Google suspends Huawei's Android license, forces switch to open-source version
Following newly-authorized rules by the Trump administration, Google has reportedly terminated Huawei's Android license, forcing it to move to the Android Open Source Project.
The change won't immediately affect owners of Huawei phones, since they'll be able to update individual apps through the Google Play Store, Reuters noted. The company will however have to use its own system to push broader OS updates, and only once they've been published through AOSP.
It may cut Huawei off from key apps and services such as Gmail, YouTube, and even Chrome. Most Google mobile apps are already banned in Huawei's Chinese homeland, but they are licensed for devices in markets like Europe.
The company has reportedly spent several years preparing for such a contingency, and is even using some of that fallback technology in Chinese versions of its phones. Westerners, though, are unlikely to be happy without access to services many consider cornerstones of the internet.
Last week the U.S. Commerce Department added Huawei and 70 affiliates to its "Entity List," preventing it from buying from American businesses without a license demonstrating there's no national security risk. Simultaneously, President Donald Trump signed an executive order blocking corporations from using telecoms equipment from firms deemed a national security risk -- such as Huawei and ZTE.
The Trump administration has expressed worries that Huawei's ties with the Chinese government could lead to backdoors, and indeed a report recently claimed the discovery of such activity in the Netherlands. Huawei has denied any such threat, and argued U.S. actions are really meant to thwart Chinese business.
Indeed the U.S. bans could kick a leg out from under Huawei, since until this month it was dependent on American suppliers like Qualcomm. That could give companies like Apple a better chance in China, even if it will still have to deal with price obstacles and local brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo.
The change won't immediately affect owners of Huawei phones, since they'll be able to update individual apps through the Google Play Store, Reuters noted. The company will however have to use its own system to push broader OS updates, and only once they've been published through AOSP.
It may cut Huawei off from key apps and services such as Gmail, YouTube, and even Chrome. Most Google mobile apps are already banned in Huawei's Chinese homeland, but they are licensed for devices in markets like Europe.
The company has reportedly spent several years preparing for such a contingency, and is even using some of that fallback technology in Chinese versions of its phones. Westerners, though, are unlikely to be happy without access to services many consider cornerstones of the internet.
Last week the U.S. Commerce Department added Huawei and 70 affiliates to its "Entity List," preventing it from buying from American businesses without a license demonstrating there's no national security risk. Simultaneously, President Donald Trump signed an executive order blocking corporations from using telecoms equipment from firms deemed a national security risk -- such as Huawei and ZTE.
The Trump administration has expressed worries that Huawei's ties with the Chinese government could lead to backdoors, and indeed a report recently claimed the discovery of such activity in the Netherlands. Huawei has denied any such threat, and argued U.S. actions are really meant to thwart Chinese business.
Indeed the U.S. bans could kick a leg out from under Huawei, since until this month it was dependent on American suppliers like Qualcomm. That could give companies like Apple a better chance in China, even if it will still have to deal with price obstacles and local brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo.
Comments
The bad part is that China would retaliate against Apple and that means catastrophic consequences for Apple, as Cook has not prepared Apple for such a contingency even though he was warned 2.5 years ago.
Huawei gets a chunk of Samsung’s market share in China and in Europe. It’s actually better for Apple if Huawei mobile unit stayed alive.
Now all that remain are Apple and, surprise, Google. Who, like Microsoft before them, found it worthwhile to stab their hardware “partners” in the back by jumping into the hardware market themselves for some potentially-lucrative double-dipping.
Google are scum, but at least they’re doing the right thing here. For once.
China needs Apple and vice-versa. If China halts Apple products, then a gazillion Chinese workers will be out of a job, in addition to countless billions of dollars being lost for China.
But it just wait until the Huawei trolls start to show up... (and they will — it’s still very early morning there).
This is not the first time. Google left China some years ago when they were asked to tattle and spy on users. They just packed up and left (yes, there were some recent moves to tip-toe back in, and while that may yet happen, they’re still not in China). Apple, IIRC, agreed to China’s data requests — but someone could correct me on that.
Credit it where credit is due.
I suggest you read this sentence again:
“Last week the U.S. Commerce Department added Huawei and 70 affiliates to its "Entity List," preventing it from buying from American businesses without a license demonstrating there's no national security risk.”
In other words,
Open Source + Huawei = OK
Google + Huawei = Not OK
This news isn’t good for Apple. It harms Apple’s China business at lot more than it harms Huawei’s US business.
If the customer so desires, they can still download Google Apps on Huawei made phones. But, the Google App Store won’t come preinstalled, and unlike Apple, Android has other methods to download Apps.
More like China and America need each other, in general...
You could DuckDuckGo it instead......
What are you even talking about??
”...cornerstones of the internet...” ha ha ha ha ha... Only if you want to be Google’s product. I avoid all of their stuff except for reverse image search.