The last few releases from Huawei were without access to key products and services of Google because of the Chinese tech giant's dispute with the U.S. government. A ban denies Huawei access to the massively popular Android ecosystem and a new report said the company is preparing for the worst - the specter of a total shutout.
Huawei preparing means the gradual to an alternative mobile device ecosystem, exclusively operated by the company. A part of this ecosystem is the Huawei Mobile Services that is installed by default on all Huawei mobile devices.
Soon enough, there will be an official hub of applications that will be developed specifically for the EMUI mobile operating system. When this is fully established, the Chinese company envisions that its own app store will co-exist with Android, according to Android Central.
Alongside this effort, Huawei is still hoping that the U.S. government will lift the ban that was imposed last year. And talking on this subject, an official of the company in Europe suggested that going back to the Android ecosystem may not be necessary even if the restrictions will be cleared.
However, Huawei clarified this declaration by saying in a subsequent statement that while it is building its own collection of apps for mobile devices, said to be supported by up to $3 billion of funding, the company will still use Android.
"An open Android ecosystem is still our first choice, but if we are not able to continue to use it, we have the ability to develop our own," the device maker was reported as saying.
The walk back from Huawei is understandable. According to WCCFTech, while it is remarkable that the company is looking to operate independent of Google and free from the dictates of the U.S. government, the task of convincing people to abandon Android in favor of a yet-to-be tested alternative will not be easy.
"The road ahead is a tough one, as Google apps are revered by users worldwide. There is very little incentive for people to make the switch to an unknown platform," the report argued.
It doesn't help that Huawei is accused of espionage and the tendency to breach privacy, which are concerns that are big deal for consumers in America and key Western markets. It is hard to imagine that Huawei would be willing to forego of these lucrative markets in the name of standing on its own.
As the clarification made by Huawei showed, the company is well aware that having a good working relationship with Google and the U.S. will be crucial to sustaining the incredible growth it has achieved in the past years.
