Image Credit: The Independent
Well, that escalated quickly.
In a sudden but not entirely unexpected move from Google yesterday, the tech behemoth announced a total global ban on all Huawei devices.
The move came not from a personal dispute between the two companies, but rather a mandate from the government for all US companies to completely remove Huawei from the list of products that they support.
In the case of Google, this means that future Huawei phones, as well as phones from its subsidiary company Honor, will no longer receive updates and tech support for the Google-owned Android operating system. It also means that Google Play Store and Google’s family of apps like Google Mail and Google Docs will be completely inaccessible on Huawei devices.
Google clarified, however, that this ban does not cover all current Huawei and Honor phones.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Google said, “We assure you while we are complying with all US gov’t requirements, services like Google Play & security from Google Play Protect will keep functioning on your existing Huawei device.”
Google lists these products as safe to purchase despite the Huawei ban:
- Huawei P10: P10 Plus, P10, P10 Lite
- Huawei Mate 10: Mate 10 Pro, Mate 10, Mate 10 Lite
- Huawei P20: P20 Pro, P20, P20 Lite
- Huawei Mate 20: Mate 20 Pro, Mate 20, Mate 20 Lite, Mate 20 X
- Huawei P Smart
- Huawei P30: P30 Pro, P30, P30 Lite
If you’re using one right now, there’s no need to worry since Google will still continue supporting your product. It just wouldn’t support any products that will only get manufactured and released in the future.
