Google clamps down on the business it does with smartphone maker Huawei after the US government put the Chinese telecoms giant on a trade blacklist
The logo of Huawei is seen at the high profile startups and high tech leaders gathering, Viva Tech,in Paris, France May 16, 2019. Huawei said it would continue to provide security updates and services for its smartphones and tablets after Google said it would comply with an order barring the Chinese company from updates to its Android operating system.
"We have made substantial contributions to the development and growth of Android around the world," a spokesman said on Monday. "Huawei will continue to provide security updates and after-sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products, covering those that have been sold and that are still in stock globally. "We will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem, in order to provide the best experience for all users globally," he added. Google is assuring users of Huawei smartphones the American company's basic services will work on them following US government restrictions on doing business with the Chinese tech giant. Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., said Monday it is complying with and "reviewing the implications" of the requirement for export licenses for technology sales to Huawei Technologies Ltd.Earlier, Alphabet Inc’s Google said it was suspending business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday, in a blow to the Chinese technology company that the US government has sought to blacklist around the world. The move could hobble Huawei’s smartphone business outside China as the tech giant will immediately lose access to updates to Google’s Android operating system. The next version of its Android smartphones will also lose access to popular services including the Google Play Store and Gmail and YouTube apps. “Huawei will only be able to use the public version of Android and will not be able to get access to proprietary apps and services from Google,” the source said.The Trump administration on Thursday added Huawei Technologies Co Ltd to a trade blacklist, immediately enacting restrictions that will make it extremely difficult for the company to do business with US counterparts. On Friday the US Commerce Department said it was considering scaling back restrictions on Huawei to “prevent the interruption of existing network operations and equipment.” It was not immediately clear on Sunday whether Huawei’s access to mobile software would be affected. The extent to which Huawei will be hurt by the US government’s blacklist is not yet known as its global supply chain assesses the impact. Chip experts have questioned Huawei’s ability to continue to operate without US help. Details of the specific services affected by the suspension were still being discussed internally at Google, according to the source. Huawei attorneys are also studying the impact of the blacklist, a Huawei spokesman said on Friday. Huawei was not immediately reachable for further comment.Huawei will continue to have access to the version of the Android operating system available through the open source license, known as Android Open Source Project , that is available for free to anyone who wishes to use it. There are about 2.5 billion active Android devices worldwide, according to Google. But Google will stop providing Huawei with access, technical support and collaboration involving its proprietary apps and services going forward, the source said. Huawei has said it has spent the last few years preparing a contingency plan by developing its own technology in case it is blocked from using Android. Some of this technology is already being used in products sold in China, the company has said. In an interview with Reuters in March, Eric Xu, rotating chairman of Huawei, struck a defiant note in anticipation of retaliatory actions by US companies. “No matter what happens, the Android Community does not have any legal right to block any company from accessing its open-source license,” he said. Popular Google apps such as Gmail, YouTube and the Chrome browser that are available through Google’s Play Store will disappear from future Huawei handsets as those services are not covered by the open source license and require a commercial agreement with Google. But users of existing Huawei devices who have access to the Google Play Store will still be able to download app updates provided by Google. Apps such as Gmail are updated through the store, unlike operating system updates which are typically handled by phone manufacturers and telecoms carriers, which the blacklist could affect, the source said. The impact is expected to be minimal in the Chinese market. Most Google mobile apps are banned in China, where alternatives are offered by domestic competitors such as Tencent and Baidu. Huawei’s European business, its second-biggest market, could be hit as Huawei licenses these services from Google in Europe. “Having those apps is critical for smartphone makers to stay competitive in regions like Europe,” said Geoff Blaber, vice president of research at CCS Insight.
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