Huawei’s upcoming launch of the Mate 30/Mate 30 Pro later this month is under a cloud, with a Google representative confirming to Reuters that the phones cannot launch with official Google apps or services .
Huawei announced the date for the launch of the Mate 30 series earlier this week, confirming the phones will be announced on September 19th in Munich, Germany, but at this stage no details on what will be running on the phone have been announced.
At this time, Huawei has a number of options without a license to use Google apps and services.
Chinese companies currently distribute phones and tablets in China sans Google apps and services, and Huawei could go this route. This would present difficulties for many current Huawei phone users who use Google services.
Huawei could also launch the phone using their homegrown HarmonyOS, which will use a compatibility layer to allow Android apps to run – a move which didn’t work out too well for Blackberry when they tried it.
If Huawei does forge ahead to launch the Mate 30 with a version of Android without Google apps and services, there will also be issues delivering security and feature updates to the new phone.
The ban on US companies doing trade with Huawei has been ongoing since May. As the ban draws on, it might also affect other facets of Huawei’s smartphone manufacturing business including their new mobile processors.
Huawei is expected to announce the Kirrin 990 processor this week at IFA, which though manufactured by HiSilicon, is based on designs from ARM Holdings who cut ties with Huawei due to the use of US patents in their technology.
There’s mounting pressure on Huawei in the face of the ongoing ban. Huawei is currently the number two smartphone maker in the world, but without access to Google’s apps and services, the launch of the Mate 30 may be not as spectacular as we’ve come to expect.
