Huawei Won't Ditch Google Play Forever Unless It's Forced To

Things have been quiet on Huawei's side of the mobile market lately, partly because of the attention that the likes of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip are getting. It's also partly because of the tension between the US and China have mellowed down a bit. That could end up getting the ban on Huawei lifted which puts it in a rather unusual position. Refuting an earlier report, Huawei clarifies that it isn't abandoning Google's apps and services for good but still leaves the door open for that possibility.

The past months have seen Huawei scramble to build software and services that would replace Google's both immediately and in the worst-case scenario. It developed and launched Harmony OS, not as the Android replacement that some expected it to be but as a fledgling IoT platform. It did, however, make more concerted efforts to develop and offer its Huawei Mobile Services and AppGallery as a replacement for Google Play Services and Store.

So far, Huawei's position in the mobile market, held up by existing phones that still have access to Google's apps as well as by the Chinese market for whom everything is business as usual. The company doesn't seem to have garnered the interest from app developers that it wanted, putting the launch of the Huawei P40 in a few months at risk.

The situation may not last long if restrictions on Huawei's trade with US companies are either loosened or lifted completely. A report from Austrian publication Der Standard suggests that Huawei won't go back into Google's arms even if that happened, something unsurprising for the proud and stubborn company. Huawei, however, later clarified with other publications that it would still prefer Android's open ecosystem if it has that choice.

That doesn't close the door on Huawei completely abandoning ship if circumstances force its hand. And while it does concede it will choose Android if it can, it didn't miss out on the opportunity to boast that it has the ability to develop its own ecosystem if can't.