Huawei will be banning Android from all upcoming smartphones from April as the US trade ban continues to prevent the Chinese company from doing business with US companies, which include the Californian company Google – the brain behind Android, the Google Play Store and countless other popular apps like YouTube, Google Maps, and Gmail.
Instead of running Android 11, which is available on devices from Samsung, OnePlus, Googe, LG, Motorola, Sony, and others (albeit with slightly optimized graphics and some exclusive features), new devices from Huawei are now powered by their own devices. Harmony OS Software brand.
It’s a big change from the company that has clearly felt it had to go its own way since the 2019 ban on using Google apps and services. Huawei was able to use a version of Android on devices like the P40 Pro and Mate 40 Pro, but since it’s unlicensed, users won’t find any signs of it from apps like Gmail, Maps, or the all-important Play Store.
Now it doesn’t seem to matter anymore that Google’s operating system completely disappears from Huawei phones within a few weeks.
READ MORE: Huawei is making a return with the release of its Mate X2 smartphone … unfortunately there is still no Google
The news about this update was announced at the launch of the latest Mate X2 foldable phone, which was announced earlier this week.
Although this premium device – which looks almost identical to the Samsung Galaxy Fold – runs on Android at launch, owners will be able to switch to HarmonyOS when it officially launches in April, according to Hauwei.
More information about HarmonyOS continues to be scarce and there is no detail on what new features or differences there will be when Hauwei phone owners turn them on in the future.
Huawei is no stranger to fighting back against Google. The company has already launched its own Play Store rival called App Gallery. This marketplace has grown rapidly since its inception, with millions of popular and fully official apps now available through the service, including TikTok, Snapchat, and Amazon. Of course you won’t find any Google apps like Gmail, Google Maps or Docs in this store, but Huawei is even trying to solve this problem by launching its own versions of some of these apps.
The new Petal Maps app contains important functions such as route planning for walks, bike tours and public transport, which work alongside the existing route planner.
In addition to the expected duration and distance, users can also view multiple routes at a glance to make informed decisions about their trip.
We’ll have to wait and see how HarmonyOS works and if it really equates to the power of Google. But with P50 supposedly launching soon, we may have a good idea of the feature list sooner rather than later.
