Current Huawei Phones Will Face No Major Changes From Android OS Ban
Singaporean Carousell users may have noticed a spike in Huawei P30 Pro listings on the platform since Sunday (20 May).
This comes after Google banned Chinese phone maker Huawei from certain Android operating system (OS) updates.
Current Huawei users largely unaffected
The spike in the number of Huawei P30 Pro smartphones being listed on Carousell seems to coincide with Google’s Huawei ban.
While we can’t say for certain, this was probably indicative of the anxiety that users faced.
However, it seems that could be a little of an overreaction.
According to a Google spokesperson, existing Huawei phone users can still use and update their Google apps.
This information was also relayed in a tweet by Android’s official account.
Current Huawei users need not worry
A Huawei spokesperson also assured current users that they will continue to provide “security updates and after-sale services” to existing Huawei and Honor electronic devices.
Existing users will still be able to access services in the Google Play Store such as Google Maps, YouTube and Gmail.
In comparison, future users will be worse off as Huawei devices with Android OS will be unable to access these services in the Play Store, going forward.
Little cause for concern now
The ban on tech giant Huawei comes as the Trump administration seeks to “curb the rising power” of China.
While Google’s ban means that Huawei will instantly lose access to the latest updates for the Android OS, these effects are likely to be minimal on current Huawei users.
In particular, Huawei has been developing its own proprietary OS, named Hongmeng, which is currently being trialled and will gradually replace the Android OS.
An overreaction?
At least for now, the scurry by existing Huawei users in Singapore to sell their Huawei devices may be an overreaction.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Huawei’s future moves will improve their resilience to external ‘threats’ and minimise the impact on consumers.
Featured image from Carousell.
