Google – the owner of the world’s largest operating system, Android– has reportedly suspended all businesses with the world’s second-biggest smartphone maker, Huawei, and revoked its Android license effective immediately—a move that will have a drastic impact on Huawei devices across the globe. This was first reported by Reuters news agency ealier today.
Why Google Breaks Up with Huawei
This follows the recent US crackdown on Chinese technology companies. A Google spokesperson said to Theverge: “We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications.” The order, in this case, appears to be the US Commerce Department’s recent decision to place Huawei on the “Entity List,” which as Reuters reports is a list of companies that are unable to buy technology from US companies without government approval.
What this Means
Revoking Android license means Huawei future smartphones will no longer have access to Android updates and apps like Gmail or the Play Store, as well as Google technical support beyond services that are publicly available via open source licensing. However, that doesn’t mean that the currently available Huawei smartphone users will be cut off entirely from Google services as they will continue having access to services like Google Play and security from Google Play Protect. However, they will not receive any future OS updates, like the upcoming Android Q. The company said on its official twitter handle: “For Huawei users’ questions regarding our steps to comply w/ the recent U.S. government actions: We assure you while we are complying with all U.S. gov’t requirements, services like Google Play & security from Google Play Protect will keep functioning on your existing Huawei device”.
