Huawei abandoned by Google and major US chipmakers
In the past decade, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer — Huawei — has found itself in situations where it has been questioned about its integrity in terms of the privacy and security of its users’ data. And, it seems that the situation has not settled down yet. Alphabet Inc, Google’s parent company, has suspended business with Huawei and cut off its Android license, which in the upcoming future could mean that both Huawei and its sub-brand Honor, would no longer be able to receive Android security updates and use Google’s proprietary applications. As if that wasn’t enough, popular chipmakers — Intel, Qualcomm, and Broadcom, are also joining Google in cutting-off the cord with Huawei.
The move comes from Google after the US added Huawei Technologies to a trade blacklist, ‘Entity List’, making it difficult for Huawei to do business with any of the US companies. And for the US companies to engage in business with any of the Chinese companies unless granted exclusive permission by the government.
The suspension of business with Huawei and Google means that the Chinese smartphone manufacturer will stop receiving monthly security updates from Google for its exiting and upcoming lineup of smartphones. This can turn out to be a crucial drawback for the company, as regular updates from Google ensure that the devices are secure against malware and always updated with the latest set of features. Another drawback that Huawei smartphones could suffer from is the absence of services like Google Play, Google Maps, and YouTube, as the smartphones would be restricted to using the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). In this case, if Huawei decides to provide security updates to its users, it would need to first introduce the changes to the AOSP version before it can be pushed out. However, a Google spokesperson confirmed to Reuters, saying, “Google Play and the security protections from Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices.”
It is not the first time that Huawei has been in such a situation. In the past, it has been under pressure from the US government over the use of its smartphone equipment by the Chinese government to spy on American networks. However, Huawei has refrained from it and said that it is not possible for the Chinese government to get hold of its device’s equipment. The company also said that it is optimistic about the future of its business, and as per a report, Huawei has been preparing its own operating system to deal with a situation where it is prohibited from using the existing systems.
In another development, popular chipmakers and suppliers — Intel, Qualcomm, and Broadcom, have also cut-off their dealings with Huawei. To give you a background, Huawei has been largely dependent on these chipmakers for processors, modems, and server chips for its devices, and with them cutting-off the cord, Huawei needs to figure out a way soon to continue its smartphone production. Another report suggests that Huawei has piled up a stock of chips from these manufacturers that could last at least three months, which should be enough time until the current scenario gets further updates.
Another lineup of Huawei devices that could get affected with the US government restrictions is its laptop range, which runs on Windows OS from Microsoft — another company based out of the US. However, as of now, there is no information about Microsoft revoking its rights for the OS. But unlike other US companies that are abiding by the government’s rule, odds are that Microsoft would also pull-off the plug for its Windows OS.
UPDATE: As of May 21, the US Commerce Department has delayed some of the consequences of the order for Huawei by 90 days starting today. During this period, based on a Reuters report, “Huawei will be able to purchase American-made goods to facilitate its existing networks and provide software updates to existing Huawei handsets”. However, “the company is still prohibited from buying American parts and components to manufacture new products without license approvals that likely will be denied.”
