Business and Technology

New Huawei phones in SA and around the world will likely not have Android

Upcoming Huawei phones are set to be launched without Google’s Android and applications, Reuters reported. Huawei, the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in South Africa, is set to launch a new line of Mate 30 smartphones on September 18.

Google said the Mate 30 cannot be sold with licensed Google apps and services due to the United States (US) ban on trade with Huawei, a Google spokesperson told Reuters.

The US banned Huawei over concerns that the technology can be used for espionage on users – a claim Huawei has vehemently denied. The US government temporarily lifted the trade ban in June, but Google, however, said the lift does not apply to new products such as the Mate 30.

A Huawei South Africa spokesperson referred to Business Insider South Africa to a statement by Huawei headquarter spokesperson Joe Kelly who said the company will aim to continue using Android.

Huawei

Huawei announced its own operating system Harmony at its annual developer’s conference in Dongguan, China, three weeks ago. At the time Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu said the company will continue using Android due to the application ecosystem it provides.

In the event that the United States does, however, block companies from doing business with Huawei, the company will switch over to its newly announced Harmony platform, he said. We called it Harmony because we want to bring more harmony and convenience to the world,” Yu said.

Development on Harmony will near completion in 2021 whereafter Huawei will start rolling out Harmony on devices starting with wearables such as smartwatches. It is unclear if existing Huawei phones will receive Harmony, or if consumers will be able to upgrade to Harmony.

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Source: businessinsider