Huawei Responds to Android Ban
It’s official; Google has revoked Huawei’s Android license. And Huawei has issued its first limited response leaving spectators with more questions.
To appease its worried customer base, Huawei issued a statement on Monday. In it, they said that they will continue to offer security updates and after-sales support to the existing customers with the lineup of smartphones. Unfortunately, the Chinese company was unable to promise whether or not is customers will continue receiving Android software updates. Also, it’s not clear whether the future Huawei phones will ship with the current version of Android or any other OS.
Huawei, the world’s second-largest smartphone vendor based on shipment, further said that the company will continue developing a safe software ecosystem for its customers. It will also extend its support to Honor.
Here is the full statement:
“Huawei has contributed in the development as well growth of Android around the world. Being one of the key global partners of Android, we have closely worked with Android’s open-source platform for developing an ecosystem that has proven beneficial for not just the users but the industry as well.
We will continue to offer security updates and after-sale services of all Huawei and Honor smartphones and tablets. We will cover those devices that have been sold and those that are still in stock. Huawei will continue developing a safe and sustainable ecosystem to offer the best experience to its users worldwide.”
Such a tepid statement from Huawei wasn’t unexpected. Previously, Google also issued a similar non-committal statement. It said that Huawei phone users will be able to access the Google Play Store and Google Play Protect. However, it didn’t mention what the future holds, and that’s the main question. The immediate plan of action by both Huawei and Google for what’s going to happen next is still unclear.
Huawei issued its response a day after Reuters reported that Google has suspended some of its business with Huawei. Apparently, Google has taken this step to comply with the directive of the US commerce department. This directive placed Huawei and 70 other affiliates on the “entity list.” It further says that a US company needs to obtain government approval before doing business with this Chinese tech giant.
One thing is clear – owners of Huawei phones will have access to Play Store and they will continue updating apps too. The question that is not answered is if it will receive further Android OS updates. Seems like that will only happen if the US-China trade dispute is resolved.
Troubles for Huawei are mounting up. Because of this action of the US government, Broadcom, Intel, Xilinx, and Qualcomm have reportedly paused supplying chips to the company until they reach a resolution.
Huawei hasn’t stopped here. It’s making preparations for this loss. The company is developing its own in-house operating systems that will replace Android. Maybe that’s what it meant when it said they will continue building and a safe and sustainable software ecosystem. It’s hoped that Huawei brings something as exciting as Cox package and bundles to revive the faith of its customers.
