Google will end mainstream support for ActiveSync in January

Google has announced that, as part of its "Winter Cleaning" initiative, it will be ending support for Exchange ActiveSync outside of Google Apps for Business, Government and Education on January 30, 2013. ActiveSync will continue to work past that date for those who already have it set up, but won't be available for new accounts.

Going forward, Google is suggesting that its users turn to open protocols such as IMAP, CalDAV and the more recent CardDAV for their mail, calendar and contact syncing needs. In fact, we have a guide to using CardDAV to sync your Google contacts to your iOS device.

In addition to dropping ActiveSync for non-Apps users, Google also intends to do away with some lesser-used Google Calendar features such as Smart Rescheduler and Add gadget by URL. You can find a FAQ covering the Winter Cleaning on the Google Sync end of life support page.