Chinese smartphone giant Huawei, in a matter of weeks, is all set to launch its new flagship devices namely, Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro. However, the phones won’t run several Google apps, including YouTube, Maps, Google Pay or Photos. The developments come after the US Commerce Department had earlier barred all the American companies from conducting trade with Huawei over security concerns and its alleged attachments with the Chinese government.
To note, the Chinese firm after being blacklisted acquired a license from the US government (which they renewed last week) which allows Huawei to maintain the existing devices. Having secured the license means Huwaei can push Google updates including software updates and security patches to devices that had been launched before May 16, 2019. Nevertheless, Google said the license did not apply to new products such as the 5G-enabled Mate 30.
“Huawei will continue to use the Android OS and ecosystem if the US government allows us to do so,” a Huawei spokesman said. “Otherwise, we will continue to develop our own operating system and ecosystem.”
Lack of Google apps on the Mate series flagship, that is a direct competition to the upcoming Apple iPhone 11, might change a buyer’s perspective towards the phone. Having said that, it is necessary to note that the Mate series would still run Android – because it’s still a freely available open-source software.
Interestingly, Huawei has also unveiled its own operating system, HarmonyOS, which it plans to use if Huawei, anytime in the future, is no longer allowed to access Android OS. However, the first choice is to continue using Google’s platform, said Huawei.
