Though Huawei has tried to put up a brave front about its uncertain business dealings with the U.S. government, new developments have revealed that the Chinese manufacturer may not be in as secure as it claims.
Reports from Reuters indicate that Huawei’s upcoming Mate 30 flagship may not release with Google’s G-Suite apps, such as Gmail, Maps, YouTube, and Docs, due to the U.S. trading ban than has been set in place May. Huawei is set to unveil the Mate 30 at a September 18 launch event in Munich, Germany; however, the device’s market release may be delayed still as the company continues to sort out its industry footing.
While uncertain, prior reports have indicated that Huawei may have to use a stripped-down version of Android supplied through AOSP (Android Open Source Project) to run a base system on the upcoming smartphone. Huawei has also recently announced its proprietary operating system called Harmony OS. The company claims the system is intended for smart home products and IoT systems, and not smartphones. However, the software may be Huawei’s only option for getting its device to market on its own terms.
This may be a great blow to the Huawei Mate 30 outlook. While the device could get great traction in China and other Asian markets, the company relies on Android and Google apps for its other popular markets, such as Europe and Canada. Currently, there are no confirmed details on what Huawei’s software plans for the Mate 30.
Huawei has been largely blacklisted since being placed on the U.S. Entity List, which prevents American coroperations from doing business with the manufacturer due to national security concerns. This has hit Huawei hardest in its collaborations with Google because it relies on Android software and GoogleG-Suite apps to power its smartphones.
Despite having some reprieves, Huawei is now seeing the real extent of the trade ban. The manufacturer has been allowed to work with American companies, including Google, to keep its current devices up to date. Huawei has been using this to show that many of its devices will be eligible to update to Android 10. However, the Huawei Mate 30 is not covered under this leeway.
The company’s first license to continue doing business with U.S. companies ended earlier this month. Huawei currently has a second license, which applies only to supporting its devices that are already on the market. This license expires on November 19.
