Huawei has been hit by a ban from Google that will see it cut off from a bunch of Android apps and updates to the operating system. Huawei and its 70 affiliates were added to a trade ‘black list’ last week – a move that seems to have forced Google’s hand.
The report from Reuters says the ban will leads to some very signifiant issues for owners of Huawei handsets. Owners of Huawei smartphones will lose access to the Play Store as well as any Google-developed apps such as Gmail.
Update: It looks like app updates will be OK for now so applications you own from third parties will be updated. But operating system and security updates are hit by the ban.
In order for Huawei to purchase tech from US companies, it will require a special license from the US government.
The US government had previously banned ZTE Corp although that ban was lifted once a case involving allegations of trade law breaches was resolved.
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, delivers Android through a commercial arrangement that gives access to system updates as wells a the full suite of Google’s proprietary apps. But the move will push Huawei into using the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
Earlier this year, Huawei said it hoped to top the global smartphone market, forecasting it would sell as many as 250 million handsets this year, hoping to boost its market share from about a third to half of the global market. Huawei is on target for that goal, selling 59 million handsets in the first quarter of 2019.
Although this ban will strike a blow against Huawei, it may result in the company accelerating plans for its own mobile operating system. And given the company’s massive profile across Asia and growing cachet in other parts of the world we could end up with more competition with Android and iOS facing a new competitor from a Huawei OS. Given the company would be starting from scratch that could end up being a threat to Windows and macOS. Huawei could develop a multi-device platform with computers, smartphones and other devices working together seamlessly.
But whether the market will trust Huawei is another question. With so much mud being thrown at the company, it’s likely some will stick.
We’ve asked Huawei for a statement. If it provides one, we’ll update this article.
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