Google Severs Ties With Huawei, Blocks Future Play Store Access
Following a US blacklist order, Google cuts off hardware and software transfers to Huawei, meaning future smartphones lose the Play Store and Google apps. Existing devices currently retain access, but future Android updates face severe uncertainty.
Google is immediately suspending all business with Huawei that involves the transfer of hardware and software products following a US blacklist order. This decisive move means that future Huawei smartphones lose access to the Google Play Store, Google Play Services, and popular applications like Gmail and Chrome. Huawei is now limited to using the open-source version of Android, which anyone can freely use but lacks proprietary Google features.
Existing Huawei devices currently remain unaffected by this sudden change. Google confirms that the Play Store and Play Protect continue to function on smartphones that are already in the hands of consumers. However, the long-term viability of these current devices faces serious uncertainty because future Android updates, such as the upcoming Android Q release, likely encounter major issues with Play Store access.
The complete loss of Google's technical support and proprietary services presents a massive setback for Huawei's global smartphone business. Without access to the Play Store or Google's app ecosystem on future devices, Huawei struggles to sell phones outside of China. Additionally, this development strongly implies that Huawei abandons its plans to release any future Wear OS smartwatches.