Meet Android Version 2?

Google has massive power over the Internet, and it also has a near stranglehold on the Android operating system. And so the announcement from Google that it is restricting the access of Huawei devices to some of its core applications is a major shock to the industry. Previously Google has supported smart phone manufacturers in customizing their environment and in providing them with the freedom to skin their operating system. We thus have an operating system which is basically the same, no matter which phone you purchase. The user interface skinning might look different, but underneath we have the core applications that have built Android.

But governments of the world have found a new way to restrict trade … software licences.

This move follows the Trump administration’s order for US companies not to trade with China unless they have been granted a licence, and was part of the “National Emergency of IT Threats” declaration. Huawei Technologies Co Ltd has thus been added to a trade blacklist, and where access to US companies for hardware and software will be severely restricted. Thus existing smart phones will still receive updates from Google as part of existing licencing agreements, but not for new devices.