Google bans Huawei from Android apps

What Vodafone giveth, Google taketh away. Following Vodafone’s decision to allow Huawei into its non-core network, Google has announced it will suspend business ties with Huawei. This means that from now on the two companies will no longer be sharing hardware, software and technical services.

In the immediate future Huawei will no longer be able to access Google Play Store apps such as YouTube, Gmail and Chrome browser. Such a move could prove extremely damaging for Huawei, especially in its vital European markets, which is its second-largest market.

In a sop to consumers, Google has ensured that all the current Huawei smartphones will be able to access all the services offered on Google Play Store as well as Google Play Protect security.

According to Google, they are simply falling in line to show its compliance with the US government and said they were still assessing the implications of their decision for their 2.5 billion Android devices active across the globe.

Soon after the announcement Huawei promised it would continue to deliver security updates and after-sales services to existing Andriod phones and tablets. In fact, it seems Huawei had anticipated Google’s move and claimed it had been preparing for this for some time.

Huawei has been developing its own hardware and its own operating system for mobile devices. And with the Android system available in open source, which Huawei can continue to use.

Huawei has been providing monthly security updates for its P, Mate, Honor, Nova and Y series of devices. These updates have included patches created by Google and ones made by the company itself.

In China itself the announcement should have minimal effect as Google’s mobile apps are already banned in the country. Domestic services such as Baidu and Tencent are considered popular alternatives to Google.

Image: Robert Radke