Google drops Huawei
August 29, 2019
Huawei’s next smartphone will not come with Google’s popular apps. Google confirmed in August that due to the US government ban on sales to Huawei, it could not license its apps to the Chinese smartphone giant.
It also means the next Huawei phone will not have access to the Google Play app store, which could leave customers without access to a number of other popular apps. The US government restricted American companies from selling products and services to Huawei in May, citing national security concerns, which Huawei rejects.
The Android operating system (from Google) is open-source software, so any manufacturer can offer it on their smartphone or tablet but device makers need an agreement with Google to include its popular apps such as Maps, Pay, Search, Photos, Play Store and YouTube.
Huawei said in a statement: “Huawei will continue to use the Android OS and ecosystem if the US government allows us to do so. Otherwise, we will continue to develop our own operating system and ecosystem.”
It has also set up a website branded ‘Huawei Answers’ to address consumer concerns about the company’s relationship with Android.