Huawei is so, totally over Google. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer says it wouldn’t reinstate Google Mobile Services, even if the United States came crawling back.
Ok, maybe it isn’t that dramatic, but the company has tellingly revealed it has no plans to return the full-fat Android operating system, with access to all of the core apps, if the ban on it using it is lifted – as seems increasingly likely.
In an interview with Austrian newspaper Der Standard (via Android Police), a Huawei executive said the company is now looking to completely free itself from US political whims, so any other potential restrictions will not damage its future prospects.
Related: Huawei Android ban explained
As a result, it plans to press ahead with its own version of the open-source Android operating system, currently running on flagship devices like the Huawei Mate 30, while simultaneously working on its own operating system in the background.
The company is currently courting the major app developers to provide versions for its App Gallery so as to negate the need to house the Google Play Store on its phones. As a result, it is seeking to lessen the work developers must do to port them over.
As such, Austrian country manager Fred Wangfei, says the company is looking to set up a European proxy company that would enable it to circumvent the embargo and bring apps like Facebook and WhatsApp to its third-party solution.
It’s currently unclear whether those app developers are willing to involve themselves in such a scheme, but, undeterred, Huawei plans on investing a whopping $3 billion dollars into its own Huawei Mobile Services platform.
Huawei acknowledges that in the short term, an unwillingness to jump back into bed with Google Mobile Services may affect the bottom line. However, it believes it can come out on top and create a viable alternative to iOS and Android. Could this break the duopoly and become something everyone benefits from?
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.