Google is reportedly eager to work with Huawei again, after telling German news publication DPA that it has applied for licensing with the US government.
This comes after US president, Donald Trump claimed that Huawei is a danger to American national security in May 2019. Trump then went on to sign an executive order allowing his government to block any trade between the US and a foreign organisation deemed as a threat — i.e. Huawei – even though the company has denied that its products could be used for espionage.
“Google is prohibited from working with Huawei on new device models or providing Google’s apps including Gmail, Maps, YouTube, the Play Store and others for preload or download on these devices,” says Google.
Despite the ban, a number of American companies have been permitted to work with Huawei and other Chinese companies under strict licensing and regulations from the US government.
“We have continued to work with Huawei, in compliance with government regulations, to provide security updates and updates to Google’s apps and services on existing devices, and we will continue to do so as long as it is permitted.”
Since news of the ban broke, Huawei has been working relentlessly to replace Google Mobile Services which runs on all Android devices and is the core system of support behind both the Google Play Store and a number of security features.
Beginning in March 2020, all newly launched Huawei devices will now operate Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) and users will be able to access apps through the Huawei AppGallery.
Although, “due to government restrictions, Google’s apps and services are not available for preload or sideload on new Huawei devices,” says Google.
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