Google extends Exchange ActiveSync support until July 31st

Today was supposed to be the end of the line for new Google Sync users looking for free Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support, but Google has decided to give Windows Phone users a bit of a reprieve. Google has now decided that it will "start rolling out this change as planned across all platforms but will continue to support Google Sync for Windows Phone until July 31, 2013".

Originally, Google said that it would end support for new Google Sync userslooking for free Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support today, January 30th. This was in order to give Microsoft time to implement support for open standards CalDAV and CardDAV, but Microsoft had been asking Google for more time. Microsoft said that it was working on an update for Windows Phone which would add DAV support, but asked for an extra 6 months to work on the update. This may or may not have been due to the timing of Google's announcement, which came just before many Microsoft developers were set to go on holiday vacation. 

Had this extension not been given, it was assumed that Google contacts and Calendar would have stopped syncing to any new Windows Phone 8 devices, although Gmail would have continued through IMAP. Now, Microsoft has been given the time it asked for, so we should be expecting an update for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 by this summer.