[ad_1]
Huawei without Google: these are the 5 burning questions about how things will go now
Huawei holds its annual developer conference on September 10. After the turbulence caused by the US ban in 2019, Huawei recovered and is slowly getting used to a life without Google. However, the manufacturer is still struggling with the new US sanctions, which also affect the chip business, among other things.
This raises many questions, some of which need to be answered at the next press conference. This is the only way for the Chinese company to ensure that the trust of customers and developers is not lost.
Note: The developer conference is already underway. All major updates can be found in this post.
(How) are upgrades delivered to older Huawei phones?
So far, everything has been regulated relatively clearly in terms of the US embargo: mobile phones that appear after May 2019 come without a Google substructure, as they can no longer be certified. All Huawei smartphones that went on sale prior to this time were still able to use Google apps and received Android and security updates.
This was made possible by an exceptional license from the USA, which was valid for 90 days and extended multiple times. In August, however, the US stopped renewing this license to further toughen sanctions.
The Huawei P40 Pro has a powerful camera, but it is not certified by Google. Image: watson
For Google, this means that they can no longer supply Huawei with software for Google-certified devices that have already been sold.
The ban is particularly concerning when it comes to monthly security updates, as the absence of these updates could make cell phones vulnerable. But even Google apps like YouTube, Google Pay or Maps no longer receive updates in theory. And of course, in the end, this also affects the Android operating system itself.
Huawei reacted relatively quickly and said there was nothing to worry about. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty. Especially since Google is silent.
With the security updates, it seems that Huawei simply wants to adapt them. With Android, Huawei can still fall back on the open source version and incorporate new features using its own EMUI 11 user interface. According to Huaweicentral.com, there is already a long unofficial list of devices that are supposed to have Android 11. But many of them are post-Google devices that only use the open source version anyway. After all, it seems that the P30 series devices are getting Android 11.
Our review of the P30 series:
However, Huawei still leaves the question of how to keep Google apps updated in the future. It should probably not interest the user if Google Drive or Google Pay have potential security breaches due to missing updates.
Where does Huawei plan to get chips from in the future?
Richard Yu, the head of Huawei’s consumer division, said it himself: Huawei’s latest chips will roll off production lines on September 14. Contract manufacturers like TSMC have not been accepting new orders from Huawei since mid-May. For a long time it seemed that Huawei could switch to Mediatek, but this is no longer possible after the latest sanctions.
Huawei can no longer produce or order competitive chips as of September 15. There are some manufacturers in China that can do without US patents or technologies, but their chips are technically several years out of date. The domestic chip industry cannot supply chips with 5G cellular technology, which is extremely important to Huawei, without US patents.
For the time being, Huawei will still be able to make smartphones and other devices: the Chinese have already started amassing large stocks of high-end chips last year. However, these should not be enough for the whole of 2021, especially since Huawei does not have access to new and better chips.
Qualcomm: from a great competitor in the 5G race to a beacon of hope for Huawei. Bild: AP / AP
Mediatek and Qualcomm have applied for an exemption to the US government, but it seems unlikely that it will pass.
In view of this almost desperate situation, there have already been several rumors that Huawei would exit the smartphone business. The manufacturer has temporarily denied it. Whether Huawei will actually address the issue at HDC is questionable. It would be desirable.
What’s next with HarmonyOS?
Even if Huawei still emphasizes that they want to continue working with Google: with HarmonyOS they are working on an internal software alternative. In theory, Huawei could use it to build its own closed Apple-style ecosystem.
In practice, however, this is much more difficult. There’s a big question mark, especially when it comes to mobile apps: HarmonyOS doesn’t natively support Android apps. So Huawei has to convince developers to migrate their apps. A task that Microsoft could not do with Windows Phone. To set up HarmonyOS, Huawei needs a lot of patience.
The Chinese manufacturer is well aware of these challenges. In April, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei joked in an interview with the South China Morning Post that it would take 300 years to get up to speed with Android or iOS.
However, Richard Yu is confident. In early September it said that HarmonyOS could already replace around 70 to 80 percent of Android. Yu even plays with the option that HamonyOS will no longer remain a Huawei-exclusive operating system:
“Whether [Android] locked in the future so that all Chinese companies can no longer use the Google ecosystem, our ecosystem can be sold globally, and an ecosystem can be built that can replace Google. “
Now it seems increasingly likely that Huawei will launch its first cell phone with HarmonyOS in 2021, but probably only in China. At least there should already be devices within the company running HarmonyOS.
Aside from the smartphone bubble, there is already a TV from the subsidiary brand Honor that works with HarmonyOS. It was published in fall 2019. In July, Chinese electric car maker BYD also announced that it would also rely on HarmonyOS. The first model, the Han EV, was presented in August. The version for cars is called “HiCar”. If you believe Huawei, 30 manufacturers are already planning models that use HiCar, including Audi.
The Han EV is equipped with the car version of HarmonyOS called HiCar. Bild: WORLD
How is the AppGallery expansion going?
It’s quite surprising how many Huawei developers have already gotten their apps published on AppGallery, the in-house app store. In addition to Petal Search, where you can get applications from external sources, users have access to around three million applications.
Petal Search is only a short-term solution, because many Android applications do not run properly without the integration of Huawei mobile services.
Search for petals. Image: watson
The AppGallery should be expanded accordingly. According to Huawei, around 5000 new apps are currently being added per month, but some “big players” are still missing. In order to make the offer attractive as quickly as possible, the 3000 most popular applications worldwide were found. Now Huawei just has to convince the respective developers to upload their apps to the AppGallery. The problem here is that this is simply not possible with some providers because they come from the US.
Apple Music is available through the AppGallery, even if you are redirected to Apple’s official APK download page. Image: watson
For other things, Huawei has to be very persuasive. A prominent example is Spotify: Although the company is not affected by the US ban, the application cannot yet be found on the AppGallery. The alternatives are Deezer or its own service called Huawei Music, and Spotify can also be obtained through Petal Search. However, Huawei must work to ensure that as many applications as possible are available centrally.
What about alternatives to Google apps?
A digital life is possible without Google apps. However, anyone deeply ingrained in the Google ecosystem will not be happy with unlicensed Huawei phones. Therefore, Huawei must provide a usable replacement that is also, if possible, from a single source.
Consequently, people are hard at work on various Google replacement apps. A cloud service, a music app and a streaming service have already been launched that also allows for movie rentals. The voice assistant “Celia” will also be launched soon in Europe.
According to the latest rumors, Huawei is also working on its own solution for Google Maps. To do this, they teamed up with Dutch map pioneer TomTom. TomTom already provides Huawei interfaces for GPS interfaces that other developers can use. TomTom also offers its own TomTom GO Navigation application in the AppGallery.
Another thing that Huawei still has to work on: that the providers point to the AppGallery in their official channels when they offer the application. Image: TomTom
What about Google Pay and YouTube?
However, Huawei still has two important works and they cannot be quickly removed: on the one hand, there is Google Pay. Huawei already has its own payment service, but its introduction in Europe will take some time.
The biggest problem is the YouTube app. For the moment, Huawei has no choice but to save a bookmark on the home screen that references the mobile website of the video platform. Without the lifting of the US ban, this is unlikely to change much.
The bottom line is that there is already an alternative for almost all Google services. However, the various applications are far from being seamlessly integrated as with Google. Many services, such as Huawei Video, are not yet available in Switzerland. So Huawei has to step on the gas here to keep customers engaged.
In addition to the new software, Huawei will also introduce several new wearables. Among other things, laptops, headphones and smart watches were mocked.
The Huawei Developer Conference starts on Wednesday at 9:00 am Swiss time. Watson summarizes the most important information from the event in this article. If you want to follow the event yourself via live broadcast, you can do so here.
