UPDATE: Huawei devices reelased before May 2019 will keep getting Android updates, and Huawei is not planning to switch them from GMS to HMS.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: It seems like existing Huawei devices will keep getting Android updates. We are, of course, talking about devices that were released before the company was placed on the entity list by the US.
As some of you already know, Huawei was granted a temporary general license to maintain phones launched before May 2019. That license was renewed several times, but that license expired recently.
Many users were afraid that they won’t be getting any more updates (including security ones), but that won’t be the case, it seems. Well, at least according to Huawei, as Google hasn’t confirmed anything just yet.
Existing Huawei devices will keep getting Android updates, it seems
In a response to a user on Twitter, Huawei Mobile says that “there is no impact on existing devices”. The company also added that such devices will continue getting security and software updates, as per usual.
Now, Huawei used the “as we always have” in its tweet, so we’re guessing that Google Services will remain intact, somehow. The company is hopefully not planning to switch those phones to HMS, as users would lose everything Google-related.
Something like that almost certainly won’t happen, though we’re wondering what is Huwaei’s plan here. Is the US planning to extend the temporary general license yet again, and nobody is aware of it yet? Well, no, as the Commerce Department recently confirmed it won’t be extended.
We’re really not sure what is Huawei’s plan here, but it’s not allowed to push any new updates with Google’s services on its devices.
Huawei really is in a tight spot now. The company had to pre-load its HMS (Huawei Mobile Services) suite on its newer phones, instead of GMS.
That created quite a few issues for users, as not all apps from the Google Play Store are available in the company’s App Gallery store. Furthermore, Google apps are not available at all.
The US ban is also affecting Huawei’s SoC business
As if that wasn’t enough to hurt the company, the US also decided to mess with Huawei’s chip production. Huawei is not allowed to do business with TSMC anymore, which directly affects the production of its Kirin chips.
Huawei has announced that the production of its chips will cease next month. SMIC can’t handle producing Huawei’s flagship processors, it seems, and with TSMC out of the picture, Huawei is in trouble.
The company may be forced to utilize Qualcomm’s chips, if that is something the US government allows. Qualcomm already asked for permission, but it’s not as likely.