Google’s decision to stop its Android licensing to Huawei could prove to be a mighty blow to the Chinese telecom company’s vision for standing alongside the top players in the global smartphone industry.
The American tech company has suspended any business activity and correspondence with Huawei associated with the transfer of hardware, software and vital technical services. The reason behind the move was to comply with the Washington’s decision to mark Huawei on the Entity List, i.e., American companies are mandated to acquire a license for selling products to Chinese companies.
In other words, Huawei can no longer license Google’s proprietary Android OS alongside other services in its product portfolio, also that it is limited to only use the operating system’s public version through the Android Open Source Project.
This indicates that Huawei smartphones will not cater the Google’s services that users have been using in the Android devices until now.
According to a Google’s spokesperson, the company is adhering with the decision and going through the possible implications. Furthermore, Google Play and security protections will be functioning on the currently active Huawei phones.
Speaking from the Huawei’s corner, a spokesperson said that the firm is considering the influence of this action of US government on the consumers. This takes us to the big question:
Is Huawei prepared to handle such blow, given the fact that the company has made some considerable contributions in the growth of Android worldwide?
Apparently, the company has been preparing to face such a situation. In March, Huawei claimed to have developed its own operating system for its phones as a backup from the time when they’ll not be able to use Google’s or Microsoft’s OS.
Evidently, Huawei has been able to limit its dependability on American suppliers for certain components, still many industry experts believe it’s not enough as the company still relies on other parts from US companies, also because the viability of Huawei’s developed operating system is still largely in question.
Imran Abdul Rauf is a Digital Marketing Strategist, employed at CMOLDS, and specializes in content marketing, email marketing campaigns, lead generation, and other aspects of digital marketing. A content enthusiast by the day, and hardcore gamer by night, Imran is also a regular guest contributor at some of the top tech and digital marketing platforms.
