Huawei Mobile Services now boast 400 million users worldwide, having reached the historic milestone in record time. The ecosystem meant to substitute Google’s core Android solutions now also encompasses 1.3 million developers.
Richard Yu, the CEO of Huawei’s consumer unit, revealed these impressive figures during the P40 series launch event. The online-only happening was hence a reminder that Huawei remains a tech powerhouse, with or without Google licenses.
The achievement is all the more praiseworthy because the 400-million figure refers to monthly active users, not total installs. Elaborating on the milestone, Yu revealed the platform is currently active in over 170 countries the world over.
The development confirms modern Huawei devices already account for close to a fifth of all active Android products on a global level.
Could Huawei Mobile Services outshine Google’s own Android suite?
At Google I/O 2019, Alphabet’s subsidiary said the Android ecosystem is some 2.5 billion units strong. It’s been nearly a year since that last official update, yet it’s clear Huawei Mobile Services have been growing at a rivaling pace; so far, that is.
Granted, Huawei’s still at least years away from having a platform whose size is comparable to GMS. But its initial results clearly signal the company’s much more stubborn than the U.S. government likely hoped.
Huawei’s first-party Android ecosystem presently revolves around ten apps. Those are: Browser, Wallet, Music, Video, AppGallery, Reader, Assistant, Cloud, Themes, and Member Center.
The software suite had a rushed launch after the U.S. government cut off Huawei’s stateside supply chain at its knees. The company’s Thursday announcement did not provide a territorial breakdown of the HMS install base. That’s presumably not a coincidence; after all, Huawei remains heavily reliant on its domestic market – now more than ever.
Yet given everything that’s been happening in recent months, even the conglomerate’s harshest critics can’t deny its tenacity. What’s more, Huawei already revealed an unprecedented R&D budget for 2020. The decision bluntly telegraphs that its aggressive growth strategy won’t be changed anytime soon.
But regardless of its official projections, the worst may be yet to come for Huawei. According to new reports, the Trump administration is currently preparing to seize complete control of Huawei’s American chip suppliers.
The legislative effort is rumored to materialize by the end of the second quarter, threatening another massive blow to Huawei.
In the meantime, the company will try to convince Western consumers to follow China’s lead and realize there’s Android beyond Google.