Contrary to rumors, Nokia’s HERE will still power Windows Phones

Ah, there is nothing quite like an official statement made or issued to debunk whatever rumors that are floating out there, no matter how plausible they might sound in the first place. There has been a fair number of rumors making their rounds, citing that Nokia will no longer support its HERE maps on the Windows Phone platform. Thankfully, a Nokia spokesman mentioned that “HERE is powering Windows Phone and that’s not going to change.”

As Microsoft and Nokia continue to go their separate ways, there remains confusion among some about the relationship between the two. Saying “it’s complicated” is a big understatement. A couple of stories this week made it seem the new Nokia — the networking/mapping/patent company — is backing away from Windows Phone. But this isn’t the case, Nokia officials said on September 25 in a statement meant to clarify the situation. “HERE is powering Windows Phone and that’s not going to change,” said a Nokia spokesperson in an emailed statement. “Microsoft entered a license agreement with HERE to use our mapping platform for at least four years. This is why you see HERE maps on Windows Phone not only in the HERE apps but also in the Facebook app, in the Foursquare app, in the Instagram app and many more, even in the Uber app,” the spokesperson said.