Huawei continues to support Android devices, but does not mention upgrades
Huawei has responded to Google’s revocation of its Android license. The Chinese manufacturer continues to support sold devices and copies that are still in stock with security updates. Huawei says nothing about upgrades to new Android versions.
Huawei has issued a statement to US media outlets, including The Verge and TechCrunch. The smartphone manufacturer says it will continue to release security updates for all existing Huawei and Honor smartphones and tablets. Huawei does not mention upgrades to new Android versions. Huawei is also not yet commenting on future hardware.
The Chinese manufacturer has been working on its own operating system for years and could switch to it. In the statement, Huawei emphasizes that it has contributed substantially to the development and growth of Android. Huawei writes that it continues to work on a “secure and sustainable software ecosystem” for users worldwide. With this, the manufacturer seems to hint at a switch to its own operating system.
Google has revoked Huawei’s Android license because American companies are no longer allowed to trade with the Chinese company without permission. The US government put Huawei and 70 companies related to the tech giant on a list of companies with such a trade restriction last week.
Users of Huawei and Honor smartphones can continue to use Google apps and receive updates for them, as well as protection against malware via Google Play Protect. This support will remain because Google does not have to trade with Huawei for this. If the Chinese manufacturer wants to bring new Android versions to its device, it must be in contact with Google to get beta versions early, for example. Now that that cooperation is no longer there, Huawei must base itself on the open source variant of Android. Security updates and new Android versions will not be available for the AOSP version until later. Also, the Play Store and Google apps are not included. Several popular apps won’t work without Google support, such as online banking apps, as well as Snapchat and Pokémon Go.