No more Gmail or YouTube on new Huawei phones in the future

Google has restricted Huawei’s access to the Android operating system. That confirms the search giant after several media reports in that sense. Google thus follows new, stricter rules from the US Department of Economic Affairs, which blacklisted the Chinese telephone company. As a result, several chip manufacturers would also stop deliveries to Huawei, reports Bloomberg.

In the United States, there is fear that the Chinese government is using Huawei’s networks to spy. The company denies that this is possible and says that all equipment is safe to use. The U.S. Department of Commerce placed Huawei recently, however, on the ‘Entity list’, a list of suspect companies that are not allowed to purchase technology from US firms without the approval of the authorities.

The fact that Huawei is now blacklisted affects cooperation with some American companies. For example, Google revoked Huawei’s Android license, writes Reuters. “Google thus follows the call and examines the consequences,” a Google spokesperson informs The Verge.

The Chinese smartphone maker can now only use a public form of Android that is available to everyone, the so-called Android Open Source Project (AOSP). That is bad news for the range of apps and updates on new Huawei smartphones.

What are the consequences?

The concrete consequences are not yet quite clear. According to Reuters, new Huawei aircraft may no longer be able to offer certain apps. These are Google apps that are normally on an Android phone, such as YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps and the Google Play Store. After all, these apps do not belong to AOSP, the ‘open source’ version of Android that Huawei now has to deal with.

In addition, security updates for Android could no longer be rolled out as quickly as possible. After all, Huawei should wait until those updates become available for AOSP and distribute the updates themselves to the phones. That means that Huawei users in the future is less likely to be protected against potential bugs or vulnerabilities in the operating system.

It is certain, however, that especially new devices will be affected. For the time being, users of existing devices will not notice the change, Google confirms to Reuters. They can continue to use Google apps and receive regular updates. Huawei also confirms that users of smartphones or tablets from Huawei or sister brand Honor will continue to receive security updates for their devices. Google’s apps will also continue to function.

No chips

In addition, major chip manufacturers such as Intel, Qualcomm, Xilinx, and Broadcom have told their staff that they will no longer supply products to Huawei. Bloomberg reports on the basis of informed sources.

The German company Infineon has also suspended its deliveries to Huawei, according to the Japanese business magazine Nikkei Asian Review. Infineon uses multiple American parts to make its chips and would fall under the same rules as US companies.

The manufacturers supply chips that are not only used in phones but also in network equipment.

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