Huawei Mate 30 Will Launch Without Google License
Gro Bert
At the recent IFA event in Berlin, there were many conversations around how trade wars were harmful to innovation. Any form of isolationism in a connected world prevents technology from helping the global community seamlessly collaborate and push forward together in the name of progress.
For example, the United States continued to increase the pressure on Huawei by slapping a trade ban on the Chinese tech giant. The move prevents more than 130 US companies from selling to Huawei. To round off an already challenging year, Huawei was also kicked out of the cybersecurity forum to comply with US sanctions.
By preventing Huawei access to essential information around security threats, the only real loser is the customers who could end up being exposed to malware. As the escalating trade tensions between the US and China gather pace, it can be hard for everyone to separate fact from fiction.
In Munich this week, Huawei attempted to remove its ongoing problems with the US from the conversation and let its innovative technology do the talking. In a two-hour presentation, the audience in the venue and those watching via online streams around the world were treated to a new range of flagship phones.
There was even time to showcase a smart TV with a pop-up camera that makes it easy to make video calls, as well as a new smartwatch too. Despite delivering the wow factor, the launch will sadly be remembered for the few minutes that highlighted how Huawei is unable to obtain the license from Google to add the Play store to the flagship handsets after being put on a trade blacklist in May.
The Mate 30 range will run on the open-source Android operating system. But familiar, and some would argue essential apps such as YouTube, Gmail, and Google Maps will be missing. Although experienced Android fans will know how to sideload the apps onto the handsets, it will be a tough ask for the average user to spend over 1,000 (US$1250) on a device that is missing the apps they use the most.
There is an argument that one of the biggest problems in the current narrative that surrounds every Huawei news story is that we are only discussing the viewpoint here in the west. We need to remember that there is more to Huawei than buyers outside of China.
With so much at stake in this tech powerplay, both the US and China have accused each other of using technology for spying operations. In yet another game of smoke and mirrors, this is much more about a trade war and protectionism than spying. Even President Trump admitted that Huawei could be included in a deal to end the trade war.
When backed into a corner and forced to do more with less, innovation can thrive. What looks like a full-on disastrous worst-case scenario here in 2019 could transform into a turning point in the tech and mobile industry. The rules of the game are changing, and the future might not be a straight battle between Android and Apple.
The current trade war could result in the creation of a Chinese-led alternative across a digital landscape that until now has been exclusively ruled by Google and Apple. Huawei is playing the long game, and a robust domestic market will help the company weather the storm and sail towards a new future.
Technological innovation spreads opportunities for both people and businesses. A digital iron curtain will do more than harm than good for technological progress. Both countries need each other, and many suspects that a trade deal will eventually happen. But has the damage already been done?
Remember this moment where Huawei was forced to release a new flagship phone without Google apps. This story has the potential to create a new narrative around mobile technology that will affect every user and business in the future.
Last month a disturbing report made the rounds, claiming that the upcoming Huawei Mate 30 family would launch without any Google apps or services on board, and today a new source basically confirms this, adding another device to the unfortunate list.
According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Huawei will not be able to ship either the Mate 30/Mate 30 Pro, or the Mate X with any Google apps and services. That means no Google Play Store, or pre-installed Chrome, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, and so on. The loss of the app store is definitely the biggest blow, along with the Google Play Services suite, on which many third-party apps depend in order to function properly.
The Mate 30, Mate 30 Pro, and Mate X will still run Android, only it will be the open source version, not the one that has Google's blessing, which is what we've all been accustomed to using over the past few years.
As you may have inferred, this all has to do with the US government having placed Huawei on the so-called "entity list", which bars US companies from doing any business with it. That includes Google and the licensing of its app suite is a business deal, so it's covered too. Huawei has been given two three-month reprieves already, but those only apply to supporting existing devices that got Google certification before the trade embargo went in effect.
Analysts are estimating that this will hit Huawei's smartphone shipments hard, as you'd expect. Sales outside of China could plunge by 30% or more. The Mate 30 series gets official on September 19, while the Mate X could go on sale as early as next month.
The HUAWEI ban went into effect on May 15, 2019, as part of an executive order from then-president Donald Trump. The order banned the use of telecommunications equipment from foreign firms that are deemed national security risks.
No. Although Donald Trump is no longer president, his executive order remains in effect. HUAWEI is still releasing flagship devices in Europe and Asia, but they are still not available in the United States.
It does not appear as though the US has any plans to end the HUAWEI ban at this time. According to Reuters, President Biden signed the Secure Equipment Act in November 2021, which prevents companies from receiving equipment licenses from US regulators.
Yes, it is perfectly legal to buy new HUAWEI products of all kinds. The HUAWEI ban only prevents HUAWEI from working with US-based companies. This might affect the hows and wheres of buying a HUAWEI phone, but it has no effect on your purchase or ownership of the device.
HUAWEI is spending millions of dollars on convincing app developers to port their products to App Gallery. As such, there are a lot of Android apps already available through App Gallery. HUAWEI adds more all the time. You can install App Gallery on your current Android phone and search for the apps you depend on the most, which should help you decide if it can fully replace the Play Store.
With the HUAWEI-US ban in effect, the company has had to completely revamp how it creates and releases smartphones. It also faces mounting scrutiny from other nations, many of which rely on HUAWEI for wireless networking equipment.
Since May 2019, HUAWEI has had some minor wins, but the bulk of the ban is still in place. It appears the HUAWEI ban will be in effect in perpetuity, and the company will need to strategize around it until further notice.
Even though the trade war is associated very closely with Donald Trump, it is actually one of the few moves he made during his presidency with bipartisan support. Current US President Joe Biden has made no efforts to remove the HUAWEI ban or weaken the US/China trade war. Members of his staff and the people he appointed have also signaled support for continuing the ban.
This meant that HUAWEI would no longer have access to the fundamentals of Android smartphones. Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, and even the Google Play Store itself were now no longer available for HUAWEI to use on new products.
This news sent a shockwave through the tech world. Remember that at this point, HUAWEI is the second-largest smartphone manufacturer globally, and every single one of its phones runs on Android. Without access to Google apps, millions of HUAWEI smartphone owners were understandably concerned that their phones would suddenly stop working correctly.
When the dust settled, it became clear that HUAWEI phones certified by Google and launched before May 15, 2019, would continue to operate as usual. However, any uncertified phones, tablets, or other products released by HUAWEI after that date would be Google-less.
Eventually, China tried to turn the tables by threatening to create its own Entity List. HUAWEI then upped the ante by accusing the US of cyberattacks and employee harassment. However, the company supplied no evidence to support these accusations, and they led nowhere.
As luck would have it, this 90-day reprieve would be extended three consecutive times. By February 2020, HUAWEI had had nearly a year of living without the full ramifications of the ban. That same month, the US government issued a final 45-day reprieve, allowing the HUAWEI ban to take full and permanent effect by April 1, 2020. Before that date arrived, Donald Trump signed a law banning rural US carriers from using HUAWEI equipment.
According to HUAWEI, Harmony OS is based on Linux, which is the same open-source platform on which Android is based. This means that Harmony and Android can share compatibilities. Theoretically, if a developer wished to do the work to make it compatible, any Android app can work within Harmony OS.
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