thanks for that app.
One good way to keep your app alive is by uploading its source code on Github! Voila!
It would be wonderful !
[…] describing the apps as a “labour of love,” he revealed that both apps had been removed on his personal blog. Stating, “It is with great sadness today that I removed both applications from the […]
Looks like we’re not the only ones disappointed:
https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/make-bbc-keep-the-windows-phone-app-in-the-store-made-by-lawrence-gripper?utm_campaign=action_box&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=share_petition
#BringBBCToWP
[…] describing the apps as a “labour of love,” he revealed that both apps had been removed on his personal blog. Stating, “It is with great sadness today that I removed both applications from the […]
[…] Describing the apps as a “labor of love,” Gripper revealed the removal of the apps on his personal blog. “It is with great sadness today that I removed both applications from the […]
[…] Describing the apps as a “labor of love,” Gripper revealed the removal of the apps on his personal blog. “It is with great sadness today that I removed both applications from the […]
[…] Phone 8 update as a “labour of love” before joining Microsoft, broke the news on his personal blog “with great […]
The terms of use for the BBC RSS feeds, should of course, allow for apps like this. Very disappointed with this publicly funded body.
[…] Describing the apps as a “labor of love,” Gripper revealed the removal of the apps on his personal blog. “It is with great sadness today that I removed both applications from the […]
BBC in ‘lost the plot completely’ shocker. Again. Thanks for your work, appreciate it.
So this musical chord walks into a bar wanting to get a drink. The bartender looks at the chord and says, “I’m sorry. I cannot serve you. You’re A minor”.
First they arrest Rolf Harris – and now this …..
What is the best contraceptive for men?
A small stone in the shoe. Always makes them limp.
You made a great app – and that fact remains, please keep up the good work, maybe in other projects, or maybe back to this one eventually, I can’t say.
Lawrence, you could always give your code to someone else to publish – then the BBC would then have to chase them with a Cease and Desist. That person could then hand the baton on to the next etc.
[…] Via: Lawrence Gripper […]
[…] one person. Now a Microsoft employee, he created the BBC News app before joining Redmond. And he is asked by the BBC to remove his application both from the Windows Store, as well as the Windows Phone […]
I love this app. It’s still on my phone. Keep up the good work.
This is probably my favourite app on both W8 and WP8, and I can only say what a tremendously professional job you have done, Laurence. I hope you get some decent paid work as a result but this is a great thing to have on your CV! Thanks for all your hard work.
A horse walks into a bar, and the barman asked “Why the long face?”
A ghost walks into a bar, and the barman said “I’m sorry sir, we don’t serve spirits”
I could tell you a joke about my penis…
…but it’s just too long!
http://bit.ly/h4sy
Not much to say, but this sucks.
So… For the joke 🙂
Two old men, Abe and Sol, sit on a park bench feeding pigeons and talking about baseball. Abe turns to Sol and asks, “Do you think there’s baseball in Heaven?”
Sol thinks about it for a minute and replies, “I dunno. But let’s make a deal — if I die first, I’ll come back and tell you if there’s baseball in Heaven, and if you die first, you do the same.”
They shake on it and sadly, a few months later, poor Abe passes on. Soon afterward, Sol sits in the park feeding the pigeons by himself and hears a voice whisper, “Sol… Sol… .”
Sol responds, “Abe! Is that you?”
“Yes it is, Sol,” whispers Abe’s ghost.
Sol, still amazed, asks, “So, is there baseball in Heaven?”
“Well,” says Abe, “I’ve got good news and bad news.”
“Gimme the good news first,” says Sol.
Abe says, “Well, there is baseball in Heaven.”
Sol says, “That’s great! What news could be bad enough to ruin that?”
Abe sighs and whispers, “You’re pitching on Friday.”
It doesn’t make sense that they can’t just hire you to be a dev of their official app or at least be thankful for bringing their service to a wider audience. My only conclusion is that they are firmly against being involved with Windows Phone regardless of the great strides its made since release.
You app is one my default tiles on any new Windows Phone i have gotten. It is sad you wont be there on my next upgrade, but know that you are very much appreciated and i would have paid if you charged.
Just don’t give up trying, there may be a loophole if some sort to allow you keep the app alive in some form.
Chin up and keep developing. 😊
[…] https://gripdev.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/removal-of-the-bbc-news-applications-for-windows-phone-and-w… […]
Very sorry to see the end of a truly excellent app. Been a long term user and its definitely the app I use most. Thanks for all your hard work over the years and please know its not been wasted and you’ve made a huge contribution to the WP community. Shame on BBC.
A great app, used every day, you had the honour of being my toilet time favourite!
I went to the zoo at the weekend. They only had one dog! It was a shih tzu!
Keep on keeping on.
Omg gutted this is the most useful app and has actually meant I know what’s going on in the world. Can’t believe its going it will be missed
Sorry to hear you are being bullied into removing app. I found the BBC news app to be a great and different point of view of how the USA is viewed from outside are own news broadcast ex CNN, FOX, ABC, MSNBC. I was truly amazed that BBC usually reported news happening in the U.S. before the other news sources. Thanks Ken
Omg gutted this is a Brill app that has actually meant I know what’s going on in the world it will really be missed
am gutted this was a great app and i actually know what going on the world as a consequence of it. all i can say is good luck for the future and i think its a crying shame that your app is no more. ill prob end up not knowing whats going on in the world now!
o and a joke…
what do you call a monkey thats swallowed a stick of dinamite….
baboom!!!!
ps didnt realise the last two had actually posted whoops!
A very sad state of affairs, your work on this app has been outstanding, it was the best news app in the store bar none. I hope this all gets resolved, but even if it doesn’t, your code is awesome, keep bringing out the high quality content for the platform.
Forgot the joke……. A priest, rabbi and an imam walk in to a bar, the barman says, ‘is this a joke?’
That’s a real shame. Really love this app. Have you considered just changing the branding? It was a bit close to the bbc’s branding wasn’t it. The rss feeds are there for exactly this sort of app, so hard to see what they could object to if you did that.
Knock Knock
Who’s there?
I dunnup
…..
You da man bro, badass app & the best news service by far. Wish you the dizzy heights of success as you obviously have foresight & talent.
Best app on my phone, thanks for all your hard work.
Why did the jelly baby go to school?
He wanted to be a smartie.
No idea what has gone on….shocked to see live tile go and learn app removed. This app is by far the best that I have used, and the speed with which any bugs were fixed, and the direction the app evolved is something you should be proud of. There is nothing I can think of to laugh at right now….a truly sad day 😥
Gutted!!! What am I going to do for my news fix now…. Hope the BBC haven’t got thereof arse in their hands!!! With a bit of luck they’ve employed you my friend 🙂 Gonna miss my WP7 BBC News. All the best for the future buddy, Rich
Damn, that’s a shame. Like many here that was on my start page and I used it pretty much every day. Stupid BBC.
Thanks for the app though, it was great.
Joke- What’s E.T short.for?
Cause he’s got little legs!!!!
Very sad to see one of my most used apps and prominently positioned tiles stop working on WP7 and, I assume, shortly on Windows 8. Disgusted at the BBC for forcing this action. All I can hope is that they have hired you and bought the code off you to produce an official app. I will be sending a message of complaint to the Beeb shortly and would suggest others do the same. Is there no chance of rebranding it and releasing it under a different name as Podcast Lounge did? Anyway, now for that joke…
Why did the dinosaur cross the road?
Because chickens weren’t around then!
there is a saying in my country which best illustrates the attitude taken by the
Bl**dy
Bumbl**g
Cun*s….
(though it loses something in the translation)
“the dog doesn’t eat hay, and he won’t even allow the cow to eat also”
like so many others, your app was on the start screen on my phone. thank you so much!
how do you run over an elephant?
climb up its tail, dash to its head, and then slide down its trunk…
Up their snicket with a blow lamp. so pc. Their current history not washed in Persil. Loved the app, chin up you have cracking good knowledge. Keep me posted on new apps.
x
Up their snicket with a blow lamp. Not exactly washed in Persil that lot. first look on my phone every morning. So much admiration for you. E mail me please with any new apps. Aw thi best and thanks for the good times. KHB
The drive behind all bully boy behaviour is greed or jealously (or both) They can delete your app but they cant delete what youve already achieved. Deep breath…rub your ear lobes and repeat after me….woooosssaaa 😉 head high
£150 odd a year, and we can’t even have one little app! And what an awesome little app that was. Shame on the BBC!
I am so sorry to hear that your service is stopping. There are so few good UK based apps for news, and yours was the best. Null Illigitimi Carborandum.
Bobby Houston.
It a brilliant app – the first I ever downloaded.
Until I find a replacement, a joke my son just told me:
Mr. Bean v/s Einstein.
Einstein and Mr. Bean are sitting next to each other on a long flight. Einstein says
“Let’s play a game. I will ask you a question, if you don’t know the answer, you pay me only $5 and if I don’t know the answer, I will pay you $500.”
Einstein asks the first question. “What’s the distance from the Earth to the Moon?”
Mr. Bean doesn’t say a word, reaches his pocket, and pulls out a $5 note. Now, it’s Mr. Bean’s turn. He asks Einstein: “What goes up a hill with 3 legs and comes down on 4 legs?”
Einstein searches the net and asks all his smart friends. After an hour he gives Mr. Bean $500. Einstein is going nuts and asks: “Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?”
Mr. Bean reaches his pocket and gives Einstein 5$.
Why do i pay my License fee? Oh yeah so i can watch what ever is on the BBC. Shame on you for not leaving this app alone. Get of your over paid arses an make one for WP7 & 8 and forget the inflated POS iZombie.
And the joke?
Currently the BBC because of this.
Chin up Gripper.
The best app for Windows Phone and For my Desktop. Long Live BBC News App By Gripper! Now I have to figure out how else I’m going to get my news fix when I look at my desktop (an nobody say Bing Daily)
and now for the entrant for cheesiest joke of all time:
Q: How do you spell a Hungry Horse?
A: M T G G
Sorry to hear about the removal of this app mate. Hope the Beeb gets enough bad press over this that they change their minds.
Here’s a lame one: A horse walks into a bar. The barman looks up and says “Hey! Why the long face?”
Dam, I am going to miss this app, I loved getting the news on the tile and even when not connected to 3g or wifi.
I’m pretty gutted over this, I’ve used your app every day since I first took delivery of my Lumia. Your service didn’t just stand as an excellent example of a WP7.x/WP8 app but actually eclipsed the BBC’s own efforts on other platforms.
Here’s hoping that it works out in the future; do keep us all posted with any news on this and any other apps you might be working on. It’s evident from those who have posted before me that there’s enough interest in your work 🙂
As for a joke:
Q: Why should you never wear Ukrainian pants?
A: Chernobyl fallout.
The BBC have really annoyed me recently. First there was their BBC Click overview of Windows 8, where the reporter made stupid faces like a confused gibbon in reaction to the start screen. The sort of thing you expect from a 6 year old but not a grown-up journalist. And then their overview of the Surface RT… they showed someone working out in a gym and stated that the weight of the Surface RT was such that it would be like weight-lifting. Yeah, because it’s a whole one ounce heavier than an iPad. Again, bad journalism and a lack of research. I would like the opportunity to jab that fella on the chest with my finger and tell him that he’s a twat.
Okay, here’s the joke. I bought my nephew a 2,000 watt light bulb for his birthday. You should have seen his little face light up.
Oh dear, I’ll have to get out of bed and do some work now instead of catching up with the news on your app. Beyond me why the BBC pulls the plug on apps such as yours when a) you are only accessing their publicly available RSS feeds, b) you explicitly declare that yours is in no way associated with the BBC and c) they offer no app of their own to replace it.
In keeping with the glut of ‘bar’ jokes …
A girl walked into a bar and asked for a double entendre, so the barman gave her one!
I love the BBC. It has the best unbiased news coverage, one of the most generous offerings of quality TV and radio stations that I couldn’t live without.
And I can’t quite fathom what they are doing here. I could understand fully if they had a viable alternative to this excellent app – it is their news and they pay for their journalists via the license fee. So legally yes, the Beeb lawyers do what lawyers do. But to be honest this app is so widely used and so highly regarded that it’s doing the BBC a service by showing the windows community how good it is.
Anyway, you all know that. Thanks for a brilliant app. You deserve the best Sir.
What’s the wobbliest building in Paris? The trifle tower mais oui. Thanks for my Son for that one. 😉
The BBC are cunts.
Hey, rework the app to use any RSS feed! Then they can’t do anything about it existing because it isn’t using their brand name.
Good work dude. It was great while it lasted, but nothing lasts forever. Thanks for the ride.
Really, sorry about what happened, it was a great app, the best one, I tried them all, it`s amazing that 79 people left comments lamenting the end of it. Perhaps some other news organisation will ask you to develop something similar for them. Really a public organisation like the BBC should not be acting in this way especially when they don`t seem to have their own alternative.
What?? Disgraceful. The BBC are so far up their own butt, they don’t know a good thing when they see it.
A guy walks into a bar and goes ‘ouch’.
Damn. Not sure if it’s the first Win8 app I installed, but it was certainly installed on the first day.
Am very sorry to see it go, it’s been used on a daily basis since I got it.
This is a real shame – I work with apps as my day job and this was always one of my demo favourites as it was such a great example. Let just hope the BBC see sense and either re-instate your app or build their own which is very similar (or buy yours off you)
I am gutted this is by far the greatest app in the windows store! Thanks for the time we did have though!! Sad to see you go and I truly hope you give us another app which ‘THE MAN’ cant put down x
It was good while it lasted! Thanks.
[…] Gripper’s popular and polished BBC News Mobile app has been removed from the Windows Phone Store since the end of March, and Lawrence is now in the process of discontinuing the service the Windows Phone 7.x relies on […]
[…] Gripper’s popular and polished BBC News Mobile app has been removed from the Windows Phone Store since the end of March, and Lawrence is now in the process of discontinuing the service the Windows Phone 7.x relies on […]
Lawrence
Feel very proud that you created one of the cleanest and best designed mobile apps ever!!!!
Take away the positive – or share a plate of fish and chips when we meet in person :-))
All the best – Stephen Page
CEO – the VRL
[…] Gripper’s popular and polished BBC News Mobile app has been removed from the Windows Phone Store since the end of March, and Lawrence is now in the process of discontinuing the service the Windows Phone 7.x relies on […]
If the bbc spent more time removing all the pedo’s and rapists from their ranks, and less time bullying the good people of this world, the uk would be a nice place. I wont ever pay my licence fee again. Seriously. British Broadcasting Corruption more like…
[…] from the BBC which is so sad – as it follows on from the unnecessary approach the BBC took with Lawrence Gripper – when they had previously been more than happy for him to promote them via his Windows Phone […]
Nearly a year has gone by and those idiots at the BBC are still smoking their policy. I left the app on my media centre win8 start screen to see if it would ever come back to life. The official BBC apps have a hopeless layout on my plasma screen (un-useable) but the gripper app was beautiful.
[…] one person. Now a Microsoft employee, he created the BBC News app before joining Redmond. And he is asked by the BBC to remove his application both from the Windows Store, as well as the Windows Phone […]