Huawei is reportedly developing its own mapping service to replace Google Maps − but it’s not designed for you, according to a new report.
Huawei has partnered with Russian search engine Yandex, as well as Booking.com’s parent company Booking Holdings to create Map Kit, China Daily reports.
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Map Kit will allegedly be a mapping service comparable to Google Maps, but marketed at software developers rather than consumers.
The tool will reportedly allow developers to create complex apps that make use of mapping information from up to 150 countries and regions around the world in 40 languages.
The software could have a wide range of potential applications from geotagging on social media to developing games that make use of augmented reality mapping, such as Pokémon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
China Daily reports that Map Kit will also offer “real-time traffic conditions and a highly sophisticated navigation system which can recognize a car changing lanes”, so it sounds like it could one day be implemented in a navigation app too.
Huawei’s president of cloud services, Zhang Pingan, reportedly believes that developing its own mapping solution could help the company retain a following outside of China. According to Zhang, over half of all mobile apps make use of location-based services so there is a large global market for mapping software.
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This news comes just a week after Huawei unveiled its Android replacement, HarmonyOS. Though the US revolt against Huawei seems to have calmed down a bit recently, the Chinese company’s sales are still being affected overseas. The apparently impending introduction of Map Kit seems to be just another phase in Huawei’s plan to build a stronger technological ecosystem to better combat any potential punishments.
According to China Daily, Huawei plans to unveil the mapping service in October.
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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.
