Google confirms Play store will continue to function for existing Huawei phones

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3010879/google-confirms-its-app-store-will-continue-function-existing-huawei

by jmsflknr • 7 years ago

125 158 7 years ago

scmp.com

firekvz• 7 years ago

Of course, where else they gonna get money from

nightfly• 7 years ago

In the US Huawei has a tiny market share, and worldwide only about 8%.

http://gs.statcounter.com/vendor-market-share/mobile/united-...

http://gs.statcounter.com/vendor-market-share/mobile

busymom02• 7 years ago

Is this site missing css for anyone else too?

panpanna2• 7 years ago

Huawei has zero (official) presence in US but they are 2nd/3rd globally.

HunOL• 7 years ago

As far as I understand this whole things affects globally and in Europe Huawei is doing quite good. According to your source within year they gained almost 4% and in some countries they are already doing quite good for instance in Italy (24%) or Poland (32%).

yoz-y• 7 years ago

In Europe Huawei is pretty huge at around 29%

gonvaled4• 7 years ago

Does this apply to phones being currently sold? If I buy today the Huawei P30 Pro, in amazon.de, will I have (and keep) access to Google services?

mongol3• 7 years ago

I don't think anyone knows. But it says existing and that phone is existing in customer pockets today.

sigmar• 7 years ago

my (well-informed but not expert) opinion is that you'll be able to use google services and the play store indefinitely, but that phone will not receive any more _system_ updates that maintain access to google services (since any android update w/ services baked in require google's cts and vts certification, which they will no longer perform for Huawei)

gonvaled4• 7 years ago

Are you saying that:

A) all Huawei phones (old or currently being sold) with Google services will keep access to the services, even in the long term?

B) the only effect fo the ban on current Huawei phones (old or currently being sold) will be that updates will be stopped?

A is good news, but B is catastrophic. This means that the effects of this ban will be to put Huawei customers at risk.

One thing is to prevent customers to access a given service. Another thing completely different is to allow access to a service, and then let those same customers down regarding security updates.

I hope that at least security updates will be allowed.

petecox• 7 years ago

So a Huawei phone will be stuck on Android Pie, since any upgrade to the forthcoming Q release requires re-certification?

Magi604• 7 years ago

The P30 Huawei phones currently sitting on shelves should have all the major Google apps installed already, including the Play Store, and thus should fall into the "Existing Huawei Devices" category. I know this because I bought and returned two P30s (both defective) and settled on getting a P30 Pro.

I don't know what this means for phones that haven't been manufactured yet and whether Huawei will pre-load them with the G Apps.

The big question now is for how long "Google Play and the security protections from Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices." We'll probably find out more during the week.

FrankSansC• 7 years ago

Phones like the P30 Pro come in various versions : Europe (VOG-L29), International (VOG-L04),... and China (VOG-LT00). From what I've read on some forums the one for China don't have any Google services (+ no SafetyNet).

xster• 7 years ago

This is obviously super destructive for Huawei, but for the current phones specifically, I wouldn't be surprised if they grew in value, as the last few phones that has the highest dxo score and with Google.

King-Aaron• 7 years ago

... For now

zmmmmm• 7 years ago

They don't seem to be doing a very good job of communicating whether this is voluntary or mandated by the trade sanctions. It would seem to be terribly damaging to Google and Android if they can't convince OEMs that this is something extraordinary that no other OEM will need to worry about.

panpanna2• 7 years ago

According to the article they think this is mandatory but they are still reviewing it.

dx0347• 7 years ago

Which would mean that it could hit any Chinese company within days and companies from other nations within weeks/months. I doubt the US government will put a ban on South Korean manufacturers but I'm not sure if Samsung wants to take that risk.

throw201020103• 7 years ago

Android has cryptography in it for app signing and secure logins and such. Crypto is a real sensitive subject for export, even fairly standard implementations like what Android has. I'll bet that once the question is raised with government officials they will say that Google licensing crypto to (or just trusting certs from) Huawei is a hard no.

It would be real hard to make the Play store useful if you take away its main feature of getting trusted versions of apps. Ditto for most of Google's other products in Android.

Edit: For those of you who disagree with me, check out what happens now that Huawei is on the entity list (https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/policy-guidance/lists-of-p...). Most notable is that they are now subject to "license requirements are independent of, and in addition to, license requirements imposed elsewhere in the EAR." Even if Android is deemed no license required (NLR) to every other person in the world, the US government can still prohibit Google from licensing Android to Huawei. If you don't think that the government would use a petty excuse such as [easily available] crypto to deny the license, then you obviously haven't dealt with the government enough. The US government was treating crypto the same as nuclear technology up until the year 2000, and they would still prefer if US companies didn't give out source code on the internet. This isn't a bunch of forward thinking Silicon Valley types making the judgement call, it's a bunch of bureaucrats in suits that don't understand how the internet works.

enedil• 7 years ago

Cryptography used in these products have been public for years.

dis-sys• 7 years ago

It would seem to be terribly damaging to Google and Android if they can't convince OEMs that this is something extraordinary that no other OEM will need to worry about.

what makes you believe that this is something extraordinary? why other Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi or OPPO don't need to worry about such move?

SJetKaran• 7 years ago

Part of the push against Huawei in US, is because it also deals with networking equipment. Xiaomi and OPPO don't do that.

dx0347• 7 years ago

So how long will it take until Asian Phone companies using Android get together to develop an alternative Android ecosystem? They could set it up in a neutral nation with profits going to all companies. So far, these always failed because it was only one company involved (e.g. Amazons app store) but will all major manufacturers involved, it would be much more profitable for developers to be on that app store than on Google's (they could be compatible at the start anyway).

In the end, the one loser from this action is more likely Google than Huawei. And I believe they know that very well but had no alternative but to act this way.

mongol3• 7 years ago

I don't think it is in Samsung's or Sony's interest.

pmlnr• 7 years ago

so?

China alone is a bigger market for smartphones, than EU + US together.

dx0347• 7 years ago

Why not? They also built on Android to have one common ecosystem with all the benefits of scale. If Huawei now builds their own App Store, Samsung risks losing customers in countries where Huawei already dominates. Building one together would at least keep the status quo.

rqs• 7 years ago

I could go one step further: Build another open source OS that can run Android app but not Android. Many Chinese companies already tried it (non-open source though) before but been persuaded not to, I guess they're feeling a little bit different now.

The good part is, by building that OS, the domestic tech communities could receive a huge boost.

So far for Huawei, Google's blockage is partly useless. As long as Huawei can sell device globally, they can just build their devices in such way that allowing their users to load custom ROM into it without effect warranty, then their users can just use LineageOS (Huawei's Android UI is a crap anyway) or a Linux distro etc. (Maybe the first hackable phone from a major manufacturer)

BTW: In China, not a single one domestic phone manufacturer I know of ships Google service with their phone. So Google service is largely an non-existence.

disiplus2• 7 years ago

as somebody that bought an huawei device from a carrier, if carriers wont sell your devices you are just like dead. and i cannot imagine carriers selling devices that need to sideload google play and stuff.

maccard• 7 years ago

As long as Huawei can sell device globally, they can just build their devices in such way that allowing their users to load custom ROM into it without effect warranty

The number of people who will buy a device without Android just to sideload Android on to it is absolutely miniscule. My girlfriend and parents (who all have Huawei devices) absolutely would not.

dharma1• 7 years ago

"Build another open source OS that can run Android app but not Android."

It's not as easy as it may sound like.

There have been attempts:

https://sailfishos.org/wiki/Android_Compatibility

https://github.com/anbox/anbox

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2019/04/new-project-brings-andro...

ChromeOS Android container approach is probably the best, but isn't fully open source to my knowledge.

That's not to say that a state actor like China couldn't pull it off. It would actually be quite interesting if the outcome of these developments was significant effort into a Linux distro that runs well on multiple devices, and is capable of also running Android apps seamlessly.

throw201020103• 7 years ago

Most Chinese versions of Android are completely de-Googled[1]- no Play store, no Maps, no GMail, etc. They have their own app store, web browser, and everything else. They are still based on Android, but it's not a stretch to think that most Chinese phone manufacturers could fork the open source project tomorrow.

As soon as Google goes too far against the Chinese government, the manufacturers will receive a notice that Android is no longer welcome as an operating system and they will flip the switch. Most Chinese citizens wouldn't care or even notice.

Other Asian companies are working on alternative OSes in case Google ever "pulls a Google" and kills off Android. Samsung has Tizen, which sucks, but could be better with some work.

[1] I bought a Xiaomi phone with a Chinese ROM and it took three days to get unlock permissions from Xiaomi to put the Global ROM on it that had Google apps. In that time I didn't feel like I was missing anything huge- except for being able to get directions since the maps app didn't have US street maps.

saagarjha• 7 years ago

It's also important that WeChat is essentially the "operating system" for a large number of people in China.

dx0347• 7 years ago

In the end, the only superior system Google offers outside of China is Search (and to some degree Mail). Search can be integrated without the need of an app and GMail can be accessed by any mail client. All the other money making products (Maps, Play Store, Pay) could probably be replaced without users complaining much.

voltagex_• 7 years ago

The big problem I have is that what happens when that unlock site goes away?

When I bought my Mi4c, it wasn't getting an update I knew was released. When I ran a packet capture, I found it was trying to hit "udate.xiaomi.com" instead of "update.xiaomi.com". I was eventually able to unlock and reflash the phone manually.

andygates3• 7 years ago

(Insert obligatory OpenStreetMap plug here.)

loyukfai2• 7 years ago

As soon as Google goes too far against the Chinese government

AFAIK, most Google stuffs are already blocked by the GFW, and Google Play is not preloaded on Android phones sold in mainland China. What can Google do to go farther...?

muzani• 7 years ago

I'd actually love to jump on a quality phone that's not using the Google ecosystem. Except that I'm not so sure the Huawei ecosystem is less evil.

dx0347• 7 years ago

That's why Huawei would probably benefit from using an independent ecosystem, together with Samsung, Sony, etc. They could set it up in Singapore or Hong Kong to avoid political issues and share the profits. At the same time you get US-critics to buy those phones instead of Google or Apple controlled ones.

Not sure though how inclined the other manufacturers are to work with each other.

yourfate• 7 years ago

There is one small american company that makes those. They have some fruit as their logo...

downtide• 7 years ago

I tried the Samsung app store briefly on my Android. I didn't last long with it, it was not that great, and reluctantly intstalled Google Play. It's yet another company trying to usher me into signing up, and trading my data privacy. The themes app for example, wants access to my contacts. Why?

lightedman• 7 years ago

"The themes app for example, wants access to my contacts. Why?"

To reskin the contacts list. Anything dealing with the contacts list needs permission to do so, even reskinning appearance.

nbevans• 7 years ago

They already have. This only affects the "International Firmware" editions of Huawei phones/tablets. The Chinese editions of these devices are unaffected because those already use AOSP.

enitihas• 7 years ago

I am not sure why Asian Phone companies would do anything. As far as we see, only Chinese companies might want to. Asia is big and includes a lot more countries than China. Other asian countries are in the same bucket as Europe in moving to custom ecosystem.

product508• 7 years ago

Exactly. Original poster is trying to go into hyperbolics. Why would LG and Samsung want to participate in this and risk Google's wrath? Which user would like to get a phone without Google's apps on it? This is all looks good on paper as a so called strategy but in real implementation, almost impossible to implement. Consumers will just shift to another Google supported phone.

ddalex• 7 years ago

It said Asian because Samsung is in the same boat, albeit for different reasons (think platform lockout instead of govt pressure). That's why the keep developing Tizen.

I assume that Japanese manufacturers are under a similar threat.

product508• 7 years ago

Don't club Huawei with Asia. Google, outside China, is a major force to reckon from a consumer standpoint - without Gmail, Play App, YouTube, Android Auto etc., who do you think people will buy these phones. It is easier for Samsung and LG to just sell Android branded phones given it has Google products vs. for Huawei to sell its proprietary OS branded phone without Google.

krm01• 7 years ago

I hadn’t thought about it that way but makes total sense. A new OS that all factories would install on their - now Android - phones, would cause a big blow to Google. We’e already seen ecosystems like Wechat and their impact. That move seems imminent

mhandley• 7 years ago

Why would Samsung want to team up with Huawei on this? Huawei is a major competitor to Samsung; having Google services available on Samsumg phones and not on Huawei ones is a major competitive win for Samsumg. They must be laughing all the way to the bank right now.

rchaud3• 7 years ago

A de-Googled Huawei might actually save Samsung's folding phone line. The Galaxy Fold was a PR disaster, whereas Huawei's Mate X had none of those issues in bloggers' hands.

duxup3• 7 years ago

Why would they want to as it is just Huawei?

bad_user• 7 years ago

And this is the danger of having so much power concentrated in a single country.

Google might not want to do this, but they might need to, because they are a US company.

Unfortunately this affects everyone. Why should Europeans care about US’s trade wars?

And don’t get me wrong, I would never buy Huawei devices because they are made by a company owned by a communist party, but that’s my choice to make, not that of some random US government that will be remembered as one of the worst ones yet.

generic_user3• 7 years ago

The fundamental issues surrounding China 2025 which has prompted a shift in trade posture between the United States and China affect every other developed manufacturing nation in the world. Including Germany and the rest of the EU Nations.

Just because the EU has not gotten publicly involved does not mean that they are not involved privatively in negotiations. Europe along with Japan, Korea etc have the luxury to stay quiet because the US is taking a very public and direct strategy.

The US is the only Nation that can take that very public role.

gonvaled4• 7 years ago

The fundamental issues surrounding China 2025

What are those issues? Why is the goal of advancing your local industries frown upon?

Why is the US in the business of telling sovereign countries what they should produce, buy or sell?

andygates3• 7 years ago

Meet the new hegemon, same as the old hegemon.

"Let them fight"

mandelken• 7 years ago

Huawei is not owned by a communist party. Even google will tell you that much..

kitchenkarma2• 7 years ago

Basically an owner is who can make key decisions about the "thing" in question. If US government can dictate Google what to do, then Google is partially government owned (Government shares profits and participate in decision making by enacting legislation). Then same is with Huawei.

bidatzi• 7 years ago

It is owned by a union in a communist country https://www.baldingsworld.com/2019/04/26/making-sense-of-hua... How independent from CCP is that institution in practical terms?

duxup3• 7 years ago

In a single company, not country.

Any country can influence the local company and if you do business with the company then there you go.

jbk• 7 years ago

The Play Store and current Play Services, on the existing devices, sure.

Anything else, including OS security updates (the security they talk about is Play Protect, not updates), or new major versions of Android (Q) for existing devices, or other services that need hardware integration (wallet/pay?) is probably out of the question.

skc• 7 years ago

Only reason I didn't buy another Huawei device when I lost my phone is that there was a special on Xiaomi phones instead.

Looks like I dodged a bullet, for now at least.

josteink4• 7 years ago

First Google time-bombs their Nest-devices, and now they’ve created precedent for time-bombing huge swaths of Android-devices too.

All in less than a week. You’d be crazy to invest deeply into anything Google at this point.

Edit: This clearly shows the weakness with the android software update delivery mechanism and architecture.

If you install windows on a Chinese laptop, there is no way Microsoft is going to block updates for your laptop in any way in the future.

However if you buy a Chinese android phone, there is no generic update pushed to everyone equally, but there has to be a specific update tailored for your device. And everyone (Google, vendor, telecom service providers) can block those updates from reaching you.

If Google wants Android to remain a viable platform in the future, they’ll need to fix that.

Make all devices use UEFI for ARM and boot genetic OS images made equally for everyone. Or anything else. Whatever works.

I don’t care how, they just need to fix this mess.

Edit 2: I was about to replace my iPhone SE with a Samsung Galaxy S10e (3.5mm jack, wireless charging). I'm now reconsidering and might just end up with a new iPhone instead.

v7p1Qbt1im• 7 years ago

It‘s not like it was their choice to make. Intel, Qualcomm, etc. are doing the same. The US and Chinese government are to blame.

Edit: Quite possibly Windows will not receive updates on Huawei laptops anymore.

josteink4• 7 years ago

Quite possibly Windows will not receive updates on Huawei laptops anymore.

If that is true, that will be the basis of the biggest class action lawsuit in history, against Microsoft from every single company in Europe now being left vulnerable to attacks.

Microsoft knows that, which is why they will do everything in their power to ensure this is never happening.

emptyfile2• 7 years ago

As a European customer I couldn't care less if Martians were to blame... simply put I won't ever put a penny in Google's pocket if they brick my phone.

rakoo• 7 years ago

I don't really see where China has faulted here.

maxdo• 7 years ago

I don’t support the decision to ban android for Huawei but ... how many companies in China been kicked from their market including Google , Facebook etc . Most of Chinese still saying that was right decision, so what’s wrong with kicking out one company due to espionage. No issues with let’s say one plus which is more popular in US and still Chinese.

logicchains2• 7 years ago

how many companies in China been kicked from their market including Google

For the record, Google voluntarily withdrew from China as a form of moral protest (it didn't want to help the government censor/spy on its citizens). It wasn't just banned as a means of protecting local companies, since Bing isn't banned, nor for that matter is Azure or Outlook/Hotmail.

leavjenn• 7 years ago

Google didn't withdrawn. They stopped censorshipping sensitive keywords and moved their servers to Hong Kong. Then China blocked their sites. You can't withdraw from the Internet by simply move your servers. Bing censor sensitive keywords so China allows them to stay.

fauigerzigerk3• 7 years ago

This is ominous for Apple as well, being the poster child of American industry.

China could retaliate by disrupting Apple's supply chain, but I don't think it will happen as it would put a huge question mark over China as a component supplier for every single industry.

adventured2• 7 years ago

It's not ominous at all. China can't retaliate in that manner if they want Huawei to remain a functioning business.

The US controls nearly all aspects of the global technology industry. It can rather smash Huawei any time it chooses to, ZTE style, by entirely revoking Huawei's access to critical components (and a lot of markets).

Without China, Apple remains the most profitable company on earth and can safely, entirely abandon China. Taiwan I'll note is not China.

Huawei on the other hand can't survive as is without US technology. They'd lose at least 3/4 of their business and most likely end up in bankruptcy.

dingaling• 7 years ago

You're about a decade behind the curve. Huawei already has its own Kirin mobile SoC. There are no critical components that the USA can lock-down.

Taiwan I'll note is not China.

Assuming you are referring to.Foxconn, their HQ is on Taiwan but the assembly lines are on the mainland.

greatpatton• 7 years ago

Can you please tell us which part of US technology Huawei will need at all costs? CPU? Based on a European company design Memory? Chinese and Asian companies already in charge of most of this market Modem? They have their own design OS? They are already using open source Android without Google technology for Chinese use Screen? Same local and other asian sources dominate this world etc.

No the only way, US can impact these company is by preventing them to trade with the rest of the world. But after ZTE, this will be seen as full war by China, and the global economic impact of this will make 2008 looks like a great year for the economy.

fauigerzigerk3• 7 years ago

Taiwan I'll note is not China.

And I'll note that headquarters are not the same as supply chains. Much of what Apple sells all over the world is made in China (PRC).

There's little doubt that both the US and China are capable of massively disrupting each other's tech industries in the short term.

But as I said, the incentives not to do that are overwhelming. Let's just hope the tit for tat doesn't get out of hand.

praveenweb• 7 years ago

Apple is also slowly building a backup supply chain in India to handle such retaliation by China.

ddebernardy• 7 years ago

Apple moving its supply chain out of China (and back to the US) is exactly what Trump wants. If only for political reasons and self-interest, there's just no way China would retaliate how you suggest.

fauigerzigerk3• 7 years ago

As I said, I do _not_ think that China will retaliate in this way. But I worry that things could get out of hand if emotions take over.

Trump's emotions are on display for everyone to see, but I think the US administration and maybe even Trump himself are more aware of the trade-offs than they're letting on.

In China, I believe, it's the other way around. The regime likes to appear rational and unemotional, but I think they are struggling hugely to keep more aggressive nationalist sentiment at bay.

There's a danger that face saving and responding "adequately" to perceived national humiliation could take on a dynamic of its own.

This is the stuff that wars are made of - real wars, not just trade wars.

rchaud3• 7 years ago

If all it took was the threat of tariffs to bring Apple's manufacturing back to the US, I seriously doubt the Trump admin would have been the first to think of it. Apple might move parts of their supply chain to places like Vietnam or India, but definitely not back Stateside.

gcatalfamo• 7 years ago

Warning: Personal opinion, so treat it as such.

Regardless of this being mandated or not, they are sacking the best Android flagship representative thus leaving the market open to others.

Huawei is huge outside US and their latest phones are a better purchase than Samsung, more performant but most importantly they age slower which is a critical thing for an Android device.

dagaci3• 7 years ago

This has been mandated by a US government decree. The US president has declared a "National Emergency" which gives him this kind of power. They have placed Huawei and 70 linked partners on a trade blacklist saying Huawei is a danger to national security.

So it is now effectively an offense for US companies to trade with Huawei directly or indirectly.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3010403/us-commerce-...

I hope it leads to competition, but i doubt that will happen any time soon.

Zenst2• 7 years ago

The ironic part here is that by blocking Huawei phones from security updates from Google, could/will create security issues with anybody who has a Huawei phone.

Which in some way makes this a self-fulfilling action.

craftyguy3• 7 years ago

The US president has declared a "National Emergency" which gives him this kind of power.

When everything is a 'national emergency', nothing is.

I hope it leads to competition, but i doubt that will happen any time soon.

Are you living under a rock? There is already a LOT of competition in the US smartphone market (both domestic and foreign brands) and now, with this new 'national emergency,' there is less competition in the US. Mission accomplished?

NotPaidToPost4• 7 years ago

This is really an appalling decision by the US government that brings us back to the darkest days of colonialism and Western exploitation: Gunboat diplomacy in full swing.

China is lucky to be too big to be actually bombed these days...

I think this will prove extremely significant because all the recent history of China (last 150 years) has been about freeing themselves from that.

In the short term this decision will likely harm China but it will also make them double down on developing their own tech and thus may end up hurting US companies in the long term: When China doesn't need Google, Intel, etc. then what leverage will the US have for blackmail? None.

Time is on China's side.

tekkk3• 7 years ago

Colonialism? Western exploitation? Really? I do not think that this was necessarily a smart or moral choice by the US's part, but I guess they know more about the issue than I do, based on which this action was made.

But I am curious how you can draw a line between alleged espionage accusations and the need for the US to secure its own telecommunications networks by forcing out a possibly hostile actor and colonialism? Protectionism yes, but not colonialism. It really irritates me when people start extrapolating hyperboles based on their own emotions of how things are, with logical reasoning only an afterthought to validate their raging desire to feel certain way about something. The platform for doing that is Twitter or Facebook, not HackerNews.

NotPaidToPost4• 7 years ago

Enough with repeating the official propaganda of "espionnage", etc. This is a transparent pretext.

The real issue is the US facing the end of their status of top dog with the rise of a superpower that does not answer to them (which is an emotive subject).

It's no hyperbole to state that they are fighting for their empire and resorting to gunboat diplomacy. Nothing less, nothing more.

This is an extremely sensitive, and indeed emotive, topic in China. People should really realise the level of anger and long term effects this can only have in China. Amd for what? Short term feeling of power for US...

HenryBemis2• 7 years ago

Money talk, bs walks.

Of course "Play store will continue to work". To use the Sex Pistols lyrics: God save the queen, 'Cause tourists are money, And our figurehead, Is not what she seems.

Huawai may be 'evil' (or any other justification) but the money of the millions of Huawei phone owners are more than welcome.

System update is a money-losing function. You get people to work and collaborate with vendors, but this doesn't add to the bottom line what Google Play Store adds.

Edit: added "the money of" phone owners...

product508• 7 years ago

What is your point?

socceroos• 7 years ago

That everyone is corrupt when money is involved - even if 'national security' is waived around.

HenryBemis2• 7 years ago

That it makes perfect sense to stop supporting those devices. The effort costs money. So if they want to put their foot down and force 'change' (and everything else in the trade-wars/political agenda), you stop spending your money on them, but you continue milking the profit from their users.

This is partially correct as a responsible business stance, because in the end of the day, you support the users, who in the end of the day, are not at fault for Huawei's bad doings.

And with that said, I do agree that China is in need of major democratic reform that will never come, as the autocracy (I don't want to use a harsher word). I also recognize the maladities that China has caused and is continuing to cause.

This was not a pro-Chinese-gov message. This was a Google-loves-the-revenue-and-the-foothold message.

novaRom3• 7 years ago

I don't know how is it in US, but in Europe recently Huawei is very successful and growing. All big smartphone stores have now special tables with Huawei show-cases, lots of TV Ads.

product508• 7 years ago

"was"

Without Google, users will just shift over to Android. Agreed Huawei's phones are good but are they as good for users to not care about GMail, YouTube, Play Store etc.? On top of that, will users trust an OS by a Chinese company?

pjmlp• 7 years ago

The same way we as Europeans, have to trust an US company, foreign to our countries with its own agenda.

So if this comes to US versus the world, maybe Android or Google services wouldn't be that relevant, long term.

novaRom3• 7 years ago

Or maybe it's time to enable anti-monopoly laws?

PeterStuer3• 7 years ago

Recently bought a cheap Huawei P5. After having owned phones from Nokia, Sony, LG, Apple, Microsoft and Google, the Huawei beats them hands down, no question.

gambiting• 7 years ago

I was about to say - in Poland Huawei is absolutely huge, I see a lot of people using their devices and having far more prominent stands in electronic shops than Samsung for instance.

Zenst2• 7 years ago

As a consumer, I'm almost at the stage now when buying a phone or any consumer tech - that I feel that I should be printing out a list of features the phone offers and getting the sales chap to sign them, so if any are changed/removed down the line (like software updates stop prematurely) - I'd have an easier legal redress to obtain a refund under being mis-sold.

kitchenkarma2• 7 years ago

This. I can't update Android in my phone, because I'll lose ability to record calls. But I can't even turn off the popup to perform Software Update! I should at least be able to snooze these reminders forever.

edoloughlin• 7 years ago

It's nice to know my Nexus 6p will continue to function, then. I dug it out of a drawer a month ago and it updated. It can no longer see my WiFi. It can see my neighbours' WiFi no problem, just not mine. Looking on the bright side, I guess that means I don't need to worry about the Huawei baseband.

zuron72• 7 years ago

I'd be really happy if this leads to app developers making apps that can work without Google Play Services.

rando444• 7 years ago

Pretty much all android apps can work without google play currently.

If you don't want to use google play, you can download the APK from any number of apk mirror sites and install the app yourself manually.

Matt3o12_• 7 years ago

Google Play Services != Google Play Store

The play services is a framework that many (and probably all "western") apps require because they use push notifications, maps, google ads and probably a lot of other google services. An android phone without those services installed isn't able to run said apps. And while it is possible to emulate the play services, I don't think this would work on a huge scale because they would still be accessing private google cloud apis and google could shut it down very fast. You have to remember, Apps don't send your notifications to your device directly, they send it to google, who then forwards your push notification to the device (if every app would regularly pull an notification server, your device would run out of battery way too fast).

The only reason google currently doesn't ban those emulations is that the % of users who use those is so low that it doesn't cause them any harm.

codedokode• 7 years ago

This case shows how "open" Android is and how free is "free trade".

Google confirms Play store will continue to function for existing Huawei phones

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