The news that Google has suspended Huawei’s Android license lit up the web as soon as Reuters published the announcement.
Huawei is one of the largest smartphone vendors on the market and thus the suspension is significant.
By Google services, we mean popular apps such as Google Maps, Gmail, Google Play, YouTube, Google calendar etc. The suspension of the license is a big blow to Huawei since it’s rather obvious that most buyers will be reluctant to buy smartphones that do not (officially) support Google services.
Huawei is still able to continue using the Android OS since the software is provided an open source license. The order will also not affect current Huawei smartphones. It’s only the devices that will launch after the order that will not include Google services.
It’s however, noteworthy to mention that Huawei had expected this is going to happen and there is in fact reports that the brand was developing an in-house OS to hedge itself against this directive.
Nevertheless, the order will most likely slow down Huawei’s ambitious plans to become the leading global smartphone vendor.
This rather unfortunate occurrence is also likely to create a vacuum for other players to grab the market share that Huawei is likely to lose.
Speaking of which, TECNO Mobile has of late been getting cozy with Google and as they say, one brand’s pain is probably another brand’s gain.
Kevin is a tech enthusiast and the lead writer at MobiTrends.co.ke. He has been writing about smartphones and tech related topics since October 2012. About Us | Contact Us
