Huawei Mate 30 Pro will ship without Facebook and Instagram
The Huawei Mate 30 Pro is one of 2019’s most highly anticipated smartphones, but now it will reportedly miss out on crucial apps including Facebook and Instagram.
Huawei has been suspended from pre-installing any Facebook apps on its smartphones, including WhatsApp and Instagram according to Reuters. Fortunately for Huawei users, they will still be able to install Facebook’s apps and receive messages on their devices; the suspension applies only to as-yet-unreleased phones and pre-installed software, including the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, expected to be released later this year.
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The suspension follows Google cutting ties with the Chinese manufacturer following an executive order from the US White House. The order and block by Google means that new Huawei smartphones will no longer launch with the full Android operating system, instead being stuck with a limited open source version that does not include access to the Play Store or other Google apps (such as YouTube or Maps). Existing Huawei smartphones will still run Android, but updates may arrive later than previously.
Read our Hands on: Mate 30 Pro review
The Huawei Mate 30 Pro was expected to be released in October 2019, so this latest suspension on top of the Android ban will likely damage the launch of the much-anticipated flagship, if the launch still goes ahead at all. Twitter and Booking.com also frequently come pre-installed on Huawei phones, so following Facebook’s precedent these apps might not make an appearance on the Mate 30 Pro either.
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The company is no doubt struggling to secure its existence after such heavy blows delivered to the future of its smartphone software. Huawei’s solution to the Android ban, has reportedly been to develop its own operating system dubbed HongMeng OS. We’ve yet to see this interface in action, but we expect it to be heavily based on Android’s open-source software.
Even if Huawei’s own software works, the company will still have serious problems as numerous other companies, including ARM have also cut ties.
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Editorial independence
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.